Ryan Braun: 7 Burning Questions for the NL MVP

Now that Ryan Braun has officially accepted the NL MVP Award, what questions are surrounding the Milwaukee Brewers left fielder, who just tested positive for an unusually high amount of testosterone?

Braun is under a lot of scrutiny at the moment.

He has stuck by his initial claim that he is innocent of all wrongdoing, but all signs point to the contrary.

Braun has also appealed the 50-game suspension that was given to him, but no major league player has ever been successful in that attempt.

So, now that we are waiting for the indefinite truth to come out, if it ever does, here are seven burning questions for Braun.

7. How Will This Affect Ryan Braun in the Short Term and the Long Term?

One has to wonder how this episode will affect Braun's performance next season, as well as the rest of his career.

What if he really was taking performance enhancing drugs his entire career, and that was the reason he has been so successful? I strongly doubt that this is the case, but no one can deny that it isn't at least a possibility.

The more likely and appropriate question should be: How will this positive test affect him psychologically?

All eyes will be on him upon his return. There will be a ton of pressure on him just from the standpoint that he's the first big-name player of this generation to be busted for performance enhancing drugs.

I think at least in the short term, Braun's productivity will sharply decline, especially in 2012.

If his suspension is upheld, he'll be coming back 50 games into the season and will have to use the first 30 as his "spring training". He also won't have Prince Fielder hitting behind him, so that will certainly hurt his numbers in one way or another.

Braun will be fine in the long term, however. There is a reason why he was drafted fifth overall in the draft. He has hit 30-plus home runs in four out of his five seasons in the major leagues.

Braun will be fine, but it's just a matter of when.

6. Is the Season Lost for the Brewers?

Think about it.

First, they lost Prince Fielder to the Detroit Tigers.

Then, they (potentially) lost Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of the season. That's more than enough time to put the Milwaukee Brewers' season in jeopardy.

Sure, the addition of Aramis Ramirez certainly helps, but the lineup without Fielder and Braun all of a sudden looks a lot less intimidating.

They have the starting rotation and the bullpen to keep them in games. The return of Braun sometime in June will also rejuvenate the team.

But it's hard to deny that the Milwaukee Brewers are not the front-runners to win the NL Central in 2012 anymore.

5. Does Ryan Braun Still Deserve the MVP Award?

Many were surprised that Ryan Braun won the MVP Award in the first place.

Even though Matt Kemp was on a team that didn't make the postseason, he had better all-around numbers in comparison to Braun.

Player	Home Runs	Runs Batted In	Batting Average	Stolen Bases	On-Base Percentage
Matt Kemp	39	126	.324	40	.399
Ryan Braun	33	111	.332	33	.397

The Milwaukee Brewers made it to the NLCS, which is ultimately why Braun took home the hardware.

But should Braun still be allowed to keep his MVP Award?

Technically, yes. But does he have it in his heart to give the award to Kemp, who hasn't been caught using banned substances?

If Clayton Kershaw was able to win the Cy Young Award on the Los Angeles Dodgers, Kemp should be the rightful owner of this MVP Award.

Nonetheless, the award is Braun's. He will likely use it as motivation to regain his reputation as one of the league's premier hitters.

4. Will Ryan Braun Be as Productive Without Prince Fielder?

The one-two punch of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder was undoubtedly the best combination in all of baseball.

Both are two of the most feared hitters in the game, and they certainly fed off of each other throughout their careers. At least some of their success as individuals has to be credited to the other.

Opposing pitchers would have to pick their poison and choose which one they wanted to beat them. Getting both Fielder and Braun out in the same inning was a rarity.

So, how much will Fielder's absence from the lineup affect Braun's production?

It's not a question of if, because subtracting one of the most powerful sluggers in baseball is going to at least somewhat affect the rest of the lineup.

Braun will lose the protection behind him and begin to see worse pitches as the season goes on.

He's still going to put up the numbers, but it will be interesting to see how the loss of Fielder will affect Braun.

3. Should Ryan Braun Have Shown Up to the Fan Event?

Ryan Braun showed up to accept his MVP award, but that was the only public appearance he has made in a while.

He failed to show up to a Milwaukee Brewers fan event, deciding to neglect the only fanbase that he needs to support him.

Now that Braun is the face of the franchise—because Prince Fielder is now a Tiger—this is not a good way to start a new era. Instead of getting the fanbase excited for next year, or answering questions honestly about his recent suspension for testing positive for banned substances, he remained hidden.

It's giving everyone the impression that he really does have something to hide.

At this public event, he would've been surrounded by people who would've given him unwavering support. Much like how San Francisco Giants fans supported Barry Bonds through the thick and the thin—at least for the most part.

Choosing to not show his face to his own fans will undoubtedly start to raise some questions.

2. Should Ryan Braun Be Appealing the Suspension?

When Ryan Braun found out that he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, his initial response to a reporter was that he "can't wait" to explain himself and that he's "completely innocent."

Well, we're still waiting. And patiently at that.

What we do know is that Braun is appealing the 50-game suspension that was handed down to him by MLB.

But was that a smart move?

No major league player has ever won an appeal, and very few athletes around the world have, either. Although there is a first time for everything, I highly doubt that Braun's appeal will be the exception.

It might be a wise decision for Braun to own up to his mistake and try to move on. We've seen what has happened to baseball players who try to fight for their innocence when the evidence at hand is overwhelming.

Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez were both busted for steroids, and they openly admitted it. Now that many years have gone by, very few people even remember that they were caught juicing in the first place.

If Braun really didn't take any PEDs, then more power to him. He should fight this until his face turns blue. However, he should consider admitting his wrongdoing if he truly did break the rules.

The longer he denies it, the worse it's going to get.

1. Did Ryan Braun Really Take Performance-Enhancing Drugs?

This is the burning question that everyone is asking.

This slide is similar to the one before it, but this question deserves a section of its own.

Ryan Braun is adamant when he says he's innocent. And you have to admit, absolutely no one saw this coming. The only players who were caught using PEDs were minor league ballplayers, who were trying to make it back to the big league.

Could there have been a mistake in the testing?

Could Braun have a legitimate excuse for why he took certain supplements that caused him to test positive?

This could be true, as TMZ reported that Braun was taking medication for a private medical issue, and not performance enhancing drugs.

But no one except Braun knows for sure. The book will not be closed until we hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

Braun's unyielding claims of innocence make it so.