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Thread: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

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    Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    Bruce letting his bat do the talking
    Top-ranked prospect continues dominating performance with Louisville
    By Benjamin Hill / Special to MLB.com

    Jay Bruce went a perfect 3-for-3 and came within a single of hitting for the cycle on Wednesday afternoon, but you wouldn't know it from talking to him.

    "I'm excited about the fact that I drew two walks more than anything else," said Bruce after Louisville's 11-6 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. "I'm an aggressive hitter, but I'm trying to balance that by showing discipline at the plate. That's half the battle right there. I plan on staying aggressive, but at the same time I have to make sure that I don't get myself out by swinging at pitches that I can't do anything with."

    While Bruce focuses on his plate approach, the rest of the Cincinnati organization and their fans will no doubt focus on the fact that MLB.com's top-ranked prospect had yet another stellar ballgame. The 2005 first-round Draft pick collected three extra-base hits -- including his eighth home run of the season -- drove in three runs and scored two. He has hit an astronomical .611 (22-for-36) over his past 10 ballgames, and an International League-leading .366 overall.

    "I haven't been really doing anything different lately. Things have just been going really well, and I'm going to ride that wave for as long as I can," said Bruce, who leads the IL in hits (50) and ranks second in RBIs (33). "The biggest thing is consistency, because baseball is a game of failure, and you have to be able to deal with the highs and the lows."

    Clearly, those clamoring to see Bruce make his Major League debut in the Cincinnati Reds' outfield are only going to get louder. At this point, it's only a matter of time.

    "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, but all I can do is take care of my business and wait it out," said the Texas native. "Until then, all I can do is just work on being the best all-around player I can be. I take pride in doing the little things correctly, because eventually that's what is going to make or break you."

    On Wednesday, Bruce was far from the only contributor in Louisville's starting lineup. With the exception of third baseman Adam Rosales, every player hit safely and scored at least one run. Andy Phillips went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 17 games and raise his average to a season-high .327.

    Justin Lehr (2-1) earned the win, allowing a run on just three hits over six innings of work. The 30-year-old righty has pitched at least 5 2/3 innings in all of his eight starts this season.

    Heath Phillips (2-1) made just his third start of the season and took the loss, allowing eight runs -- five earned -- on six hits over just a little more than an inning. The Indiana native did not retire any of the six batters he faced in the second frame.

    Justin Christian, Cody Ransom, and JD Closser all drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees (28-13). Ransom blasted his sixth home run of the season in the eighth.

    The Bats (26-15) have won five straight games, and are now just 1 1/2 games behind Toledo in the International League's West Division. For now, Bruce is just happy to be playing a role in the club's success.

    "I'm just having a great time winning games in Louisville," said Bruce. "We have a really good team here, and I'm glad I can contribute."

    http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/n...milb&fext=.jsp


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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    So, can we all agree now that Bruce has "mastered" AAA?

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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    While we are here, I see that the comparisons to Cameron Maybin that a few were making, and arguing that Maybin was the far advanced prospect, have come to a screeching halt.

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    While we are here, I see that the comparisons to Cameron Maybin that a few were making, and arguing that Maybin was the far advanced prospect, have come to a screeching halt.
    Anyone who couldn't see that coming needs to go back and look at every single sign that was there on Maybin having a whole lot of baseball to learn.

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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    Cincinnati Reds: Hangin' with Jay Bruce

    Being the top baseball prospect in America puts a lot of pressure on a player, and many have not been able to handle it. Names like Ben Grieve, Brien Taylor, and Todd Van Poppel all come to mind as top prospects who crumbled under pressure.

    So far, that is not the case with Reds prospect Jay Bruce. He is currently tearing it up in Triple-A and has a call-up in his near future. His confidence and passion to be the best goes all the way back to when he was kid, playing among some of the best young players in Texas, and now in the MLB.

    "Playing against Clay Buchholz and other great pitchers really improved my game at an early age," Bruce said.

    Now playing among some of the best in the minors and having success, Bruce reflects on his trek through the minors. Just three weeks after the draft and down in Low-A, Bruce had finally accomplished his dream. However, he went through an adjustment period that led to his slow start.

    "I think the biggest adjustment was living on my own. Back home, my mom did everything. Now, I had to be responsible and accountable. I was a professional now."

    He finished the season proving to everyone around him that the wooden-bat transition would not affect him, which allowed the Reds to move him forward in their system.Although Bruce established himself as a top prospect, the attention did not get to him. He was selected to a Futures Game but went in just trying to enjoy the experience.

    "It was awesome, a great experience," Bruce said, "Everyone though is trying to showcase their stuff so when I got in a good count, I swung at a good pitch and took it out to deep center."

    Some are projecting Jay Bruce to hit 500 home runs, but Bruce is just focused on getting to the big leagues and helping the Reds.

    Not just a player, but a fan too. While Bruce works to get strong and endure a long season, he follows baseball very closely. He even offered me a taste to who he thinks are the top young players in baseball.

    "The top hitter, well Justin Upton is off to a good start, he has made good adjustments. My boy Joey Votto has been overlooked, but he will hurt you if you forget about him. Evan Longoria of the Rays, too. I am going to go with Joey [Votto] though. He will turn some heads if he hasn't already." It is a too early to say that a managerial role is in his future, but he did offer his opinion on Barry Zito's slow start.

    "Everyone has down years," Bruce said. "He's struggling though."

    You have to have fun.

    When asked who he would rob of a home run if he had the opportunity to pick, he said:

    "Griffey. He would be my guy."

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...With-Jay-Bruce

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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    Quote Originally Posted by membengal View Post
    So, can we all agree now that Bruce has "mastered" AAA?
    I dunno. I think he's just on a lucky streak. :

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    Sprinkles are for winners dougdirt's Avatar
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    Re: Bruce letting his bat do the talking

    Quote Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine View Post
    Being the top baseball prospect in America puts a lot of pressure on a player, and many have not been able to handle it. Names like Brien Taylorcome to mind as top prospects who crumbled under pressure.
    Yeah, a guy gets injured and is never the same... thats what I call crumbling under the pressure. Wait, what?

    Now playing among some of the best in the minors and having success, Bruce reflects on his trek through the minors. Just three weeks after the draft and down in Low-A, Bruce had finally accomplished his dream. However, he went through an adjustment period that led to his slow start.
    They mean rookie ball, becuase 3 weeks after the draft Jay was playing in the GCL. He didn't reach Dayton, LOW A, until April of the next year.

    Not exactly the most accurate article, but the quotes were nice.


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