Rich at Baseball Analysts takes a look at Milwaukee Brewers phenom and leading (what, there are others?) National League Rookie of the Year candidate, Ryan Braun. In case you’ve missed it, Braun is hitting a robust .343/.388/.663 so far. Big deal, right? Um, yeah…
To put Braun’s numbers in historical perspective, he is on pace to produce the highest AVG, SLG, OPS, and OPS+ of any first-year player in the modern era. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound native of Southern California is in elite company with such greats as Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Mize, Albert Pujols, Frank Robinson, and Ted Williams.
Sure, but is he …read more

Ken Griffey Jr. knocked his 23rd homer of the season Friday night against Arizona right-hander Micah Owings. The home run is the 586th of Griffey’s career, which ties him with Frank Robinson for sixth all time.
Griffey, in case you hadn’t noticed, is enjoying a fine resurgence this year at the age of 37. He’s on pace to play 140 games for the first time since 2000, and he’s producing at a level not seen since leaving Seattle.
It’s a testament to his talent that Griffey can put up the numbers he has, and at the end of his career, we’ll all …read more