PHOENIX (AP) -Ryan Braun plopped down at a clubhouse table next to some minor leaguers for a breakfast feast. It was the glazed doughnut that grabbed his teammates’ attention and led to a little harassment about his figure.
“Hey, I’m cool with it,” Braun said coyly.
Suddenly, Braun is getting attention for everything he does.
In one short year, he’s gone from a touted, raw power prospect to one of the Brewers’ most potent offensive threats and the reigning NL Rookie of the Year.
Braun hit .324 with franchise rookie records of 34 homers and 97 RBIs in 452 at-bats after his May 25 debut, and that torrid pace has extended the spotlight elsewhere in his life – both on and off the field.
“I enjoy it. I embrace it and as long as I’m getting attention for the right reasons I’m all for it,” Braun said.
He also says he’s more cognizant that he’s become well-known outside of Milwaukee, too.
“There’s a microscope on you,” Braun said. “Everything you do is scrutinized and people are always paying attention, so it’s something you always have to be conscious of. It only takes one time to mess up for everybody to make a big deal of it.”
The 24-year-old Braun, who grew up in Mission Hills, Calif., and went to school at Miami, said he realized just how amazing his year was when people randomly approached him in the offseason.
“Whether it was at a grocery store or a restaurant or a bar or a club, there were quite a few instances and just whenever you’re recognized in a big city like that and it’s not during the baseball season or anything, it’s pretty cool,” Braun said. “That’s when I recognized where I was at and what was going on.”
Braun is now getting ready for another adjustment – to left field. He made 26 errors in 112 starts at third base last year, numbers he has called embarrassing.
In his next spot, he’ll be playing alongside Gold Glove center fielder Mike Cameron.
“I’ve always been a team-first guy, and I obviously recognized that defense wasn’t one of our strong points last year,” he said. “So whenever you have an opportunity to bring in somebody like Mike Cameron that instantly addresses the issue, it makes us a better team.”
The discussion to move Braun happened almost immediately after the season, but general manager Doug Melvin first looked at free agents at third and possible trades. Instead, the Brewers signed Cameron and decided to move Bill Hall back to third from center field, opening the way for Braun to develop in left.
“He can play third base, but it would be more of a development stage at the big leagues because he got to the big leagues so quick. We’re at point where we’re not prepared to develop at the big leagues now like we were two years ago,” Melvin said. “I think he has a chance to be a very good, All-Star type outfielder. I don’t think you want to move him back and forth at this stage.”
At least early in his transition, Braun has looked comfortable, making a nice play at the wall in Tucson against the Rockies on Saturday and cutting off a ball down the line on Sunday.
“I think at times I’m a little bit surprised of my range. I think just my athleticism and instincts take over,” Braun said. “(That) ball hit down the line I would’ve thought would have been a double, and I was able to get to it, cut it off and throw to second base and keep the guy to a single. Things like that that I’m pleasantly surprised about.”
Manager Ned Yost said Braun is working on everything they’ve asked him to improve on at the plate, too.
“For me, the league never made an adjustment to Ryan Braun last year,” Yost said. “When Braunie got in little funks it was because he got overanxious and came out of his approach. When he stayed in his approach, they couldn’t do much with him.”
And the confident Braun can’t help but like his prospects for a better campaign in his first full major league season, even though pitchers now know how explosive he can be.
“For me, I think I’ve always been able to pride myself on making adjustments quickly,” Braun said. “Having gone through the league now and seen all the pitchers, it’ll be a bigger advantage to me than to them.”
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