Ryan Braun voted Brewers MVP

In what could be a foreshadowing of honors to come on a national scale, leftfielder Ryan Braun was voted the Milwaukee Brewers' most valuable player for 2011 by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Eight ballots were cast for each award, assigning three points for first place, two for second and one for third.

Braun was a unanimous selection on all eight ballots (24 points).

Finishing second was first baseman Prince Fielder (15 points), followed by closer John Axford (six), starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo (1), rightfielder Corey Hart (1) and outfielder Nyjer Morgan (1).

The National League MVP award, voted on by baseball writers, will be announced Nov. 22, with Braun a leading candidate.

In 150 games, Braun hit .332 with 33 home runs and 111 runs batted in while leading the National League in slugging percentage at .597 and extra-base hits with 77. His batting average ranked second, as did his 336 total bases and 109 runs scored.

Braun committed just one error and is one of three NL leftfielders nominated for the Gold Glove.

He also stole a career-high 33 bases and finished as one of just three NL players to both score and drive in 100 runs. Los Angeles' Matt Kemp and Cincinnati's Joey Votto were the others.

Braun became the first player in franchise history to post three 100-run, 100-RBI seasons, the second player to produce a 30-homer, 30-stolen base season, joining Tommy Harper (31 HR, 38 SB in 1970) and the third player to drive in 100 runs four times, joining Cecil Cooper (1979, '80, '82-83) and Fielder (2007-'09, '11).

In addition, Braun led all NL players in All-Star Game voting for the first time and led NL outfielders in voting for the fourth consecutive season.
Braun was just as sublime in the postseason, leading Milwaukee with a .405 batting average in 11 playoff games in the NLDS and NLCS while also hitting two homers and driving in a team-best 10 runs.


(jsonline.com)