Ryan Braun Signs

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<b><font size=4>Top pick signs contract</font>
Braun will visit Miller Park next weekend</b>

Toronto - Third baseman Ryan Braun's professional baseball career began Saturday afternoon, but he still has to tie up a few loose ends before he really gets started.

Braun, who recently returned to his native California after wrapping up his junior season at the University of Miami, has to pack enough clothes for a summer business trip that will begin next weekend in Milwaukee and take him to Helena, Mont., and likely to Brevard County, Fla.

He has to gather up his baseball gear, which will henceforth include a supply of wood bats, and other personal items. He'll also have to meet with some insurance people and financial planners and squeeze in a few workouts along the way.

"He's got a few things to take care of," Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said.

Nailing down a contract is no longer one of them.

Braun, the Brewers' first-round pick (fifth overall) in the first-year player draft, signed a deal Saturday that will pay him a $2.4 million signing bonus.

"We are pleased to come to an agreement with Ryan," Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik said in announcing the deal. "He understands the value of joining the organization immediately. We look forward to having him in the Brewers organization for a very long time."

The negotiation did not take long.

Ryan Zimmerman, a University of Virginia third baseman taken by Washington at No. 4, signed a somewhat surprising deal for $2.975 million on the day of the draft. On Friday, Toronto unveiled a $2.4 million deal with Ricky Romero, a left-handed pitcher taken immediately after Braun.

"It was not really a difficult negotiation," Ash said. "When the players above and below you sign, it becomes rather easy. He was ready to get started."

Nez Balelo, Braun's agent, said the process was "delightful" from the moment the pick was announced.

"The day Ryan was drafted, the owner (Mark Attanasio) called him," Balelo said. "I don't think that happens very often. I know it was (Attanasio's) first draft, but the feeling from that time was all good.

"The thing that impressed us most about Milwaukee wasn't the fact that they were willing to step up financially, it was when they talked about opportunity. They really think Ryan is going to move up fast and be part of the group of kids that they've got.

"They just said all the things we wanted to hear."

Braun, 21, will visit Miller Park next weekend with his parents, grandfather and Balelo. He'll take part in pre-game batting practice and a news conference Saturday and then head to Helena to join the Brewers rookie league club for a week or two, at which time he'll probably go to Class A Brevard County.

In 58 games for the Hurricanes this season, Braun hit .388 (85 for 219) with 18 home runs and 76 RBI. He was named player of the year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, second-team All-American and is one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award.

"I'd like to congratulate Florida scout Larry Pardo and East Coast cross-checker Bobby Heck," Zduriencik said in a release. "They have been watching Ryan for the last three years and were instrumental in his selection and subsequent signing."

[645]

<b><font size=4>Brewers sign first round pick Braun</font></b>

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers have signed third baseman Ryan Braun, the Brewers first round selection (fifth overall) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, it was announced today by Director of Scouting, Jack Zduriencik. Braun was signed to a $2.45 millon dollar contract.
Braun, 21, recently completed his junior year at the University of Miami. In 58 games for the University of Miami this season, Braun hit .388 (85-219) with 18 home runs and 76 runs batted in. He is from Granada Hills, Calif. and attended Granada Hills High School.

A member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's second-team All-American team as a sophomore, Braun also earned second-team All-American honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association. Currently, Braun is one of five finalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, one of the most esteemed honors in amateur baseball.

After a stellar freshman season in 2003, Braun became only the fourth player in Miami history to earn Baseball America's National Freshman of the Year honors. He was named first-team Freshman All-America by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. He hit .364 as a freshman and led the team with 17 home runs and 76 RBI-the most for a Miami player since Pat Burrell (1996).

"I'd like to congratulate Florida scout Larry Pardo and East Coast Crosschecker Bobby Heck. They have been watching Ryan for the last three years and were instrumental in his selection and subsequent signing," said Zduriencik. "We are pleased to come to an agreement with Ryan. He understands the value of joining the organization immediately. He's a good player and comes from a good family. We look forward to having him in the Brewers organization for a very long time."

Braun will work out at Miller Park on Saturday before he reports to the Brewers rookie affiliate in Helena, Mont. He will be available to the media following batting practice on Saturday.

[645]

<b><font size=4>Brewers sign first-round pick Braun</font>
Third baseman hit 18 home runs, 76 RBIs this year</b>

TORONTO -- Ryan Braun wanted to play ball, so he decided not to play hardball.
The Brewers announced Saturday that their first-round pick from the First-Year Player Draft had come to terms on a Minor League contract worth $2.45 million. The sides reached a deal just one week after Braun's University of Miami career ended in an NCAA Super Regional loss to the University of Nebraska.

Braun, 21, is scheduled to visit Miller Park on June 25. He will begin his professional career with the Brewers' rookie affiliate in Helena.

"He understands the value of joining the organization immediately," scouting director Jack Zduriencik said in a statement. "He's a good player and comes from a good family. We look forward to having him in the Brewers organization for a very long time."

By all accounts, the deal was a slam dunk. Braun was selected fifth overall, behind the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman and in front of the Blue Jays' Ricky Romero. Zimmerman, a third baseman, signed the day he was drafted for $2.975 million, and Romero, a left-hander, signed Friday for $2.4 million.

"It was not really a difficult negotiation," Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. "When the players above and below you sign, it becomes rather easy. He was ready to get started."

Braun, coming off his junior season at Miami, was named the ACC Player of the Year at third base and led the Hurricanes with 18 home runs, 70 runs scored, 76 RBIs, a .727 slugging percentage and was second on the team with a .388 batting average and 16 doubles. He added 23 steals and 10 sacrifice flies in one of the best overall seasons in UM history.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association named Ryan Braun second team All-American and Braun is one of five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, widely considered as the Heisman Trophy of college baseball. Rickie Weeks, the Brewers' top draft pick in 2003, is a former Golden Spikes winner.

Last season, the Brewers drafted high school right-hander Mark Rogers with the No. 5 overall pick and signed him for $2.2 million.

[645]

<b><font size=4>Brewers sign first-round pick</font></b>

TORONTO (AP) -- The Milwaukee Brewers signed first-round draft pick Ryan Braun on Saturday.

Braun, the fifth overall selection out of the University of Miami, received a $2.45 million signing bonus. The third baseman hit .388 with 18 home runs and 76 RBIs in 58 games for the Hurricanes.

Braun will work out at Miller Park next Saturday before he reports to the Brewers' rookie ball affiliate in Helena, Mont.

``We are pleased to come to an agreement with Ryan. He understands the value of joining the organization immediately,'' said Jack Zduriencik, Milwaukee's director of scouting.

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<b><font size=4>Brewers sign first-round pick 3B Braun</font></b>

MILWAUKEE (Ticker) - Third baseman Ryan Braun, the fifth overall pick in this month's draft, has come to terms with the Milwaukee Brewers.

On Saturday, the Brewers announced the signing of Braun, a standout at the University of Miami, to a $2.45 million contract.

The 21-year-old Braun, who was a second-team All-American as a sophomore last year, batted .388 with 18 homers and 76 RBI as a junior. He was Baseball America's National Freshman of the Year in 2003, when he hit .364 with a team-high 17 homers and 76 RBI.

"We are pleased to come to an agreement with Ryan," Brewers director of scouting Jack Zduriencik said. "He understands the value of joining the organization immediately. He's a good player and comes from a good family. We look forward to having him in the Brewers organization for a very long time."

Braun will work out at Miller Park on Saturday before reporting to rookie-level Helena of the Pioneer League.

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<b><font size=4>Draft talk</font></b>

Toronto first-round draft pick Ricky Romero was drafted sixth overall, one pick behind Brewers first-rounder Ryan Braun. Romero signed his $2.4 million deal roughly 24 hours before Braun signed one for $2.45 million.

The timing might not have been entirely coincidental. Joe Longo, the agent representing Romero, is a business parter of Nez Balelo's, who did Braun's deal with the Brewers.