Ryan Braun admits he feels vindicated by All-Star selection

Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun suffered through an offseason during which he tried to clear his name of any performance-enhancing drug wrongdoing, even after his successful appeal of a 50-game suspension for a positive test. And he admits a big first half that resulted in his All-Star selection has provided some vindication.

"Yeah, absolutely, honestly, of course. At least a little bit," Braun told reporters, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Added Braun: “People have been very supportive. I said from the very beginning that the single best thing I could do to move on was to have success, go out there and do the same things I've done on the field. I think this is actually the best first half I've had in my six years I've been in the major leagues. The goal is to continue to do those things. As long as I continue to do that, that's the best thing I can do to move on.”

Braun is hitting .306 and leads the NL with 24 homers, is second in the league with 61 RBIs and ranks fifth with a .990 OPS. At the midpoint last season, he was hitting .320 with 16 homers, 62 RBIs and a .961 OPS.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes Braun was selected by the players to participate in this year’s All-Star Game, after having been voted by the fans to start in his previous four All-Star appearances.

That support from his peers has been especially gratifying to Braun.

"The players have been incredibly supportive, they really have," Braun told the newspaper. "I have a lot of good friends in this league, a lot of guys that truly have supported me. I've said when you deal with adversity, you see who your true friends are. There have been a lot of guys in this league who have been really supportive of me throughout my career and everything I went through. So, I truly appreciate it."


(sportingnews.com)