The all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson, swipes third in 1988.

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. In baseball statistics, stolen bases are denoted by SB.

If the defense makes no attempt to put the baserunner out (for example, if the catcher doesn't even look his way), the play is scored as defensive indifference (also called fielder's indifference), and no stolen base is credited to the runner.^[1] Defensive indifference is generally only scored instead of a stolen base when the game is in a late inning and the team with the stealing baserunner is down by more than one run. MLB Rule 10.07(g) covers defensive indifference.

Successful base-stealing requires not only simple running speed but also good base-running instincts and split-second timing. The scoring and criteria for awarding a stolen base to a runner are covered by rule 10.07 of the Major League Baseball rule book.^[2]

Background[link]

Ned Cuthbert, playing for the Philadelphia Keystones in either 1863 or 1865, is documented as the first baseball player to steal a base in a baseball game, although the term stolen base was not used until 1871.^[3] For a time in the 19th century, stolen bases were credited when a baserunner reached an extra base on a base hit from another player.^[4] For example if a runner on first base reached third base on a single, it would count as a steal. In 1887, Hugh Nicol set a still-standing Major League record with 138 stolen bases,^[5] many of which would not have counted under modern rules.^[4] Modern steal rules were fully implemented in 1898,^[6] and steals are now only credited when a runner successfully takes an extra base while the ball is being pitched, but not already hit. If the ball is dead on the pitch run on, such as from a foul ball (except caught fly-out), the steal is not allowed and the runner returns to his time-of-pitch base. In addition, if the situation of the game is such that the steal is of little use (usually in the late innings when the runner would not change the game's outcome by scoring), and the catcher does not attempt to throw out the runner, the runner is not credited with a steal, and the base is attributed to defensive indifference.^[7]

Graph depicting the yearly number of home runs (blue line) and stolen bases (pink line) per MLB game. The two primary periods in which the stolen base was popular were before 1920 and again in the 1970s and 1980s.

Base stealing was popular in the game's early decades, with speedsters such as Ty Cobb and Clyde Milan stealing nearly 100 bases in a season. But the tactic fell into relative disuse after Babe Ruth introduced the era of the home run – in 1955, for example, no one in baseball stole more than 25 bases, and Dom DiMaggio won the AL stolen base title in 1950 with just 15. However, in the late 1950s and early 1960s base-stealing was brought back to prominence primarily by Luis Aparicio and Maury Wills, who broke Cobb's modern single-season record by stealing 104 bases in 1962. Wills' record was broken in turn by Lou Brock in 1974, and Rickey Henderson in 1982. The stolen base remained a popular tactic through the 1980s, perhaps best exemplified by Vince Coleman and the St. Louis Cardinals, but began to decline again in the 1990s as the frequency of home runs reached unprecedented heights and the steal-friendly artificial turf ballparks began to disappear.

Technique and strategy[link]

This section may contain original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding references. Statements consisting only of original research may be removed. More details may be available on the talk page. (May 2009)

A base-stealing runner must begin running as soon as the pitcher has committed himself to throwing a pitch to home plate, neither sooner nor later. If he begins to run too soon, the pitcher may throw to a base rather than to home—in this case, the runner is picked off, and will most likely be tagged out. Before the pitch, the runner will often take a lead-off, walking several steps away from the base as a head start for his next advance. In some cases, the pitcher may hold the runner on by throwing to the base several times before pitching, in the hope of dissuading the runner from too big a lead-off. This action can also result in the runner being tagged out in a pick-off. Another popular strategy is for the runner to attempt a steal while the hitter is instructed to swing at the pitch if it is at all hittable. This hit-and-run play can give the runner a good head start to take an extra base on the hit. But if the hitter fails to hit the ball, the hit-and-run becomes a pure steal attempt, and the runner may be thrown out. Another risk of the hit-and-run is that a caught line drive could result in an easy double play, although this is offset by the lower likelihood of a ground ball double play.

A second and lesser-known technique is the "delayed" steal. The first delayed steal on record was performed by Miller Huggins in 1903.^[8] This technique, famously practiced by Eddie Stanky of the Brooklyn Dodgers,^{[citation needed]} is where the runner does not break immediately for second when the pitcher commits to the plate. Instead the runner takes two or three large shuffles off the base when the pitcher goes to the plate. This keys the middle infielders and the catcher to let their guard down, as it appears the runner is not stealing, but only getting a good secondary lead in case the ball is hit. In reality the delayed stealer is closing the distance to second base. When the ball crosses the plate the runner breaks for second base, and is essentially stealing the base on the middle infielders who have not covered second base. Additionally, the catcher is not ready to come out of his crouch and cannot throw to second until an infielder gets there. The delayed steal is a deceptive technique that is sometimes executed by even slow runners and many times results in a catcher throwing into center field.^{[citation needed]} The technique is rarely seen at the Major League level but is used effectively by multiple college programs.

Second base is the base most often stolen. It is also technically the easiest to steal, as it is farthest from home plate and thus a longer throw from the catcher is required to prevent it. Third base is a shorter throw for the catcher, and thus more difficult to steal, though a right-handed batter can sometimes help by serving as an obstacle that the catcher must throw around. Third base is generally stolen off the pitcher, since a bigger lead is possible off second base. It is possible for a player to steal home plate, but this requires great daring and aggressiveness as the ball will almost certainly arrive at home plate before the runner. Thus a sacrifice bunt or squeeze play is typically used instead. Ty Cobb holds the records for most steals of home in a single season (8) as well as for a career (54).^[9] It is worth noting, however, that steals of home are not officially recorded statistics, and, thus, must be researched through individual game accounts. Thus, Cobb's totals may be even greater than is recorded.^[9] Jackie Robinson was also renowned for the thrilling feat of stealing home, which he famously accomplished in Game 1 of the 1955 World Series. On August 22, 1982, Glenn Brummer stole home in the bottom of the 12th inning of a tie game, thus accomplishing a walk-off straight steal of home, one of the very few in major league history. In more recent years, pure steals of home are rare, although a player may steal home plate during a "delayed double steal," in which a runner on first attempts to steal second, while the runner on third breaks for home as soon as the catcher throws to second base. The most recent "pure" steal of home (i.e., not involving a squeeze play or an additional steal attempt) was on May 6, 2012, when Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals stole home against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Base stealing is an important characteristic of a particular style of baseball, sometimes called "small ball" or "manufacturing runs". A team playing with this style emphasizes doing little things (including risky running plays like base-stealing) to advance runners and score runs, often relying on pitching and defense to keep games close. The Los Angeles Dodgers of the 1960s, led by pitcher Sandy Koufax and speedy shortstop Maury Wills, were a successful example of this style. The antithesis of this would be a team that relies on power hitting. The Baltimore Orioles of the 1970s, led by manager Earl Weaver, were an example of such a "slugging" team that aspired to score most of its runs via home runs. Often the "small ball" model is associated with the National League, while power hitting is seen as more associated with the American League. However, some of the more successful American League teams of recent memory, including the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 2005 Chicago White Sox have experienced their success in part as a result of playing "small ball," advancing runners through means such as the stolen base and the related hit and run play. Successful teams often combine both styles, with a speedy runner or two complementing hitters with power, such as the 2005 White Sox, who despite playing "small ball", still hit 200 home runs that season.

Measuring success[link]

Curtis Granderson steals a base.

One of the difficulties in determining how good a player is at stealing bases is whether to judge the cumulative number of steals or the success ratio of steals to caught stealing. Noted statistician Bill James has argued that unless a player can steal a high percentage of the time, then the stolen base is not useful, and can even be detrimental to a team. A success rate of 67 to 70% or better is necessary to make stealing bases worthwhile.^[10]

Judging the base-stealing abilities of players from earlier eras is also problematic, because caught stealing was not a regularly recorded statistic until the middle of the 20th Century. Ty Cobb, for example, was known as a great base-stealer, with 892 steals and a success rate of over 83%. However the data on Cobb's caught stealing is missing from 12 seasons, strongly suggesting he was unsuccessful many more times than his stats indicate.^[11] Carlos Beltrán, with 286 steals, has the highest career success rate of all players with over 300 stolen base attempts, at 88.3%.

Evolution of rules and scoring[link]

Lastings Milledge steals a base.

The first mention of the stolen base, in a statistical sense was in the 1877 scoring rules adopted by the National League which noted credit toward a player's total bases when a base is stolen.^[12] It was not until 1886 that the stolen base appeared as something to be tracked, but was only to "appear in the summary of the game".^[13]

In 1887, the stolen base was given its own individual statistical column in the box score, and was defined for purposes of scoring: "...every base made after first base has been reached by a base runner, except for those made by reason of or with the aid of a battery error (wild pitch or passed ball), or by batting, balks or by being forced off. In short, shall include all bases made by a clean steal, or through a wild throw or muff of the ball by a fielder who is directly trying to put the base runner out while attempting to steal."^[14] The next year, it was clarified that any attempt to steal must be credited to the runner, and that fielders committing errors during this play must also be charged with an error. This rule also clarified that advancement of another base(s) beyond the one being stolen is not credited as a stolen base on the same play, and that an error is charged to the fielder who permitted the extra advancement. There was clarification that a runner is credited with a steal if the attempt began before a battery error. Finally, batters were credited with a stolen base if they were tagged out after over running the base.^[14]

In 1892, a short-lived rule was added crediting runners with stolen bases if a base runner advanced on a fly out, or if they advanced more than one base on any safe hit or attempted out, providing an attempt was made by the defense to put the runner out.^[14] The rule was subsequently ended in 1897.^[14]

In 1898, stolen base scoring was narrowed to no longer include advancement in the event of a fielding error, or advancement caused by a hit batsman.^[15]

1904 saw an attempt to reduce the already wordy slew of rules governing stolen bases, with the stolen base now credited when "...the baserunner [sic] advances a base unaided by a base hit, a put out, (or) a fielding or batter error."^[16]

1910 saw the first addressing of the double and triple steal attempts. Under the new rule, when any runner is thrown out, and the other(s) are successful, the successful runners will not be credited with a stolen base.^[16]

Without using the term, 1920 saw the first rule that would be referred to today as defensive indifference, as stolen bases would not be credited, unless an effort was made to stop the runner by the defense.^[1] This is usually called if such is attempted in the ninth inning while that player's team is trailing, unless the runner represents the potential tying run.^[17]

1931 saw a further narrowing of the criteria for awarding a stolen base. Power was given to the official scorer, in the event of a muff by the catcher in throwing, that in the judgment of the scorer the runner would have been out, to credit the catcher with an error, and not credit the runner with a stolen base.^[18] Further, any successful steal on a play resulting in a wild pitch, passed ball, or balk would no longer be credited as a steal, even if the runner had started to steal before the play.^[18]

One of the largest rewrites to the rules in history came in 1950.^[19] The stolen base was specifically to be credited "to a runner whenever he advances one base unaided by a base hit, a putout, a forceout, a fielder's choice, a passed ball, a wild pitch, or a balk."^[20]

There were noted exceptions, such as denying a stolen base to an otherwise successful steal as a part of a double or triple steal, if one other runner was thrown out in the process.^[20] A stolen base would be awarded to runners who successfully stole second base as a part of a double steal with a man on third, if the other runner failed to steal home, but instead was able to return safely to third base.^[20] Runners who are tagged out oversliding the base after an otherwise successful steal would not be credited with a stolen base.^[20] Indifference was also credited as an exception.^[20] Runners would now be credited with stolen bases if they had begun the act of stealing, and the resulting pitch was wild, or a passed ball.^[20] Finally, for 1950 only, runners would be credited with a stolen base if they were "well advanced" toward the base they were attempting to steal", and the pitcher is charged with a balk, with the further exception of a player attempting to steal, who would otherwise have been forced to advance on the balk by a runner behind them.^[20] This rule was removed in 1951.^[20]

A clarification came in 1955 that awarded a stolen base to a runner, even if he became involved in a rundown, provided he managed to evade the rundown, and advance to the base he was intending to steal.^[21]

The criteria for being charged with "caught stealing" were fine tuned in 1979, with a runner being charged with being caught if he is put out while trying to steal, oversliding a base (otherwise successfully stolen), or is picked off a base, and tries to advance to the next base.^[22] Runners would specifically not be charged with being caught, if the player was put out after a wild pitch or passed ball.^[22]

Stealing first[link]

While it is not recorded as a "steal", in a practical sense a batter can be said to "steal first base" by successfully running to first base (without being tagged or thrown out) in rare circumstances following an uncaught third strike; the rarely-seen play avoids an "out" and gains a baserunner. Statistically, it is recorded as a strikeout plus a passed ball or wild pitch, and a "stolen base" statistic does not accrue and neither is an out recorded for the strikeout.^[23]

In baseball's earlier decades, a runner on second base could "steal" first base, perhaps with the intention of drawing a throw which might allow a runner on third to score (a tactic famously employed by Germany Schaefer). However, such a tactic was not recorded as a stolen base, and modern rules forbid going backwards on the basepaths in order to "confuse the defense or make a travesty of the game".^[24]

The expression "You can't steal first base" is sometimes used in reference to a player who is fast but not very good at getting on base in the first place.^[25] Former Pittsburgh Pirate manager Lloyd McClendon is jokingly referred to as having "stolen first" in a June 26, 2001 game – after disputing a call at first base, he yanked the base out of the ground and left the field with it, delaying the game.

See also[link]

• Lead off
• Stolen base percentage
• List of Major League Baseball stolen base records
• List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stealing (baseball)

• Baseball-Almanac.com list of All-Time Career stolen bases leaders

Carl Crawford
Carl Crawford with the Red Sox
Boston Red Sox – No. 13
Outfielder
Born: (1981-08-05) August 5, 1981 (age 30) Houston, Texas
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
July 20, 2002 for the Tampa Bay Rays
Career statistics (through 2011 season)
Batting average	.293
Stolen bases	427
Runs	830
Hits	1,609
Home runs	115
Teams
Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2002–2010) Boston Red Sox (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star selection (2004, 2007, 2009, 2010) Gold Glove Award (2010) Silver Slugger Award (2010) 2009 MLB All-Star Game MVP 4× AL Stolen Base Champion (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007) Tied an MLB record with 6 stolen bases in a game (May 3, 2009 vs. Boston Red Sox)

Medal record
Men’s baseball
Competitor for  United States
Baseball World Cup
Silver	2001 Taipei	National team

To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, the introduction of this article may need to be rewritten. Please discuss this issue on the talk page and read the layout guide to make sure the section will be inclusive of all essential details. (July 2011)

Carl Demonte "The Perfect Storm"^[1][2] Crawford (born August 5, 1981, in Houston, Texas) is an American professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws left-handed. Crawford has more triples (110) than any other active baseball player.

Early life[link]

Crawford, a native of the Fifth Ward area of Houston, attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, Texas,^[3] and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. In baseball, he batted .638 as a senior. Crawford was offered scholarships to play basketball as a point guard at UCLA.^[4] He also had an option to play college football as an option quarterback at Nebraska,^[4] USC, Oklahoma, Florida, and Tulsa. He had originally signed a letter of intent to play football for Nebraska but he turned down both offers in favor of a baseball career.^[4]

Professional career[link]

Crawford was drafted by the Devil Rays in the second round (52nd overall) of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft.

Minor leagues[link]

In 2002, the Tampa Bay chapter of the BBWAA named Crawford the Devil Rays' Most Outstanding Rookie and he earned International League Rookie of the Year playing for the AAA Durham Bulls.^{[citation needed]}

Major leagues[link]

Tampa Bay Devil Rays/Rays (2002–2010)[link]

2002–06[link]

Crawford entered the major leagues at the young age of 20 and played in 63 games for the Devil Rays in 2002, batting .259 with 9 stolen bases. As of the 2009 season, he was the longest tenured member of the team.

In 2003, he played nearly every day, batting .281 with 54 RBI and led the league with 55 steals. Along with Juan Pierre, Crawford was co-winner of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum James "Cool Papa" Bell Legacy Award for 2003.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Crawford stole 59 bases, again leading the league and posting the second-highest total in the majors that season. He batted .296 with 11 home runs and 55 RBIs. Crawford also hit a league-leading 19 triples. He was selected for the All Star Game, played in his hometown of Houston, and was named Devil Rays team MVP in 2004 by the BBWAA.

Crawford batted .301 in 2005, becoming just the third .300 hitter in Devil Rays history, joining Aubrey Huff (.311 in 2003) and Fred McGriff (.310 in 1999). Crawford also posted career highs in hits (194), home runs (15), and RBI (81). He again led the league with 15 triples and placed third in steals (46).

Crawford going back to the dugout in 2006

On July 5, 2006 against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford became only the eighth player in history to get 200 stolen bases before his 25th birthday.^{[citation needed]} Crawford finished the season with career highs in batting average (.305) and home runs (18), joining Hall-of-Famer Rogers Hornsby as the only players in Major League history to increase their batting average and home run totals every year for five straight years.^[5] He won a Fielding Bible Award for his defensive excellence in left field during the season.^[6]

2007–10[link]

Crawford was named an All-Star for the second time in 2007, becoming the first Devil Ray to receive the honor more than once. He homered in the 6th inning of the All-Star Game, on a 3–2 pitch from Francisco Cordero of the Milwaukee Brewers.

In the second half of the season, Crawford had a sore right wrist which had been bothering him for some time, and he did not hit a home run for a period of 42 days. Prior to a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, he had an MRI and was listed as doubtful to play because of the wrist. However, he pinch hit as the game went into extra innings and promptly hit a walk-off home run, ending his drought. This kicked off a run of four homers in ten games.^[7]

In August, ESPN.com named Crawford the Devil Rays' "Face of the Franchise".^[8]

On April 11, 2008, Crawford accumulated his 1000th hit, making him only the eighth player to hit 1000 and steal 250 bases before turning 27.^{[citation needed]} In game four of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox, Crawford tied an ALCS record with five hits in one game, going 5–5 and stealing two bases. After the season, he won his second Fielding Bible Award.^[9]

On May 3, 2009, Carl Crawford tied a modern era record by stealing six bases in a game against the Boston Red Sox, part of a team-record eight total stolen bases.^[10][11][12] On July 14, 2009, Crawford represented Tampa Bay in the 2009 All Star Game, where he was named MVP for a leaping catch at the top of the 8-foot outfield wall to prevent a possible go-ahead home run from Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe.^[13]

In 2009 he had the best range factor of all starting major league left fielders (2.34).^[14] He won his second consecutive Fielding Bible Award and third overall at left field.^[15]

On July 31, 2010, Crawford reached 400 stolen bases. He is only the 7th player in history to reach that mark before his 29th birthday.^[16]

On August 17, 2010, Crawford hit the 100th triple of his career, joining Ty Cobb as the only major league players to hit 100 triples and steal 400 bases before the age of 30.^{[citation needed]}

The Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America voted Crawford the Most Valuable Player for the Rays in 2010.^[17] Following the conclusion of the season, Crawford was given the Gold Glove Award, as well as the Silver Slugger Award.^[18][19]

Boston Red Sox[link]

On December 8, 2010, Crawford signed a 7-year, $142-million contract with the Boston Red Sox. His signing came two days after Adrian Gonzalez was traded to Boston.^[4][20] Crawford struggled to begin the 2011 season, batting .137 and stealing only 2 bases in his first 12 games.^[21] On May 3, he hit his 1,500th career hit, a single against Dan Haren of the Los Angeles Angels in the 3rd inning, becoming the 588th player with 1,500 or more career hits. For the season, he batted .255 with an on base percentage of .289.^[22]

Through 2011, he had the third-best career fielding percentage (.990) among all active major league left fielders, behind Ryan Braun and Reed Johnson.^[23]

Awards and accomplishments[link]

Crawford with the Rays

• American League All-Star (2004, 2006, 2009, 2010)
• Gold Glove Award (2010)
• Silver Slugger Award (2010)
• Fielding Bible Award (2006, 2008, 2009)
• American League Stolen Base Champion (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007)
• All-Star Game MVP (2009)
• MLB modern-era, single-game, stolen-base record: 6 (May 3, 2009)^[24]
• International League Rookie of the Year (2002)
• Negro Leagues Baseball Museum "Cool Papa Bell Legacy Award" (2003)
• Tampa Bay Chapter/BBWAA Devil Rays Most Valuable Player (2004, 2010)
• Tampa Bay Chapter/BBWAA Devil Rays Most Outstanding Rookie (2002)
• Rays single-season runs record: 110 (2010)
• Rays single-season triples record: 19 (2004)
• Rays single-season stolen base record: 60 (2009)
• Rays' all-time leader in at bats, plate appearances, RBIs, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, strikeouts, stolen bases, and singles.
• Named the Rays' "Face of the Franchise" by ESPN^[25]

See also[link]

Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball stolen base records
• List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career stolen bases
• List of Major League Baseball triples champions
• List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carl Crawford

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• CarlCrawford on Twitter

Buster Posey
Posey in July 2010
San Francisco Giants – No. 28
Catcher
Born: (1987-03-27) March 27, 1987 (age 25) Leesburg, Georgia
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 11, 2009 for the San Francisco Giants
Career statistics (through May 03, 2012)
Batting average	.298
Hits	197
Home runs	26
Runs batted in	97
On base percentage	.357
Slugging percentage	.471
Teams
San Francisco Giants (2009-present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series Champion (2010) NL Rookie of the Year (2010) Players Choice Awards NL Outstanding Rookie (2010) 1× NL Player of the Month 1× NL Player of the Week Golden Spikes Award (2008) Johnny Bench Award (2008)

Posey playing catcher with the Giants in September 2010

Gerald Dempsey "Buster" Posey III^[1] (born March 27, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Giants with the fifth overall pick in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. Posey made his major league debut on September 11, 2009; he was named the Giants' regular catcher on June 30, 2010.

As a rookie, he hit .305, slugged 18 home runs and had 67 runs-batted-in.^[2] He was a key to the Giants winning the 2010 World Series. He was named the National League rookie of the year.

Early years[link]

Posey, the eldest of four children, was born to Gerald "Demp" Dempsey Posey II and Traci Posey on March 27, 1987, in Leesburg, Georgia.^[3] His nickname, "Buster," came from his father's childhood nickname. He played football, soccer, and basketball along with baseball growing up, but baseball was his main sport.^[4] As a junior at Lee County High School, Posey (playing shortstop and pitching) had 9 doubles, 3 triples, and 7 home runs while setting school records for batting average (.544) and runs batted in (RBI) (46). Meanwhile, he had a 10–1 record and a 1.53 earned run average (ERA). He batted .462 with 40 RBI as a senior while setting a school record with 14 home runs. Meanwhile, he had a 12–0 record (in 13 starts) with a 1.06 ERA and 108 strikeouts. That year, he was named the Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, the Louisville Slugger State Player of the Year, an EA Sports All-American, and a Baseball America All-American. Posey had a 3.94 GPA in high school while graduating fourth in his class (out of 302 students), and although he was drafted in the 50th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he chose to enroll in college instead of signing.^[3]

College career[link]

Posey played college baseball for the Florida State Seminoles under coach Mike Martin. He began his freshman year at FSU playing shortstop, starting all 65 games for the Seminoles, and was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. He finished his freshman season with a .346 batting average, four home runs and 48 RBIs.^[3] As a sophomore, he moved from shortstop to catcher on the suggestion of assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr.^[5] He batted .382 with three home runs and 65 RBIs. After just one season of playing the position, Posey was a finalist for the Johnny Bench Award, awarded to the best catcher in college baseball. He would end up finishing behind Edward Easley of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.^[6]

In 2008, as a junior, he hit .463 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs, won the Johnny Bench Award and was named the 2008 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year.^[7][8] On May 12, 2008, he played all nine fielding positions in a game against Savannah State, including pitcher where he struck out both batters he faced.^[9][10] On June 14, 2008, Posey was awarded the Dick Howser Trophy, and on July 16, 2008, he won the Golden Spikes Award, which is given to the best player in amateur baseball.

During the college offseason, Posey started at shortstop on the 2006 Cape Cod Baseball League championship team for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and started as the catcher on the 2007 championship team as well.^[11]

Professional career[link]

Draft and minor leagues[link]

Posey was considered the best catcher available in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.^[12] He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants with the fifth overall pick.^[13] On August 15, 2008, the Giants signed Posey shortly before the signing deadline for draftees, giving him a $6.2 million bonus, the largest up-front bonus in MLB draft history at the time.^[14] He was invited to the Giants Spring Training in 2009. Following 2009 Spring Training, Posey was assigned to the San Francisco Giants Class A Affiliate San Jose Giants.

On July 13, 2009, he was promoted to the Giants' Triple A team, the Fresno Grizzlies. With an injury to Giants starting catcher Bengie Molina, Posey was called up to the majors for the first time on September 2, 2009.^[15] He made his major league debut on September 11, 2009 as a pinch hitter, striking out. Posey got his first Major League hit on September 19 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After again appearing in the Giants' spring training camp, Posey began the 2010 season at Fresno, batting .349 in 47 games.

Major League career[link]

Posey in April 2011

Posey was called up to the major leagues on May 29, 2010, and started at first base against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Posey drove in the first runs of his major league career, going three for four with three RBIs.^[16] He appeared primarily at first base through the end of June. Following Molina's trade to the Texas Rangers on June 30, 2010, Posey became the starting catcher for the Giants.^[17][18] Posey hit his first career home run off of Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds on June 9, 2010.^[19]

Posey hit his first career grand slam against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2010, en route to a two-home run, four-hit, six-RBI night. That came during a July hitting streak—all of which was played on the road—in which Posey batted .514, had 19 hits, 6 home runs, and 13 RBIs to set a record for rookies during any 10-day stretch in the history of the National League, per the Elias Sports Bureau.^[20] This performance also earned Posey the National League Player of the Week honors for the week of July 5–11, 2010.^[21] Posey also had a 21-game hitting streak that ended July 29 when Anibal Sanchez of the Florida Marlins threw a one-hitter against the Giants. During the streak, which fell one game short of tying the San Francisco Giants' rookie mark set by Willie McCovey and five short of the team record, Posey batted .440 with 37 hits, six home runs, and 23 RBIs.^[22][23] Posey was awarded both the NL Player of the Month and NL Rookie of the Month awards for his excellent July.^[24] On July 10, on the road against the Washington Nationals, Posey was inserted into the Giants' batting order as the clean-up hitter, which became his regular position in the lineup.

On September 21, 2010, Posey hit an 8th-inning home run against the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field to win the game, 1-0, the only time in major-league history the feat has been accomplished by a rookie on a first-place team in a September pennant race.^[25] He hit another 8th-inning home run, his 18th, in the final game of the year to help secure the NL West Division championship, 3-0.^[26]

Posey was named by his peers as the NL Players Choice Awards Outstanding Rookie. He was also named the catcher on Baseball America's All-Rookie Team.^[27]

Posey helped lead the Giants to the 2010 World Series to face the Texas Rangers, hitting .282 with three runs batted in during the first two rounds of the playoffs. In Game 4, Posey hit his first postseason home run to center field off of Darren O'Day. The Giants would go on to win the series, 4-1. He became the fifth rookie catcher to win a World Series. During the series he hit .300 with a home run and two runs batted in.

On November 15, 2010, Posey was named National League Rookie of the Year, taking 20 first place votes to second place finisher Jason Heyward's nine.^[28] Posey joins Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Gary Matthews and John Montefusco as the 6th Giant to win the Rookie of the Year award. He became the sixth catcher in National League history to win the award.^[29] He was also named the catcher on the 2010 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team.^[30]

On May 25, 2011, during a game against the Florida Marlins, Posey was injured during a collision with Scott Cousins at home plate after a sacrifice fly by Emilio Bonifacio. The Giants lost the game against the Marlins 6-7 in 12 innings. Posey suffered a fractured fibula and torn ligaments in his ankle, requiring surgery to repair.^[31][32] Cousins said he hit Posey so that he could score. "If you hit them, you punish them and you punish yourself, but you have a chance of that ball coming out." ^[33]

On May 29, 2011, a 90-minute surgery was performed to repair the ligaments and insert two screws in his leg to stabilize the ankle, following which the Giants announced Posey would be out for the rest of the season.^[34] Scott Cousins was not disciplined. He expressed regret that Posey was injured, but defended the play as aggressive, but not dirty.^[35] Cousins received threats, but Posey denounced them: "I appreciate the continued support of Giants fans and others as I begin the process of working my way back ... But in no way do I condone threats of any kind against Scott Cousins or his family. As I said last week, I'm not out to vilify Scott".^[36]

Personal life[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Posey's younger sister, Samantha, plays softball for Valdosta State University. On April 18, 2011, she hit a home run cycle in a doubleheader.^[37]

Posey married his high school sweetheart, Kristen, in January 2009.

On Sunday, August 14, 2011, Buster and Kristen became the parents of twins (a boy and a girl); Lee Dempsey Posey and Addison Lynn Posey.^[38]

Further reading[link]

• Baggarly, Andrew. A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants. Chicago: Triumph Books. ISBN 978-1-60078-598-6. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Buster Posey

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Florida State Seminoles bio

Ryan Braun
Braun with the Brewers.
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 8
Left fielder
Born: (1983-11-17) November 17, 1983 (age 28) Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 25, 2007 for the Milwaukee Brewers
Career statistics (through May 29, 2012)
Batting average	.312
Home runs	175
Runs batted in	567
Slugging percentage	.566
Runs	540
Stolen bases	106
Teams
Milwaukee Brewers (2007–present)
Career highlights and awards
2011 NL MVP 4× NL All Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) 4× Silver Slugger Award, OF (2008–11) 2007 NL Rookie of the Year 2× NL slugging percentage leader (2007, 2011) 2009 NL hits leader 30-30 club Only player to hit 3 home runs in 1 game at Petco Park

Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983, in Mission Hills, California) is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No. 7 by the Sporting News in its 2012 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball and is the reigning National League MVP.

Braun was a two-time All American baseball player at the University of Miami, where he was named "National Freshman of the Year" by Baseball America in 2003. The Brewers drafted him in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2005 major league draft. He was the team's Minor League Player of the Year in 2006.

Braun has led the National League (NL) twice in slugging percentage (in 2007, while setting the major league rookie record, and 2011), twice in extra-base hits (2008 and 2011), and once in hits (2009). On defense, he led all major league outfielders in fielding percentage in 2008, led NL left fielders in fielding percentage twice (2009 and 2011), and led NL left fielders in range factor in 2009. His 128 home runs through 2010 were the 8th-most by any major leaguer ever through their first four seasons. Through 2011, he was third among all active ballplayers in career slugging percentage, and first among active left fielders in career fielding percentage.

Braun won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007. He was voted a starting All-Star and won the NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Award in each of the past four seasons (2008–11).

High school[link]

Braun was a four-year letterman on the Granada Hills High School baseball team, and three-year team captain and Most Valuable Player (MVP). He played shortstop, and pitched through his junior year. As a sophomore in 2000, he recorded the highest batting average of his prep career (.456), while posting a .654 on-base percentage (OBP). During his junior year, he hit .421, with a .668 OBP. Braun capped off his high school career by batting .451 as a senior, with an OBP of .675, and breaking the school record for career home runs with 25.^[1]

He was a two-time all-area selection by the Los Angeles Times, and a three-time choice by the Los Angeles Daily News. As a senior, Braun was rated the sixth-best shortstop prospect in the country by Team One Baseball, and among the top 100 overall prospects by Baseball America.^[2] He graduated in 2002, but went undrafted as he told teams that he intended to attend college.^[3][4]

Academically, he excelled as well, receiving only one B (in AP Chemistry).^[5][6]

College[link]

Offered scholarships by Stanford University and UC-Berkeley, he instead attended the University of Miami (on an academic scholarship, due to his high school grades).^[5] He chose Miami for its academics, its athletics, and its social scene, noting: "I think the girls were the deal closer on the recruiting trip."^[4][7]

There, Braun was named "National Freshman of the Year," as well as a first-team "Freshman All-American," by Baseball America in 2003, as well as first team All American by the Jewish Sports Review.^[8] He was also named first-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.^[3] He clinched the awards by batting .364 with 76 runs batted in (RBIs) and 17 home runs. As a sophomore shortstop/designated hitter, Braun hit .335, slugged .606, and had 21 stolen bases.

During his junior year, his final and most successful at Miami, Braun batted .396 with 18 home runs, a .726 slugging percentage, 76 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He was ninth in slugging and 10th in RBIs in NCAA Division I, and was named to Baseball America's 2005 College All-American Team as the DH. He moved from shortstop to third base during the year. His performance earned Braun a spot as one of the finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, the most prestigious individual award in college baseball, and the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Year award.^[3][9]

Minor leagues (2005–2007)[link]

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Braun in the first round (fifth overall) in the 2005 major league draft as a third baseman, and he signed for $2.45 million.^[10]

Assigned to the Helena Brewers in the Advanced Rookie Pioneer League in 2005, Braun batted .341/.383/.585 in 10 games. He was then promoted to the West Virginia Power in the Class A South Atlantic League, where he hit .355/.396/.645, and was rated the fifth-best prospect in the league.^[11] His most memorable moment there was when he hit a walk-off grand slam to lead the Power into the playoffs.^[12] Following the 2005 season he was rated by Baseball America as the Brewers' Best Minor League Hitter for Average, the fifth-best prospect in the South Atlantic League, and the third-best prospect in the Brewers organization.

Braun began 2006 playing for the A-Advanced Brevard County Manatees. He earned a spot in the Florida State League All-Star game, and played in the All-Star Futures Game. He was rated the top third base prospect in the FSL, and Baseball America rated him the best batting prospect in the league. On June 21, Braun was promoted to the Class AA Huntsville Stars (Alabama) of the Southern League. In July he was voted the Brewers' Organizational Player of the Month, and at the end of the season he was voted the sixth-best prospect in the Southern League.^[13] Collectively between Class A and Class AA, Braun finished with a .289 average, 22 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases. He received the 2006 Robin Yount Performance Award as the Milwaukee Brewers Minor League Player of the Year.^[14]

Later in 2006, in the Arizona Fall League he hit .326/.396/.641 in 92 at bats for the Scottsdale Scorpions.^[15] He led the AFL with 16 extra-base hits, tied for tops with 9 doubles, ranked second in slugging percentage and HR/AB ratio (1/15), tied for second in home runs (6), and tied for third in RBIs (25). He was rated one of the top three prospects in the league, and was voted to the AFL All-Prospects Team.^[15][16]

Baseball America rated Braun the Brewers' # 2 prospect for 2007.^[13] He began the year with the Nashville Sounds of the AAA Pacific Coast League. Before being called up to the majors in late May, in 113 at bats he led the PCL with a .726 slugging percentage while batting .354 (6th), with 10 home runs (T-2nd) and a .426 on base percentage (5th).^[17]

Major leagues (2007–Today)[link]

2007: Rookie of the Year[link]

The Brewers brought Braun to spring training in 2007.^[15] Their regular third baseman Corey Koskie was suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and missed the entire year.^[18] In 11 spring training games, Braun tied for 10th in the majors in home runs (5), and second in RBIs (15).^[19][20]

In 2007, Braun had what some sportswriters called one of the most dominant rookie seasons in baseball history.^[21] Called up on May 24 by the Brewers, he hit his first major league home run two nights later.^{[22][23][24][25]} Braun was voted the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month for June, ranking first in RBIs (21) and tied for first in home runs (6) among NL rookies that month. He also recorded a .716 slugging percentage and a .435 OBP.^[26] In July, Braun became the fastest in Brewer history to hit 10 major league home runs, doing so in his 38th game.^[27] He hit his 15th home run in the 50th game of his career, and his 20th in his 64th game, making him the fastest to those milestones since Albert Pujols in 2001. He was also the fastest to 20 homers in Brewers history.^[28][29] At month's end, he received his second consecutive NL Rookie of the Month Award, as well as his first NL Player of the Month Award (making him the first player to won both awards in the same month). He hit a league-leading 11 home runs, with 25 RBIs, while batting .345.^[30]

In mid-August, Yost moved Braun from third in the batting order to cleanup, switching him with Prince Fielder. The move was expected to allow Braun to steal more, as batting before Fielder was not conducive to him risking being thrown out on steal attempts. Additionally, successfully stealing a base would hypothetically allow opponents to intentionally walk Fielder and avoid pitching to him.^[31] At the end of the month, however, Yost reverted to his previous batting order.^[32] On August 26, Braun hit his 25th home run in his 82nd game, quicker than any major leaguer since Mark McGwire in 1987.^[33][34]

On September 9, the Brewers became the third team in major league history to start a game with three straight home runs, as Rickie Weeks, J. J. Hardy, and Braun homered in consecutive at bats. Braun said, "That was pretty cool. I was never part of something like that before."^[35] Braun's home run in that game also broke the Brewers rookie record for home runs (28).^[36] Braun hit his 30th homer in his 94th game, a pace no player had set to start a career since McGwire hit 30 in 84 games during 1986 and 1987.^[37]

Braun finished with an NL-leading .634 slugging percentage, a mark that set new all-time rookie and Brewers records.^[38][39] He was fifth in the league in at bats per home run (13.3) and OPS (1.004), tied for fifth in home runs (34), and eighth in batting average (.324) among hitters with at least 490 plate appearances.^[40] He led the Brewers in batting average and slugging percentage, and was second behind Fielder in home runs, runs (91), and RBIs (97), tied for second in triples (6), and third in OBP (.370) and steals (15), despite not having played in the first 48 games of the season.^[41] Braun obliterated the club rookie records of 28 home runs and 81 RBIs, set by Fielder in 2006.^[42]

Braun had considerable success against left-handed pitchers. He had the best batting average (.450), OBP (.516), and slugging percentage (.964) of any major league hitter with at least 125 plate appearances against lefties, and was tied for second in the majors in home runs (15).^[44][45] Braun credits his father with his success against lefties. "My dad is left-handed, so growing up, the majority of time, I took batting practice off of him."^[46]

Braun collected several awards at season's end. He won the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Award in a vote by 32 members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He beat out Troy Tulowitzki by 2 points in the closest NL vote since the system was revised in 1980.^[47] Of all prior NL Rookies of the Year, only Pujols and Willie McCovey hit for higher batting averages in their rookie year.^[48] Braun was voted the 2007 NL Sporting News Rookie of the Year by 488 major league players and 30 managers.^[49][50] Braun also received the 2007 Players Choice NL Most Outstanding Rookie in a vote by his fellow major league players.^[51] "When your peers recognize you with an award, that's great," he said. "Those are the guys out there on the field with you, competing against you. Their opinion counts the most, for a player."^[52] In voting for the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, Braun received two 10th-place votes and finished 24th overall.^[53]

2008: All Star and Silver Slugger[link]

Contract

In March 2008, the Brewers renewed Braun's contract for $455,000, a $75,000 increase.^[54]

Braun then signed an 8-year, $45–$51 million contract extension (the total depending on his "Super 2" service-time ranking after the 2009 season) on May 15, 2008.^[55] The contract is through the year 2015. The deal included Braun's $455,000 salary for 2008, and a $2.3 million bonus in 2008. It could increase to $51 million through incentives. Braun also has a no-trade clause for the first four years, and then a limited no-trade clause allowing him to block deals to 12 teams from 2012 to 2013, and 6 teams from 2014 to 2015. The contract will keep Braun locked up through his age-31 season.^[56]

It was the largest contract in Brewers' history, surpassing Jeff Suppan's. It was also the largest contract in baseball history given to a player with less than three years' experience.^[57] Braun's agent, Nez Balelo, crunched enough numbers to show him what he potentially could have made over the life of this contract if he had chosen not to sign it. "But the question I ultimately asked myself was, `What can't I buy with that amount of money?"' Braun said.^[58]

Regular season and postseason

Braun in 2008

Braun drove in 134 runs in his first 162 games in the majors, more RBIs than any active player.^[59][60] He reached the 150-RBI milestone faster than any major leaguer since Boston's Walt Dropo needed only 155 games, in 1949–51. On June 17, 2008, he drove in his 152nd career RBI, in his 182nd game.^[61]

Braun was named the NL's Player of the Month, after batting .366 in July (6th in the NL) with 9 home runs (3rd), and 23 RBIs (7th). He also led the league with 76 total bases and 18 extra base hits, and was among NL leaders with 37 hits (2nd), 3 triples (2nd), and a 1.163 OPS (3rd). He had back-to-back 4-hit games, just the 5th player in team history to accomplish that feat.^[62] "It's a huge honor," Braun said. "The way I look at it, you're the MVP of the National League for that month. It's definitely a big accomplishment.^[63]

As of August 8, Braun's major league career start was one of the best ever. In 227 games to start a career, he was first with 558 total bases and 133 extra base hits, second with 64 home runs, and tied for second with 181 RBIs.^[64]

On August 9, Braun strained the intercostal muscles around his oblique ribcage. That led to him missing a number of games, and shortening his swing for a few weeks.^[65][66] After returning, on September 25 he hit his first grand slam in "grand" fashion. With the bases loaded, he delivered a 2-out, 2–2 pitch from the Pirates' Jesse Chavez into the left field bleachers of Miller Park in the bottom of the 10th inning, winning the game 5–1, and keeping the Brewers' 2008 post-season hopes alive. Three days later, Braun helped put the Brewers into the post-season for the first time since 1982, by hitting a go-ahead 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th against the Chicago Cubs. The homer was the difference in the game, which gave the Brewers a one-game lead over the New York Mets for the NL wild card.

Braun was a starting outfielder for the NL in the 2008 All Star Game. He finished first in fan voting among NL outfielders, and second among all NL players, with 3,835,840 votes, behind only Chase Utley of the Phillies (3,889,602).^[67] He also finished first in player voting.^[68] Braun was the first Brewers outfielder voted to start an All Star game.^[69] He was one of seven first-time starters in the game, and–along with Kosuke Fukudome and Josh Hamilton–one of only three who had not reached the major leagues until 2007 or 2008.^[67]

Braun came in third in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium. "It's something you dream about," Braun said. "That's as big a stage as you can get on.... it's going to be a lot of fun."^[70] He had his friend and agent, Nez Balelo, a former minor league infielder, pitch to him.^[71][72] Braun's longest homer was estimated at 448 feet.^[73] He hit seven home runs in each of the first and second rounds, finishing with 14 (three behind finalist Justin Morneau, who hit five in the final round to win the Derby).^[74]

On June 3, Braun became the third-fastest major leaguer to reach 50 career home runs. He did so in 171 career games; the only players to reach that plateau sooner were Rudy York and Mark McGwire.^[75][76] On July 8, Braun hit his 56th home run in his 200th game, the third-highest total ever in a major leaguer's initial 200 games, behind McGwire (59) and York (59).^[77]

In early August, Braun hit his 30th home run, becoming just the second player in MLB history to hit 30 or more homers in each of his first two seasons, joining Pujols.^[66][78] Braun hit 71 home runs in his first two seasons, tying him with Pujols for fourth all-time. Joe DiMaggio tops the list with 75 home runs, followed by Ralph Kiner (74) and Eddie Mathews (72).^[64][79][80]

In 2008, in 151 games Braun hit 37 home runs (tied for 4th in the NL, behind Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, and Carlos Delgado), with 106 RBIs (9th), and batted .285 with a .553 slugging percentage (5th).^[81] He also led the league with 83 extra base hits, and had 338 total bases (2nd in the NL), 7 triples (6th), 16.5 at-bats-per-home-run (10th), and 611 at bats (10th).^[82] 12.5% of his plate appearances were extra base hits (3rd in the NL; behind Ryan Ludwick and Pujols), he had 29 infield hits (7th), and he stole third base 6 times (9th).^[83][84]

Braun in 2008

Against starting pitchers, Braun hit .244 the first time he faced them in a game, .331 the second time, and .328 with a .672 slugging percentage the third time.^[85] Braun led the Brewers in batting average, slugging percentage, triples, home runs, RBIs, extra base hits, total bases, at-bats-per-home run, OPS (.888), runs (92), and hits (174).^[86]

Braun hit .313 in October against the Phillies in his first post-season series, which the Brewers lost 3–1.

Season awards

Braun was voted to the 2008 NL Sporting News All Star Team, by a panel of 41 major league general managers and assistant general managers.^[87] He also won the 2008 NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Award, in a vote by major league coaches and managers who select the top offensive performer at each position in both leagues. The award, sponsored by Louisville Slugger, is based on a combination of statistics, including batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the coaches' and managers' general impressions of a player's overall offensive value.^[88] In voting for the 2008 NL MVP award, Braun was third (with 139 points), behind Pujols and Ryan Howard.^[89]

2009: All Star, Silver Slugger, and Team USA[link]

In 2009, Braun was named to Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 32. A panel of 100 baseball people, many of them members of the Hall of Fame and winners of major baseball awards, were polled to arrive at the list.^[90]

World Baseball Classic

Braun was invited to play for Team USA in 2009 in the second World Baseball Classic. "I'm really excited to get to represent my country," he said. "It's an honor just to get invited for the event."^[91] He batted .381 as the team's starting left fielder, helping it reach the semi-finals.^[92][93]

Regular season

Braun was named National League Player of the Week for May 4–10, after leading the NL with 12 RBIs for the week while hitting .458/.567/.958 with 3 home runs. He hit the second grand slam of his career and recorded a career-high six RBIs on May 6, and on May 9 he reached base in all five of his plate appearances.^[95]

Braun led all NL outfielders in fan voting for the All Star Game for the second year in a row, with 4.1 million votes, ahead of Raúl Ibáñez and Carlos Beltrán.^[96] He was third among all NL vote-getters, trailing Pujols and Chase Utley.^[97] He was the first Brewer to be voted in as a starter in consecutive years since Robin Yount (in 1982 and 1983), and the third Brewer position player voted to start twice, along with Yount and Paul Molitor (1980 and 1988).^[98][99] Braun started in right field, the first time he had ever played the position, and batted cleanup, going 0–2.^[100]

Braun was second all-time, with 79 home runs over his first two calendar years in the major leagues, to Phillies Hall of Famer Chuck Klein (83); ahead of third-place Joe DiMaggio and Mark McGwire (77).^[101] If Braun continues to hit home runs at the rate he had hit them through July 1, 2009, he will reach 600 home runs in his 15th major league season.^[102] In September, Braun became the second-fastest active player to hit 100 home runs (behind only Ryan Howard), as he hit his 100th homer in his 400th major league game.^[103] Later in the month, he became the second player in major league history (joining Pujols) to hit 30 or more home runs in each of his first three seasons.^[104] Braun's 103 home runs in his first three Major League seasons are sixth-most in baseball history, behind Pujols (114), Mark Teixeira (107), and three Hall of Famers—Kiner (114), Matthews (112), and Joe DiMaggio (107).^[105]

As in 2007, in 2009 Braun had even greater success against left-handed pitchers. Against them he had the second-best OBP (.475), slugging percentage (.723), and OPS (1.198), and third-best batting average (.395), of all NL hitters with at least 125 plate appearances.^[106]

He finished the season with an NL-leading 203 hits, becoming the first Brewer to lead his league in hits since Molitor topped the AL in 1991.^[107] Braun became the fourth Brewer in team history to collect 200 or more hits in a season, and the first in 18 years. He joined Cecil Cooper, Molitor, and Yount.^[108] His .320 batting average at the end of the season was the highest by a Brewer since Jeff Cirillo hit .326 in 1999.^[109]

In 2009, in addition to leading the NL in hits, Braun was 2nd in runs (113), 4th in RBIs (114), total bases (350), extra base hits (77), and hit by pitch (13), 7th in batting average (.320) and power-speed number (24.6), 8th in OPS (.937), 9th in slugging percentage (.551) and doubles (39), tied for 10th in triples (6), and tied for 11th in home runs (32).^[110] He was also 4th in the league in infield hits (25).^[111]

He became only the second Brewer ever to hit 30 home runs and steal 20 bases in the same season.^[112] Braun also became the eighth player in major league history with at least 100 runs, 100 RBIs, 200 hits, 30 homers, 20 stolen bases, and a .300 average in the same season.^[105]

Season awards Braun was voted to the NL Sporting News All Star Team in 2009, making it for the second year in a row. He received votes from all 14 voting NL team executives (as did Pujols and Utley; Mauer was named on all AL ballots).^[113] Braun was awarded the 2009 NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Award, winning it for the second year in a row.^[105] He became the first Brewer since Molitor, more than two decades prior, to win a Silver Slugger Award in consecutive years. Cecil Cooper is the only other Brewer to have done it.^[105]

2010: All Star and Silver Slugger[link]

Braun was named to Sporting News' 2010 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 22.^[114]

He was elected a starting NL All Star outfielder for the third year in a row, in 2010.^[115] Braun led all major league outfielders in All Star votes for the third straight year, with 2,972,525, despite Milwaukee being the smallest media market in the majors.^[115][116] As in 2009, he received more votes than any NL players other than Pujols and Utley.^[117] He became the first Brewer to be a three-time All Star starter, passing Yount and Molitor.^[115]

Braun was named NL Player of the Week for August 1–8, after leading the majors with a .538 batting average, 14 hits, and 8 runs scored, and notching a career-best 5-hit performance in one game.^[118][119]

For the season, Braun was 2nd in the NL in hits (188) and doubles (45), 5th in total bases (310), 6th in runs (101), 7th in RBIs (103) and extra base hits (71), and 9th in batting average (.304).^[120]

Braun hit the 8th-most home runs by any major leaguer through his first four seasons (128).^[121] He also became the fifth player in major league history to hit at least 125 homers with a .300 average over his first four seasons, joining Joe DiMaggio, Chuck Klein, Pujols, and Ted Williams.^[122] His 94 home runs in 2008–10 were the most by any right-handed outfielder.^[123]

He was the first player in Brewers history to hit 20 or more home runs in each of his first four seasons, and the third Brewer to have 100 or more RBIs in three consecutive seasons (joining Richie Sexson (2001–03) and Prince Fielder (2007–09)).^[124][125] He also became the second player in Brewers history to have consecutive 100-RBI, 100-run seasons (joining Cecil Cooper, who did it in 1982–83).^[126]

Braun was awarded the 2010 NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Award, winning it for the third year in a row.^[127] He became the second Brewer to win a Silver Slugger Award in three consecutive years, joining Cecil Cooper (1980–82).^[127] Robin Yount is the only other Brewer to have won the award three times (1980, 1982, and 1989).^[127] Braun was also voted to the 2010 NL Sporting News All Star Team, making the team for the third year in a row.^[128]

2011: NL MVP, All Star, Silver Slugger, and 30–30 club[link]

Braun in 2008

In 2011, Braun was again named to Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 16. A panel of 21 MLB executives was polled to arrive at the list.^[114][129]

He was named NL Player of the Month for April, after tying for the NL lead in home runs (10) and runs scored (24), while setting a new team record by reaching base in 28 consecutive games to start a season (erasing Yount's record of 23 games, set in 1983). He was also named NL Player of the Week, for the week ended April 25.^[130]

He led all National League players in All Star balloting, with an NL-record 5.93 million votes, as he garnered more votes than any other NL outfielder for the fourth year in a row. He was voted an NL All Star starter for a franchise record fourth time.^[131][132] Braun had a 23-game hitting streak, the third-longest in team history.^[131] On August 31, he hit a ball deep to left-center field and tried for an inside-the-park home run, but fell on his way to home plate and was tagged out. The crowd gave him a standing ovation for his effort.^[133]

On September 23, Braun hit a three-run, 450-foot home run that sealed the Brewers' NL-Central-clinching victory. He reflected that it was "eerily similar" to his home run on the last day of the 2008 season, also in the bottom of the eighth inning with the game tied 1–1, which enabled the Brewers to reach the post-season for the first time since 1982.^[134] Prince Fielder observed: ""It's not new. That's what he does."^[134][135] He was named the NL Player of the Month for the fourth time in his career in September, after tying for second in the league with 8 home runs and 22 RBIs, while batting .330.^[136]

In 2011, Braun led the National League in slugging percentage (.597), OPS (.994), and extra base hits (77). He was 2nd in the NL in batting average (.332), runs (109), and total bases (336), 4th in RBIs (111) and doubles (38; tied), 5th in on base percentage (.397) and hits (187), 6th in home runs (33; T), and 7th in stolen bases (33; a career high).^{[132][137][138]} On defense, he led all major league left fielders in fielding percentage, at .996.^[139]

Braun became the 7th player to have at least four 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons in his first five years, joining Chuck Klein, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Ralph Kiner, Mark Teixeira, and Albert Pujols.^[140] He also became the 11th major leaguer to hit at least 30 home runs in four of his first five seasons.^[140] He joined Klein, DiMaggio, Williams, Kiner, Eddie Mathews, Frank Robinson, Mark McGwire, Teixeira, Pujols, and Dan Uggla.^[140]