On Jay Bruce
Posted by JohnFay at 5/27/2008 5:34 PM EDT on Cincinnati.com
Here's a little bit of what was said about Jay Bruce:
CEO Bob Castellini: "He's going to be our superstar for years to come. We've got a lot of good young here and in the minors. It's great to see Jay here."
Dusty Baker: "I'm glad he's here. He deserved this opportunity and he earned it. That's I like. We asked him to go down and play hard, hone skills and that's what he did. . . I hope he's here for a long, long time. I'd like to see him play and develop."
On playing time: "We'll protect him some, but not a whole bunch. What I see and how he's doing right now: Go play."
On savior label: "No, he's not the savior. We just want him to play and be himself. Don't put any labels on him, no comparisons, just left him play. You can't help what people put on you or say. You can't control that. What you control is when you play. He's a confident young man. He's a bring young man. He's a competitive young man."
Why the second spot in the order? "I didn't want to put the pressure on him and lead him off. Right, the third spot belongs to Junior (Griffey). The fourth spot belong to (Brandon) Phillips. The fifth spot belongs to (Adam) Dunn. So do you put on top or underneath? I thought it would be better to put him up top. Most good hitters usually bat third in the minor leagues. People want you to insert them right third. Junior's got 20 years in third. Things will work out later.
GM Walt Jocketty: "It was a timing thing. The club is starting to play better. We wanted to give him a little more time there. We felt he was ready a week or two ago. we decided to wait till we got off the road."
On the savior label: "I hope they let him play and let him ability take are of it. It should."
What impressed him most about Bruce? "I was impressed when I met him in January, just his makeup, the way he approaches the game."
On DFAing Scott Hatteberg: "It was tough. Scott's a class guy. He's obviously contributed a lot over the years. But he wasn't getting enough playing time. Joey Votto's proven he can play first every day. Right now, we felt it was the best move to make. We talk to different clubs trying to find interest. We'll continue to do that."
Why not Corey Patterson? "There are things Patterson can do to contribute to the club -- his defense, his running. Obviously, he's not hitting. He knows it. There are things he has to work on."
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