Former Hurricane Braun remains confident with Brewers

If you're looking for a sophomore jinx to bring down Milwaukee's Ryan Braun, don't bother.

At least don't mention it to Braun.

''No, I don't believe it that,'' said Braun, who is in town with the Brewers for a three-game series against the Marlins. ``I guess you could say I'm off to a slow start, but it's a long season. I'm not worried about [a sophomore jinx]. I work too hard to worry about it.''

That's Braun, whose talent is only exceeded by his confidence. He has always been that way, even in his days at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American.

''Confidence, that's never been a problem for Ryan,'' said UM baseball coach Jim Morris. ``He has always felt like he could play. From Day 1, he never questioned his ability to play at the big league level.

``I talked to him about that last year, and he said most [young players] do question it. They don't know if they do belong. It's such a select group. But he has never felt that way. He's actually done better in the big leagues than he did here.''

Braun had one of the finest rookie seasons in history, hitting 34 homers, driving in 97 runs and batting .324 in just 113 games. He was named the National League Rookie of the Year. He entered Wednesday's game against the Marlins hitting .267, with five homers and 23 RBI. Those are good numbers, but so much is expected of Braun.

''No one is immune to a sophomore jinx, but he has shown he can put up some pretty impressive numbers,'' said Milwaukee infielder Craig Council, a former Marlin. ``That was a special year he had. His numbers this year are pretty good if you stretch them over a season.

``He will succeed more than most players because he is confident he will.''

If you extrapolate Braun's numbers over 162 games, he would have 27 home runs and 120 RBI.

''What he did last year was unbelievable,'' Morris said. ``I think that second year thing is a mental thing, and that's not going to be an issue with Ryan. That's just Ryan Braun.

``People don't realize how smart this guy is. He turned down Stanford to come to UM and he came on a three-quarter academic scholarship.''
The Brewers were smart enough to move Braun from third base, where he made 26 errors, to left field.

''I'm thoroughly enjoying it,'' Braun said. ``I was never a big fan of third base, to be honest with you. I loved playing shortstop [in college] but third base is just different. I just never enjoyed it.

``Playing left field is a lot of fun. I'm able to use my speed a little bit and my arm strength a little bit more. I'm ahead of where I had anticipated being at this point.''

Not only has Braun played errorless defense, but he already has had three outfield assists.

''I worked really hard, and still work on it every day,'' he said. ``I take pride in my defense. I want my defense to catch up with my offense. Ultimately, I want to be a Gold Glove outfielder, and I don't see any reason that can't happen.''

One season in the big leagues can feel like a dozen.

''I've grown tremendously,'' Braun said. ``The biggest thing I learned last year was learning to deal with the grind of the season, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. It's really an emotional roller coaster, individually and as a team, because you experience so much failure. But that should make me better.''

That's confidence talking.

(miamiherald.com)