5% of the season has gone by?????
(sigh)
5% of the season has gone by?????
(sigh)
A week from now this thread will look sillier than it already does.
The only question I have is this: Does Jay like Fancy Coffee (tm)?
Wow, is this thread happening again?
Benzinger backing and calling! And the 1990 world championship series belongs to the Cincinnati Reds!
Jay Bruce is pressing because Jim Edmonds isn't here.
She used to wake me up with coffee ever morning
31 plate appearances this year.
When will he ever please?
I'm thinking no matter what he does, it won't be enough for some.
There are some crazy things going on in this thread, but it isn't from the OP IMO. Everyone screaming small sample size is missing the point. No one has said that they expect Bruce's performance up to now to hold and that he'll finish with an OPS below .600. Other than the mockers, no one has suggested Bruce be released or sent to AAA either.
What some are stating is that if Bruce continues to exhibit a poor approach and the same holes in his swing that he is now, he won't make that jump to the next level. I think that improvement is necessary for the Reds to move to the next level. The Reds pretty much sent that message in the offseason with no real acquisitions and a statement that improvements will come from within. If Jay Bruce repeats 2010 with an OPS around .850 and top nothch defense he'll be a fine player who all teams would love to have, but to fulfill the need for improvement that the team is banking on, he needs to go to the next level with an OPS nearing .950 and it won't happen with glaring holes in his swing and approach.
Last edited by mth123; 04-10-2011 at 01:15 PM.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Are they really banking on that number? I'm of the opinion that that number as an "expected" number is too high. I think they bank on .850 and the rest is gravy.
Since 1946 here's the number of times the Reds have had players top .950.
And here are the guys 25 or younger.Code:CINCINNATI REDS SEASON 1946-2010 OPS YEAR OPS 1 Kevin Mitchell 1994 1.110 2 Ted Kluszewski 1954 1.049 3 Frank Robinson 1962 1.045 4 Joey Votto 2010 1.024 5 Joe Morgan 1976 1.020 6 Frank Robinson 1961 1.015 7 George Foster 1977 1.013 8 Frank Robinson 1960 1.002 9 Eric Davis 1987 .991 10 Tony Perez 1970 .990 11 Joey Votto 2009 .981 12 Barry Larkin 1996 .977 13 Reggie Sanders 1995 .975 14 Frank Robinson 1959 .975 15 Joe Morgan 1975 .974 16 Ted Kluszewski 1955 .967 17 Adam Dunn 2004 .956 18 Ted Kluszewski 1953 .950
Code:OPS YEAR OPS AGE 1 Frank Robinson 1961 1.015 25 2 Frank Robinson 1960 1.002 24 3 Eric Davis 1987 .991 25 4 Joey Votto 2009 .981 25 5 Frank Robinson 1959 .975 23 6 Adam Dunn 2004 .956 24
I think the Reds saw the drop-off from Rolen and can't reasonably expect a repeat from Hernandez and Hanigan in 2011. The team really lacks a middle of the order bat and its stance that an acquisition wasn't necessary suggests that they expect improvement from within. Maybe its Stubbs or the arrival of Mesoraco or Alonso that drives that improvement, but IMO Bruce is the most likely place to make-up for the likely drops in production. If he merely repeats, where will it come from? It seems there is no cash to bring somebody in.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
Agreed. I think that is the entire point. Is this a slump and if so when will it end? Last year, even with a pretty good season, Bruce slumped for several weeks and it prevented him from having that season that is in the next stratosphere. I hope we're past those extended down periods and it ends quickly, but riight now, he looks like a guy who doesn't have a clue up there.
All my posts are my opinion - just like yours are. If I forget to state it and you're too dense to see the obvious, look here!
I'm in favor of sitting Bruce for a few games. I realize that only a handful of games have been played and he can be a slow starter. I believe he WILL begin to hit soon, but I think that giving him a few days off will do him some good.
That first Arizona game reinforced things for me. Just throw him an inside breaking ball and he'll swing...and never make contact. He's had far too many K's for his number of at-bats this season. Sitting him would be like a "reset" here at the beginning of the season and might keep him from pushing too hard.
Again, I'm not saying he needs to be sent down or doubting his ability. I just believe now is the perfect time to give him a chance to catch his breath and start over for the year.
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