Madgear's Prospect Perspective

Hey guys, this is my first Prospect Perspective and who else could it be on but super hitting outfielder Jay bruce. There has been alot of hype on Jay and hes just about as old as I am, He's stuck behind a glut of Reds outfielders(where have I seen this story before..) but will likely get to play once the Reds are out of contention at the all star break. The Reds are trying not to rush this power hitting phenom but it wont be long before he's blasting extra base hits and HR's out of Great american ballpark.

Name:Jay Bruce
Place on my top Rookies:#1
Bats: Left,
Throws: Left
Height: 6'3",
Weight: 195 lbs
Born: April 3, 1987

I wanted to begin with how talented this man was, and then I realized he was only 4 months older than me(what have I been doing with my life!). Now, what makes Bruce so darn good? We'll other than being an extra base monster(Had 165 over 2 years!) and a slugging % of .543 in his minor league career. (26 homeruns, 89 runs batted in, .319 batting average, .962 OPS, 46 doubles in 133 games)
Bruce has shown he can dominate any level of competition(went through 3 levels with no sign of regressing) and theres no reason to believe he wont be successful in the Major leagues.
The reason why theres so much hype about a player who isnt a true 5 tool player? how about being selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game then being promoted to the Reds' AAA club, the Louisville River Bats, where he ended the season by winning Baseball America's Player of the Year title.
Bruce is no slouch in the field either, holding his own in CF and having an above average arm.

-Weakness-
I start with the weakness because thats a very crucial part of a player, with scouting reports being so detailed these days you can go from being successful to a slump in a very short time when pitching coaches get done with you. So its important not to have too many holes or else a young guy can regress and never quite recover and its back to the minors you go.
Every player has a weakness and Bruce doesn't have many, 1)For one he played CF is the minors and speed isn't quite his forte so he will probably have to shift over to a corner position when he reaches the major leagues.
2)Bruce also has a problem with strikeouts(taking swing tips from Dunn?) as he had almost as many strikeout as hits (57-48) but that shouldn't deter anyone as his batting average was still high in AAA(.305)

-Why he will Contribute-
The fact that Bruce is an extra base machine with AVG that has stayed consistently at .300 or better in his minor league career can only bode well for him playing at Great American Ballpark, this is what former manager Jerry Narron had to say about the stadium "If you put [the ball] in the air here you've got a chance for it to go out of the ballpark."
Playing behind a lineup of Phillips, Griffey, Dunn, Double E and Votto means that Bruce should get his share of pitches to hit, from what I hear Bruce does his share of hitting quite well.

-When he will have an impact?-
Its hard to tell with the reds, as their OF is constantly being shifted around due to injuries or something else. I remember when Wily mo and Austin kearns were traded because of the lack of room in the CIN OF.
Its still crowded with Dunn, Griffey, Freel and newly signed Corey patterson(was he really necessary?)out in the OF but I predict there just is no way to keep Bruce out of the majors in 2008 so I predict a call up when the reds are out of contention by the All star break.
So if Bruce isn't going to be up until the all star break, what kind of numbers are we looking at? I'd have to say something along the lines of .260/.310/.500, with 12 home runs, 35 RBI is an accurate assessment of how he will do. The man is talented and he plays in a hitters ballpark but you guys remember what the early hype did to Alex gordon right? Give it a year and Bruce is mashing balls out of Great American in a hurry.

-Awards/Accomplishments
10/08/2007 Baseball America High Class A All-Star
10/08/2007 Baseball America Minor League All-Star
09/07/2007 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year
07/08/2007 Futures Game Selection
06/18/2007 FSL Player of the Week
06/16/2007 FSL Mid-Season All-Star
09/22/2006 Baseball America Low Class A All-Star
09/22/2006 Baseball America Minor League All-Star
08/24/2006 MID Post-Season All-Star
06/20/2006 MID Mid-Season All-Star
06/20/2006 MID All-Star Game Top Star
06/11/2006 MID Player of the Week

Nicknames: Now this will be fun, I'll take some nicknames I've heard, some i've made up, and the rest will come from you guys.

Mine:"The boss"
Internet:Bruce lee(cause he can hit? har har)
PT:

-Funnies/Random-
Jay Bruce was in Cincinnati to accept Baseball America's minor-league player of the year award.

He wore his Sunday best - tailored suit, white shirt, tie. Adam Dunn jumped on the chance to apply the needle.

"Why didn't you just wear your normal stuff?" Dunn asked. "Why you gotta try to impress everyone?"

"I'm getting the minor-league player of the year award," Bruce replied.

"When I got my award, I just wore my usual stuff," Dunn said.

"Was it for the Reds organization or all of baseball?" Bruce said.

Touche.