By not officially retiring, Braun leaves open the possibility of returning once the season begins, perhaps with a contending team looking for one last offensive piece which would also provide Braun a chance to play in his first World Series. That would be unlikely, Braun said.
“I can’t foresee a scenario in which I play for any other major league team,” Braun said. “Milwaukee is such a special place to my family … It holds such a special place in our hearts. It will always be a second home for us.”
The Brewers selected Braun with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2005 MLB draft. Should he retire — or sign elsewhere — Braun would end his Brewers career first in home runs with 352; second with 1,154 RBIs, 809 extra-base hits, 3,525 total bases and 408 doubles; and third with 1,080 runs scored, 1,963 hits, 49 triples, 216 stolen bases and 586 walks.
Counsell, who was also teammates with Braun over the final five seasons of his own playing career, got a chance to catch up with Braun and said he looked to be happy with his life, with or without baseball.
“I think he misses the friendships, for sure, but he’s busy raising a great young family,” Counsell said. “There’s a reason to be content with that.”