The Milwaukee Brewers have called up Ryan Braun from Triple-A. They have had a gap at third base all year, and now that Braun has had some time to develop this year he is ready to go. So why is this player so special? He is as good as Alex Gordon. Oops, never mind, that is not all that good of a comparison this year. However, Baseball America rated him the #2 prospect this year. You know what, let’s compare Gordon to Braun, and see what we get.

2006 Minor League Stats:

Gordon - .325 AVE, 29 HR, 22 SB, .427 OBP, 113 SO
Braun - .289 AVE, 22 HR, 26 SB, .357 OBP, 100 SO

What do you know, they are about the same.  Braun has been incredible this year in the minors. Even though he missed 2 weeks with wrist tendinitis, he has hit 10 homeruns, and stole 4 bases while posting a solid .342 average in 117 at bats. The best part about his play is that he has only had 11 strikeouts with 15 walks. By the way, Gordon has 44 strikeouts with 16 walks in 152 at bats this year.

So there is no question about whether or not Braun can hit. The question will remain on his fielding. That is the main reason as to why he did not start the season with the Brewers. After committing numerous errors (mostly throwing errors) in the preseason, Braun has only 3 errors in Triple-A this year.

So the question on your mind is whether or not you should pick him up. If you are in the situation that I am in, you are even considering using a high waiver wire priority spot to acquire him. Some sites say that if you are in an NL-Only league, then you must get him. Well, duh. Of course you should. Their position on mixed league value differs. Here is what I say you should do. Look at your team very closely, especially at your third base position. Will Braun be better then what you have currently? I have one league where I traded away my starting 3B a few weeks ago, and I have been left with Chavez in a deep roto league. In that case, I am using my waiver spot in an attempt to acquire him. In another league I have Miguel Cabrera at third, and I have a need for pitching. So I am going to wait on Gallardo coming up (I hope) later this year. In shallow leagues, treat Braun like Hunter Pence. Watch his first few weeks, and if he looks solid, then grab him.

If you wanted Gordon this year, or you wasted a pick in the first 10 rounds on him, here is your chance to redeem yourself.  Besides Milwaukee’s lineup and ballpark is better suited for Braun to succeed then Gordon’s is. I personally think that by the end of the year Braun will be ranked in the top 15 at 3B.

Happy Hunting.