Braun feeling comfortable in left field

Last year, Ryan Braun didn't crack the Brewers' lineup until Memorial Day weekend. Yet the Brewers' third baseman went on to have one of the best rookie seasons in major league history. Braun hit .324, led the National League with a .634 slugging average and finished in the top 25 in MVP voting, despite playing only 113 games. In his second big league season, the Brewers moved Braun to left field, hoping to take some pressure off defensively while giving one of their top young hitters a chance to produce over a 162-game season.

Braun discussed the move to a new position, the team's abundance of top young hitting talent, and how he spent his Rookie of the Year bonus.

Jonah Keri: What are the areas you think you need to work on at the new position?

Ryan Braun: I feel great; I'm more comfortable than I anticipated being. The focus for me is on my footwork, on my routes, dealing with the sun, dealing with shifts. Left-handers hit a lot of balls that slice toward me, right-handers hit a lot of balls with topspin that slice away from me. So, just the more experience I have, the better off I'll be.


Keri: Does moving to the outfield change your workout regimen at all? An NFL cornerback, for instance, will work a lot on opening up the hips, being able to turn and run back quickly. Being in the outfield now, are you changing your exercise patterns, the drills you do, what you focus on in the weight room?

Braun: I look at it as an opportunity to work out a little bit longer and a little bit harder. I'm definitely stronger than I was last year. At third base I'm bending over, taking 200, 300 ground balls a day. Chasing down fly balls is definitely a little different.

Keri: What about at the plate, are there specific parts of your hitting game you'd like to improve? Are you thinking about cutting down on your strikeouts, going the other way a bit more?

Braun: I never set statistical goals for myself. I can always get better. It's really about consistency, consistency in my approach every day. I definitely want to cut down on my strikeouts. I really want to swing at far less bad pitches. If I can do that, I should have continued success.

Keri: The Brewers had a lot of breakout performances last year from young players: you, Prince [Fielder], J.J. [Hardy], Corey [Hart]. Is there one player you could point to on this year's roster where you could say, "Watch out for this guy"?

Braun: Rickie Weeks. Rickie has the ability, the talent, the work ethic to be the best player in baseball. He's that good. I see him play every day. I'm just happy he's on my team.

Keri: There's been some discussion of long-term contracts, for you and Prince, especially. Troy Tulowitzki got a long-term deal, some other guys with similar amounts of service time. You won Rookie of the Year and had a huge season. How do you make a decision between "I'm going to put up big numbers, I want to roll the dice," versus "I'm ready to make a long-term commitment"?

Braun: I'll let my agent handle the majority of those questions. But for me it's just exciting to even think about and consider.


Keri: Do you buy into the concept of lineup protection, that hitting in front of Prince could mean, say, that you see more fastballs?

Braun: Not necessarily. We have an extremely deep lineup, a very powerful lineup, a very consistent lineup. So wherever I'm at, I'm happy.

Keri: You donated your Rookie of the Year bonus to Habitat for Humanity. What prompted that decision?

Braun: I had an opportunity to go down there and participate in a project where Habitat for Humanity was building houses in San Pedro [Calif.]. I live in Los Angeles, so I went down there for a build project. The families who were moving into the houses were actually there. When I got an opportunity to meet them and see what an influence I had on their lives, it really moved me. It's great to be in a position to have a chance to give back. It was the least I could do.

(espn.com)