Ryan Braun struggled coming off of his suspension for performance and enhancing drugs last season, as he batted a career low .266 average, a career low in home runs per 100 games at 19, and his runs batted in and steals all declined. However, there are 5 reasons why Ryan Braun will return to the form he was back in 2011 when he won NL MVP with a 332. batting average, 33 home runs, 111 runs batted in, and 33 steals. Let’s jump into the reasons why he will bounce back.
#1 His thumb is 100%
What many people didn’t know last year was the nagging thumb injury Braun was dealing with. It forced him to get extra padding inside his batting gloves and slowed down his bat speed as Braun has several torn ligaments in his thumb. It’s also really hard to swing a bat without your thumb being a major part of the process. Braun has also said the following on his thumb.
“Right now, I don’t feel any [discomfort], and I haven’t been able to say that for two years,” Braun said. “I think I’ve told you guys, it [bothered me] shaking hands, writing you know, just everyday activities. Now I don’t feel it at all, so I’m excited.”
“I’m encouraged by how it feels, but at the same time, I think I have to be cautiously optimistic [until] I get into spring training and see how it responds,” Ryan Braun said. “But it hasn’t felt this good in a really long time.”
#2 The rust has been shaken off
Usually when a player misses almost if not all the entire season, they have some struggles to get back in their groove. That may be the answer being Braun’s struggling season last year, as he was unable to be in contact with the Brewers during his suspension.
#3 His comfort level is stable
No matter how much Braun tries to deny it, he was nervous everywhere he played last year. Sure he said that he will use his haters as motivation, but it just seemed liked they were slowly and slowly eating away at him. He will be more used to the heckling this year.
#4 He has the support of Brewers fans
When Braun stepped into the batters box on Opening Day last year, Brewers fans at a packed Miller Park rose up to there feet and gave Ryan Braun a standing ovation. While it may have been a huge relief at the present time, he may not have always felt 100% about it, now after a full year back into the swing of things, he will be alright.
“It was special. It was an emotional moment for me.” – Ryan Braun to reporters after the Brewers 2014 Opening Day
#5 He’s done it before
Braun already knows what it takes to be a MVP. He has also been in consideration for the award plenty of times besides one season. Braun knows how hard he has to work to smash 30 plus home runs and steal 30 bases while driving in 100.
Now that he’s healthy, Braun could be ready to return to one of the best players in Major League Baseball.
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