Comparison: Braun vs. Fielder

Late Saturday afternoon I saw contract details on the ESPN crawl, then they said they’d be back with news on Ryan Braun.

Knowing free agent Prince Fielder would be signing with another team, I decided to compared the stats of the two Brewer sluggers (RBI & HR totals for the last five years).

PL…RBI…..HR…AVG..OBP..SLG..OPS

RB…531…161…312…371…563…933

PF…565…200…282…390…540…929

Both had excellent 2011 seasons…

PL....RBI…HR…AVG..OBP..SLG..OPS

RB…111…33…332…397…597…944

PF…120…38…299…415…566…981

Milwaukee’s reasons for keeping Braun and letting Fielder go:

…Prince’s next contract will be too high.

…Prince’s massive body seems more likely to break down than Braun’s.

…Braun’s batting average and slugging percentage were higher.

…Braun’s OPS comparable to Fielder.

…Braun’s HR, RBI, and OBP nearly equal to Fielder.

How does Braun’s HGH suspension muddy the Milwaukee waters? It remains to be seen whether Braun can post such significant numbers without the use of banned substances. His 50 game suspension, coupled with the loss of Fielder, quite possibly has already taken the Brewers out of the 2012 pennant race. The signing of Aramis Ramirez will help, but its more likely that the magic is gone.