Bruce comments on ORG

[jmac]

I just got in and was catching up on game on the ORG game thread since it had more posts. I do not normally start threads but after reading a comment or two, I felt the need to post this.
After Bruce's homer, several were commenting on Bruce and too bad he had low OBP guys in front and so on as far as RBI's. I am a hugeeeeeeeeee Jay Bruce fan and I have tried to catch every at bat this season of his I can. In other words, If I am working outside and his AB comes up, I stop what I am doing and listen.
Fact is and I am sure he will improve, but Bruce has struggled this season when hitting with runners on.
He now has 12 homers with 24 rbi's. Barely a 2 to 1 ratio.
Now all Jay has to do is get a couple of good games with runners on and that will improve without a doubt.
But Jay is hitting .162 with RISP in 37 AB'S (before tonight). Now as we know, that means runners on second and third.
The top of the order much of the season has consisted of Taveras , who has done better than expected and Votto. Jay as I said, will improve.
But for some of them to blame his low rbi totals on no runners on in front of him, well that isnt exactly the case.

Now having said that.....Go Jay Bruce !

[Ghosts of 1990]

He's just far from a finished product at this point. There are a lot of things to like. His arm and defense are taking runs off the board for the opposition almost every game or so. The power has been there. He's on pace to hit over 50 home runs. He's done this with subpar/little protection.

His strikeouts have been cut down a bit. The average needs to improve, whether its with RISP or just in general. And I read a stat that his BABIP (batting average w/ balls in play) is like .210 where as last year it was .296, which is an indicator of an average that will rise and basically saying that he's had some hard luck hitting it right at people. He's going to be fine. It would be nice to surround him with some more capable hitters, because there isn't many right now.

[BluegrassRedleg]

Jay's got to get back to the plate discipline that made him such a good prospect in the first place. He's hitting for some power, but his command at the dish has left a lot to be desired.

[roby]

Jay's got to get back to the plate discipline that made him such a good prospect in the first place. He's hitting for some power, but his command at the dish has left a lot to be desired.

I'm a believer...I think that the young man (22) will get it all together soon. He keeps having to make adjustments as the league keeps trying to beat him. Soon he will have seen and adjusted to it all. Then, watch out!

[Hondo]

Man o Man, he gets no pitches to Hit! I posted a reply somewhere about him... Look at James Loney with Ramirez behind him and without... Jay is doing Great for only seeing 1 or 2 Pitches per AB to Hit... The opposition isn't going to give him anything to hit until he gets someone behind him... Protection.

[BigJohn]

Just like Dunn! Except Jay Bruce has a cannon arm and can throw people out.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Just like Dunn! Except Jay Bruce has a cannon arm and can throw people out.

Other then huge power (and Bruce is on pace to have a season that Dunn never did, let alone at age 22), Bruce is nothing like Dunn. He strikes out less and plays gold glove defense in right field.

I think people are too quick to just say this without having much basis behind it. Maybe they just don't know any better.

[schmidty622]

Other then huge power (and Bruce is on pace to have a season that Dunn never did, let alone at age 22), Bruce is nothing like Dunn. He strikes out less and plays gold glove defense in right field.

I think people are too quick to just say this without having much basis behind it. Maybe they just don't know any better.

I guess if you're looking at homers alone, but I would need to see Bruce walk more before he even gets into Adam Dunn territory.

[BigJohn]

Surely you know I was being sarcastic;).

[Ghosts of 1990]

I guess if you're looking at homers alone, but I would need to see Bruce walk more before he even gets into Adam Dunn territory.

You're pretty critical of Bruce, Schmidty623

[captainmorgan07]

Bruce isn't doing now what he did when he first came up. With 2 strikes he used to shorten his swing and shoot the ball the other way. Now it's a long loopy swing that gets himself in trouble.

[schmidty622]

You're pretty critical of Bruce, Schmidty623

Critical? No. Realistic in my expectations and judgments would be a better way to describe it. I realize he is a 22 year old kid and that he is not going to be perfect right out of the gate. He is going to need time to adjust his approach at the plate. If he can get to where Dunn is at in terms of hitting he will be a superstar because of his abilities in the field as well.

I just happen to think that the worship of all things Bruce in here has been a bit overblown.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Critical? No. Realistic in my expectations and judgments would be a better way to describe it. I realize he is a 22 year old kid and that he is not going to be perfect right out of the gate. He is going to need time to adjust his approach at the plate. If he can get to where Dunn is at in terms of hitting he will be a superstar because of his abilities in the field as well.

I just happen to think that the worship of all things Bruce in here has been a bit overblown.

Oh I don't think there's Bruce worship. Plenty of people criticsize him. The worship is more over Votto.

And as far as young players go, Bruce is one of the best in the game; low average or not.

[big boy]

Man o Man, he gets no pitches to Hit! I posted a reply somewhere about him... Look at James Loney with Ramirez behind him and without... Jay is doing Great for only seeing 1 or 2 Pitches per AB to Hit... The opposition isn't going to give him anything to hit until he gets someone behind him... Protection.

Why would any pitcher give him anything to hit when he will chase pitches in the dirt for an easy strikeout?

[Ghosts of 1990]

Thought his 3rd at bat tonight was one of the better I've seen all season. Did anyone see it?

[schmidty622]

Jay Bruce has 1 walk in his last 11 games and only 6 walks in the month of May. He will be a good player, but he really needs to learn to take a walk.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Jay Bruce has 1 walk in his last 11 games and only 6 walks in the month of May. He will be a good player, but he really needs to learn to take a walk.

He's already a good player. I've talked to scouts about it.

[schmidty622]

Are these the same scouts that thought Kearns, Larson, and EE were going to be great players?

Agree to disagree on the subject of Bruce I guess.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Are these the same scouts that thought Kearns, Larson, and EE were going to be great players?

Agree to disagree on the subject of Bruce I guess.

Nah, none of them were ever the minor league player of the year. Kearns had some hype but was not touted to the level or said to have the ability that Bruce has had since he was drafted.

Edwin and Larson weren't even in the same category as prospects.

[Hondo]

Why is this even a conversation. Bruce is 22 and going to be a Great Ball Player... Has 11 Homers... We need to Develop guys like this instead of Pat Watkins... OK.

[Ghosts of 1990]

Why is this even a conversation. Bruce is 22 and going to be a Great Ball Player... Has 11 Homers... We need to Develop guys like this instead of Pat Watkins... OK.

+1 :thumbup:

[DTCromer]

Why is this even a conversation. Bruce is 22 and going to be a Great Ball Player... Has 11 Homers... We need to Develop guys like this instead of Pat Watkins... OK.

It depends on your definition of great. He definitely needs to walk more to hit better to be "great" especially w/ RISP. Obviously, there's time to improve that but that was a concern in the minors and it's still a concern in 1 year here in MLB.

[Hondo]

It depends on your definition of great. He definitely needs to walk more to hit better to be "great" especially w/ RISP. Obviously, there's time to improve that but that was a concern in the minors and it's still a concern in 1 year here in MLB.

Were you an Adam Dunn supporter or a Adam Dunn Hater?

[schmidty622]

Why is this even a conversation. Bruce is 22 and going to be a Great Ball Player... Has 11 Homers... We need to Develop guys like this instead of Pat Watkins... OK.

That's not anything different than what I said. If he's developed he will be good. For some reason when I say it I’m being "critical" of Jay Bruce, instead of being realistic.

[DTCromer]

Were you an Adam Dunn supporter or a Adam Dunn Hater?

Obviously a hater. You should know that. But then again, Jay has proven to hit above .240, do a little thing we call defense, and even run bases a little better so he's OK by me.

[Hondo]

Obviously a hater. You should know that. But then again, Jay has proven to hit above .240, do a little thing we call defense, and even run bases a little better so he's OK by me.

I just was making sure, since now your Beating Drum Adam Dunn is gone, if you had to move on to Bruce...

;)

[Ghosts of 1990]

I asked MLB scouts at our stadium that were there from other teams: "Do you think Jay Bruce will end up becoming a really good MLB player?"

Main guy laughed at me and said: "Uh. Yeah (as if it was stupid of me to even doubt) he's already a really good player."

meaning he sees him already "having it" and it's a foregone conclusion that it's a matter of time til he's putting up braun/longoria numbers

[Lockdwn11]

I asked MLB scouts at our stadium that were there from other teams: "Do you think Jay Bruce will end up becoming a really good MLB player?"

Main guy laughed at me and said: "Uh. Yeah (as if it was stupid of me to even doubt) he's already a really good player."

meaning he sees him already "having it" and it's a foregone conclusion that it's a matter of time til he's putting up braun/longoria numbers

You needed a scout to tell you that?

[Ghosts of 1990]

You needed a scout to tell you that?

No. But its an informed opinion right? I picked scout's brains about Josh Hamilton when he was a Red and several other times throughout my time sitting in Scouts Alley at GABP

[Lockdwn11]

I was just kidding really JB