DDN Article on Jay Bruce

[redsmetz]

This is an article from the Dayton Daily News regarding the Dragons game with Cedar Rapids.

One thing that is interesting is the comparison of Bruce's numbers with Kearns and Dunn at this point. Also, the writer notes that all of Bruce's homers this season have come against Iowa teams - he's going to start believing it's heaven:

Bruce blasts two homers in Dragon victory

By Marc Katz, Staff Writer

DAYTON — As points of reference, Austin Kearns hit one home run in rookie ball and 13 in his first season at "low" Class A.

Adam Dunn hit four as a rookie, 11 in his first season at "low" A.

Both — especially Dunn — are now hitting plenty of homers for the Reds, as Cincinnati expects Jay Bruce to do some day.

Bruce, just 19, is off to a good start. Monday night, the Reds' No. 1 draft pick last summer, hit two at Fifth Third Field, each with a man on, as the Class A Midwest League Dayton Dragons beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 10-4 to win for the seventh time in nine games.

Bruce hit nine homers in rookie ball last season and now has seven in just over a month this season.

Oddly, all of his homers have come against teams from Iowa, and until Monday night, all on the road. And, with the addition of two against the Kernels, he has reached every Iowa team, including Quad Cities, Burlington and Clinton.

The Dragons needed all the homers they could get against the Kernels, who took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by designated hitter Jordan Renz with two out.

Dayton's Paul Janish finished with two doubles and a homer of his own — his fifth — raising his league-leading batting average to .407.

Bruce raised his batting average to .308 and never worried about hitting homers at home.

"I figured if they were going to come, they were going to come," Bruce said.

[dougdirt]

I wonder if Marc has been reading my stuff? Lol I pointed that stuff out a few days ago when Jay had 5 and was way ahead of pace of both of them. Jay is on fire currently...and outside of two slumps, he has hit the living crap out of the ball all year.

[KittyDuran]

Which means that Dunn and Kearns played 2 seasons at low "A" ball in 99-00, because IIRC there wasn't a high "A" ball team at the time (tho' the Reds had two teams in the Midwest league).

[traderumor]

There's Janish again also. Time to jump him up to Chatty and see what's going on there.