The topic has generated plenty of discussion last season and throughout the winter. We’ve talked about it on Brew Crew Ball. The local beats have talked about it. The national publications have done deep dives into it. Even the man himself has spoken at length on the topic.
Ryan Braun was plain unlucky in 2018.
He generated a hard contact rate that was in the top 16% of MLB hitters (min 400 PA). Add to that an average exit velocity in the top 6% (min 150 batted ball events). The frequency with which he “barreled” a baseball was in the top 11% of batters.