Sports Club: Ryan Braun Photos Collection

Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983, in Mission Hills, Los Angeles, California), nicknamed The Hebrew Hammer, is an American right-handed Major League Baseball All-Star left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. He played college baseball at the University of Miami. There, he was named "National Freshman of the Year" by Baseball America in 2003, and an All American as a freshman and junior. 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 won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, after leading the National League (NL) in slugging percentage, while setting a major league rookie record. He was voted a starting NL All Star outfielder in 2008–11, and won the 2008–10 NL Outfielder Silver Slugger Awards. Braun was also the starting left fielder for the USA team in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He led the NL in extra-base hits in 2008, and in hits for the 2009 season. On defense, he led all major league outfielders in fielding percentage in 2008, and led NL left fielders in fielding percentage and range factor in 2009. His 128 home runs through 2010 were the 8th-most by any major leaguer ever through their first four seasons. Braun was named to the 2011 Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball, ranking No. 16.