Jay Bruce AAA OF Cincinnati Reds
AP Photo/Gus Ruelas
It got to the point where it was just a matter of when the Cincinnati Reds would callup star AAA prospect Jay Bruce to start his major league clock. Jay Bruce has started off the season batting .364 with a .630 slugging percentage, 10 home runs and 8 steals, not to mention he was the 2007 Minor League Player of the Year.
The important thing to remember with Jay Bruce is that since the Reds bothered to bring him up and start his arbitration clock, they will be playing him fulltime. Corey Patterson is in his job now and is batting a putrid .201 average and .242 on base percentage.
What to expect from Jay Bruce? He is already in the free agent pool in Yahoo! and ESPN leagues so pick him up if you have not. For keeper leagues he is a no brainer pickup, and should be a pickup in every league. If you are in a shallow 8 or 10 team league and have a stacked OF, you may have no room for Jay Bruce. Still, make room for him as a trading chip, or trade one of your other OF's. Bruce is the real deal with 5 category capability. Whether he taps into that potential right away or in later years is unknown, but he must be kept because of that potential.