So when is Bruce going to start hitting?

[Mario-Rijo]

Not taking it personally. I guess I just really believed this was the year he would leap into Ryan Braun-type production. He's always going to be a great defender. He's always going to be a great teammate and model citizen, these are the reasons you want a guy like him to succeed. I guess I just feel very, very wrong on him--I thought he was can't miss.

I'm with you, sorry that it's over. :

But in all seriousness I get what you are saying. Because he has an awful approach at times (including currently) it's hard to see him going anywhere positive from here on. But baseball truely is a game of inches, one little tweek, one little issue can change things dramatically. And of those things that can do it timing might be at the top of the list. Chris Heisey went from marginal prospect to a legit Major League player just from a small change with his foot that made the entire package come together (at least at the AAA level, I still think he has a little work to do yet on that front).

If you watch Jays bats more closely you will see he (just like I stated umpteen times last year) is opening up his hips really early and getting out on his front foot. Or in lamens terms he is itching to swing that bat and can barely contain himself. Now see how he is when he is doing this and then when he wasn't doing it you get what we saw at the end of last year, see how big a gap that is? It's like going from Brandon Larson to Albert Pujols, truely it is. And clearly being that he is still young and always feels the pressure to be worth the hype and now the money he will continue to go thru spells like this until he understands that he cannot allow that to interfere with his approach to the game.

I said it earlier and like always it gets ignored because someone else's theory grabs the masses for some reason. But it is painfully clear to anyone paying close to attention to him and not so much the game when he is playing. Can he break free of that is the only question and I'd say absolutely, he has already proven he can do it, he just needs to find consistency at it which takes time at just now 24 years old. I don't care if he puts it all together this year or not because I know it's a simple thing that he has to learn the hard way and it will come. But I do believe he will settle in this year to be largely what he will be for his career but right now is not gonna be the time with 60 million fresh in his mind.

[_Sir_Charles_]

Dunn is going to hit 500 clean home runs; he's going into the Hall of Fame. Hate him or not, you can't knock that this day in age.

Yeah, don't see this happening. 500, probably. HoF, not that likely. Hope I'm wrong.

[_Sir_Charles_]

To answer the simple question the thread asks: when Bruce stops trying to pull everything. He's pulling off the ball and until he stops; expect him to be inconsistent.

The best hitters hit the ball where it's pitched and hit very hard. Good hitters hit the ball where it is pitched and consistently back through the box. Average hitters have major flaws but pounce on mistake pitches. Jay is the latter at this point in his career.

This. Bruce is most successful when he goes the other way.

[Mario-Rijo]

This. Bruce is most successful when he goes the other way.

And he goes the other way when he isn't opening up and being impatient.

[Homer Bailey]

Dunn is going to hit 500 clean home runs; he's going into the Hall of Fame. Hate him or not, you can't knock that this day in age.

Adam Dunn has made 1 all star team, and his highest finish in the MVP voting was 21st last season. These are the kinds of things HoF voters look at, IMO. I don't think Dunn is headed anywhere near the Hall.

[757690]

Adam Dunn has made 1 all star team, and his highest finish in the MVP voting was 21st last season. These are the kinds of things HoF voters look at, IMO. I don't think Dunn is headed anywhere near the Hall.

Yep, all those things. Plus they tend to like players who are at least decent on defense. I am sure there are exceptions, but I have to imagine most poor defenders who are in the Hall of Fame have much more than just 500 HR's to hang their hat on.

[Roy Tucker]

Baseball players are like children.

You need to learn to be happy with who they are and what they do well instead of holding them to impossibly high standards.

[edabbs44]

Baseball players are like children.

You need to learn to be happy with who they are and what they do well instead of holding them to impossibly high standards.

While somewhat true, it can also be difficult when your child shows genius level IQs throughout childhood that does not translate in their grades in HS and college. Maybe you don't punish the child or love him any less, but you can question what the issue is and wonder if there is anything that can be done to draw out the child's talents.

[Roy Tucker]

While somewhat true, it can also be difficult when your child shows genius level IQs throughout childhood that does not translate in their grades in HS and college. Maybe you don't punish the child or love him any less, but you can question what the issue is and wonder if there is anything that can be done to draw out the child's talents.

Which takes considerable patience.

Trying to ram them into pre-defined slots because of their IQ can be quite defeating.

[edabbs44]

Which takes considerable patience.

Trying to ram them into pre-defined slots because of their IQ can be quite defeating.

We aren't ramming them into any kind of slot. We are just fans. There is a difference btw the parent/child relationship and the fan/player relationship.

[Roy Tucker]

We aren't ramming them into any kind of slot. We are just fans. There is a difference btw the parent/child relationship and the fan/player relationship.

Yeah, I know. It's not an iron-clad analogy.

I'm just saying that I'm not expecting Bruce to be an All-Star or a HoF player and then get quite bent out of shape when it doesn't immediately happen.

[edabbs44]

Yeah, I know. It's not an iron-clad analogy.

I'm just saying that I'm not expecting Bruce to be an All-Star or a HoF player and then get quite bent out of shape when it doesn't immediately happen.

Right...expectations should be in line and people need to be reasonable. But I guess it is human nature to expect a former minor league player of the year to at least be an all-star, and potentially more.

[reds1869]

Jay Bruce is 24 years old. It think he still has plenty of time to become the player Reds fans hope he can. As has been mentioned, one minor alteration in his approach could lead to a totally different hitter then we are seeing right now. Regardless, I wouldn't trade that defense for anything. Though I would buy Mr. Bruce some sunglasses!

[bucksfan2]

Jay Bruce is 24 years old. It think he still has plenty of time to become the player Reds fans hope he can. As has been mentioned, one minor alteration in his approach could lead to a totally different hitter then we are seeing right now. Regardless, I wouldn't trade that defense for anything. Though I would buy Mr. Bruce some sunglasses!

And last year he was only 23 and next year he will only be 25 and so on.

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_r...already-peaked

After his 2010, Jay Bruce is considered a star on the rise. Even though the axiom is that young players improve and that hitters generally peak at around 26 to 28, it's possible that Bruce has already reached his peak ability. Just because he's 23 and has areas that he could improve doesn't mean he will improve. ... Among the 20 best 23-year-old hitters over the past 10 seasons (minimum 502 plate appearances, using OPS+ from Baseball-Reference.com). Bruce ranks 12th on that list with the 127 OPS+ he registered in 2010. The guys on this list were already good hitters at 23, so we're asking: How much better do they get? The answer, at least with this group: Not much. Hitters ranging from Albert Pujols to Miguel Cabrera to Joe Mauer to David Wright to Nick Markakis were essentially fully developed hitters by 23.

Read more: http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_r...#ixzz1JF1GGG6J

[westofyou]

Overall

Pitches Seen		128	
Taken			60	47%
Swung At		68	53%

Pitches Taken
Taken for a Strike	22	37%
Called a ball		38	63%