Urgently: he is positively retired , Milwaukee brewers world class player….
The Milwaukee Brewers have had several great players come through their ranks. Several of these, like Robin Yount and Paul Molitor, were chosen and developed by Milwaukee at the start of their Hall of Fame careers. Others like Rollie Fingers and Ted Simmons, had several-year tenures with the Brewers during their long Hall-of Fame careers.
Of course, the famous Hank Aaron finished his illustrious career with the Brewers after spending the majority of it with the Braves organization. He wanted, however, to finish his playing days in the place in which it began: Milwaukee.
All of these players, however, wore Brewers uniforms decades ago. It has been a very long time since the group has had a number retirement ceremony. While there have been many good-to-great players that have played in Milwaukee, few have made it to the Hall of Fame, and those that did reach baseball’s highest honor didn’t spend enough time in Milwaukee to earn a number retirement (i.e., Trevor Hoffman).
Ryan Braun is a recent player who many feel deserves to have his number retired by the team. A six-time All-Star, Braun spent his entire 14-year career in a Brewers jersey, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2007 and the MVP in 2011. He is also the franchise best in home runs with 352.
Whereas other star products of the Brewers’ farm system elect free agency or are traded elsewhere because they are going to elect free agency, Braun committed to Milwaukee by signing a team-friendly deal that kept him in Milwaukee. For some, this gesture in addition to his numerous professional accolades are deserving of number retirement.
However, there are others that do not feel that way. They claim that his BALCO scandal and failed performance enhancing drug test should disqualify him from consideration of number retirement. Others say that since Hall of Famers are the only players whose numbers the Brewers have retired, Braun should not have his receiving the same honor as he will not be in the Hall of Fame.
