He’s Jay Bruce and he’s the right guy for right field, for now and maybe for the next decade according to Cincinnati Reds personnel.
“What I like about Jay is that he loves baseball,” Dayton Dragons manager Todd Benzinger said during the Reds Winter Caravan stop at Miami University on Sunday, Jan. 31. “He’s passionate about the game. That tells you not just where he is but where he’s going to be. In order to practice and play enough baseball to be good at it, you have to love it. Jay has that passion and if he stays healthy he’s going to have 10-15 years of great baseball.”
You will know if Bruce is producing when you go to Great American Ball Park and hear the boo-like roar of his last name echoing throughout the stands. Bruce has quickly made himself a household name by crushing long balls and snagging fly balls, but he doesn’t forget one special city that helped him do it.
“Dayton was great,” Bruce said, “Dayton is an unbelievable place to play. If you are going to have to play in the minor leagues, which pretty much everyone does, that’s one of the best places there is to play. It was cool going to the field every day. The fans love you there and it’s a really nice place to play.”
Bruce used the city as a launching pad from a top-prospect to a big-league bomber and this year he hopes to stay healthy so he can send some more homers into the river.
“I have worked on strength and conditioning,” Bruce said. “I broke my wrist and I want to make sure that it is all healthy and everything. I haven’t had many setbacks so it’s been a normal year. My goal is to stay healthy and produce. I don’t care if it’s 20 home runs or 30 home runs, I’d really just like to have 100 RBI. I’d like to score 100 runs because that’s important.”
Runs will be vital in 2010 for a team that last season finished last in batting average and hits in the National League Central. The Reds haven’t had a member of the 100-RBI club since Adam Dunn in 2007.
“I think he found some things and made some adjustments and I expect a big year from him,” Reds General Manager Walt Jocketty said. “He’s going to be a big part of our offense and continue to get better every year. Jay has a lot of God-given talent. He’s very lucky. He’s a great athlete. Great power, good defense with good arm strength. He’s a guy that should hit for a pretty good average with big power and RBIs.”
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