Ryan Braun: Posey deserved to win

Ryan Braun insisted he never gave it a second thought that he might repeat as the National League most valuable player in 2012.

"To be honest, I didn’t really think much about it at all," Braun said Thursday night after it was announced that San Francisco catcher Buster Posey easily topped him for the MVP award. "I didn’t think that I was going to win. It was exciting to know that I was a finalist and to know I had another season that put me in that MVP conversation. That’s something that I’m proud of. Aside from that, I didn’t really think about it at all.

"I think Buster Posey deserved to win. What he was able to accomplish this year as a catcher for a team that eventually went on to win the World Series was incredible. I thought he was the best player; I thought he deserved to be the MVP. He certainly is deserving of the award."

Braun finished a distant second to Posey, trailing 422 votes to 285. Posey had 27 of the 32 first-place votes, while Braun garnered only three. He was asked if it mattered where he placed if he didn't win.

"Nope, honestly," he said. "It’s cool to come in second place but in 10 or 20 years, when I look back at that, I don’t think it’ll make too big of a difference whether I came in second, third, fourth or fifth. But it’s definitely an honor just to be in that conversation, to be an MVP finalist. Aside from that, it didn’t make much difference."

There was much chatter before the announcement about whether Braun would be penalized by voters of the Baseball Writers Association of America for his drug-test saga of last offseason, when he tested postive for elevated testosterone and had it overturned on appeal, though it played out publicly after the news leaked to the media. Braun deflected that line of questioning somewhat.

"I never focus on things out of my control," he saidl. "I don’t think about those things. I’m not oblivious to what’s going on or what’s been said but aside from that, I don’t spend any time thinking about those things."

Asked if he thought he was penalized in other awards or might be in the future, Braun said, "You’d have to ask them. I don’t know. Unfortunately, I don’t have a vote. If I did, that would be cool and I could give you guys an answer as to what I based my opinion on and my vote on.

"Other than that, I thought I had a good season. I don’t think I had a great season. I don’t think my season was far and away better than anybody else’s to the point I feel like I deserved an award that I didn’t get. So, I really don’t know."

As for whether the Giants getting to the postseason could have and should have helped Posey, Braun said, "Absolutely. For all of us as players, our goal is to make it to the postseason. That goal is now easier than ever with two additional wild-card teams. That’s what everybody’s goal is and should be. The best players on the teams that end up getting to the postseason deserve extra credit because that’s what everybody’s priority is. That’s what everybody works for all year.

"So, certainly, he should have been given credit for it. I would imagine that he did. We made a good effort but we fell short and there’s no doubt the guys who do get to the postseason should be given extra credit."

And, for those who have been dying to hear from Braun about reports about getting engaged to model Larisa Fraser, he laughed and said, "I don’t comment on anything going on in my private life but if that were to be true I’d be a very lucky man."


(jsonline.com)