Ryan Braun Career Home Run Record

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Braun played his entire 14-year MLB career with the Brewers, primarily as a left fielder but also appearing at right field, first base, and third base. He was a five-tool player known for power, average, speed, fielding, and arm strength. Braun won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2007, the NL MVP in 2011, and five Silver Slugger awards (2008–2012). He was selected to six All-Star Games (2008–2012, 2015). Braun led the NL in slugging percentage three times (2007, 2011, 2012) and once each in hits (2009), home runs (2012), and runs (2012). He was inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor in 2022 and the Brewers Walk of Fame in 2024.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Miller Park was thick with humidity on a late August night in 2016. Ryan Braun stepped into the batter's box, the familiar weight of the bat feeling like an extension of his arm. The pitcher wound up, and Braun connected with a crack that echoed off the stadium walls. As the ball soared toward the right-field bleachers, the crowd erupted—a collective roar for the man who had become the standard-bearer for Brewers power hitting.

Reader's Guide

Braun's home run record is a testament to his consistent power hitting. He hit 25 home runs in his rookie season (2007) and led the NL with 41 home runs in 2012. His career total of 352 home runs is the most in Brewers history, surpassing the previous record held by Robin Yount.

Did You Know?

• Braun was drafted fifth overall by the Brewers in the 2005 MLB draft out of the University of Miami.
• He was named National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America in 2003.
• Braun was suspended for 65 games in 2013 for violating MLB's drug policy after his ties to the Biogenesis clinic.
• He admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during his 2011 MVP season.

Rise Through the Ranks

Ryan Braun was born on November 17, 1983, in Los Angeles. He attended Granada Hills High School, where he was a four-year letterman and three-year team captain and MVP. He broke the school record for career home runs with 25. He graduated in 2002 and went undrafted as he told teams he intended to attend college. He attended the University of Miami on an academic scholarship, where he was named National Freshman of the Year by Baseball America in 2003.

The Five-Tool Phenom

Braun was considered a five-tool player for his ability to hit for power and average, his baserunning speed, and his excellent fielding and arm strength. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year in 2007, won five Silver Slugger awards (2008–12), and won the NL Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2011. He was named to five straight All-Star Games (2008–12), and was later named to a team-high sixth All-Star Game in 2015. Braun led the NL three times in slugging percentage (in 2007, 2011, and 2012) and once each in hits (2009), home runs (2012), and runs (2012). He was ranked number seven by the Sporting News in its 2012 list of the 50 best current players in baseball.

Controversy and Suspension

Braun came under scrutiny for a testosterone test that he failed in 2011 and then for his connection in 2012 to the Biogenesis of America clinic that provided performance-enhancing drugs to professional baseball players. On July 22, 2013, Braun was suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2013 season and playoffs (totaling 65 regular-season games) for violating the league's drug policy. Braun made public his accusations of anti-semitism by the testing facility employee administering the urine sample in the 2011 test. That test was dismissed for procedural mishandling of the sample. However, he was suspended two years later for his ties to Biogenesis and his disparagement of the employee. He subsequently admitted using PEDs during his 2011 MVP season.

Franchise Legacy and Honors

Ryan Braun played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2007 to 2020. He was inducted into the Brewers Wall of Honor in 2022, and was inducted into the Brewers Walk of Fame in 2024.