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Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former
professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...
,
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
,
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
,
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
,
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
and
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
. The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round, 12th overall pick, of the
2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...
; he made his MLB debut in . Bruce was named an All-Star three times during his career, and won the
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...
twice.


Early life

Bruce was born in
Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat, seat of government of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, metropo ...
, on April 3, 1987, the youngest of three children of Joe, a plumber, and Martha Bruce, a
special education Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...
schoolteacher. His older sisters are Amy and Kellan, who is
mentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...
. As a child, Bruce played both baseball and
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, but he stopped playing the latter when, due to the risk of him being injured, Martha refused to sign the necessary consent forms. His mom said: " ootballwas just so rough and kids got hurt. When it came time for him to move up to the next level, I wouldn't sign the consent form. I told him, 'all the work you put into baseball could be wiped out on one play.'" Bruce attended
West Brook High School West Brook Senior High School is a high school in the city of Beaumont, Texas. It is operated by the Beaumont Independent School District and was formed in 1982 as a court-ordered measure to integrate the schools of the formerly separate South Park ...
in Beaumont, Texas, where he was a third-team All-American. In his senior year he batted .538 with 12 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Bruce had accepted a scholarship to play baseball at
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
, but opted instead to turn professional out of high school. He was drafted 12th in the First Round of the
2005 Major League Baseball draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the best ...
, immediately behind fellow center fielder
Andrew McCutchen Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia ...
, and signed for $1.8 million, the 5th-largest
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
the Reds had ever given.


Professional career


Minor leagues

Bruce's professional career began in 2005 in the
Gulf Coast League The Florida Complex League (FCL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in Florida, United States. Before 2021, it was known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). Together with the Arizona Complex League (ACL), it forms the lo ...
, playing for the Reds' short-season rookie team. He hit .270/.331/.500 in 122 at bats in 37 games before moving on to the Reds' rookie affiliate
Billings Mustangs The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler ...
. There he hit .257/.358/.457 with four
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...
s and 13
runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...
(RBIs) in 70 at bats. ''
Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...
'' ranked him the top prospect in the Pioneer League, and the second-best prospect in the Gulf Coast League. In 2006, he was promoted to the Reds' Low-A affiliate
Dayton Dragons The Dayton Dragons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Dayton, Ohio, and play their home games at Day Air Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Field. In 2 ...
, where he excelled batting .291/.355/.516 (6th in the
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
) with 16 home runs (tied for 4th), 81 RBIs (4th; leading all Reds minor leaguers), and 42
double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...
s (leading the league), in 444 at bats, placing him on many top prospect lists. He was a Mid-Season All Star, an All Star Game Top Star, a Post-Season All Star, a ''Baseball America'' Low Class A All Star, and was named a ''Baseball America'' Minor League All Star. ''Baseball America'' named him the top prospect in the Midwest League. For the 2007 season, Bruce was promoted to the Reds' high-A team, the
Sarasota Reds The Sarasota Reds were a professional minor league baseball team, located in Sarasota, Florida, as a member of the Florida State League. However team originally started play in Sarasota as the Sarasota White Sox in 1989. They remained in the city ...
of the
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
, then quickly promoted to the Reds' Double-A team, the
Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home g ...
of the Southern League. He was a Mid-Season Florida State League All Star, and was selected to the 2007
All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...
. Bruce was then promoted to the Reds' Triple-A club, the
Louisville Bats The Louisville Bats are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Louisville, Kentucky, and are named in dual reference to the bat, win ...
of the
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
. For the season for the three teams he batted .319/.375/.587 with 46 doubles (tied for 7th among all minor leaguers), 8
triple Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...
s, 26 home runs (tops among all Reds minor leaguers), and 89 RBIs (3rd among all Reds minor leaguers) in 521 at bats. He was again named a ''Baseball America'' Minor League All Star, as well as a ''Baseball America'' High Class A All Star. He won the ''Baseball America'' Minor League Player of the Year Award, and ''The Sporting News'' Minor League Player of the Year Award. He was ranked as the top prospect in the Reds organization, Florida State League, and International League, and ''Baseball America'' rated him the best hitter for average and best power hitter in the Reds' minor league system. Reds General Manager Wayne Krivsky informed Bruce and the media that Bruce would not get a look in the big leagues in 2007. However, during the Reds' final game of the 2007 season, Bruce was recognized for winning the Minor League Player of the Year award. Going into 2008 he was ranked the # 1 minor league prospect in baseball by both ''Baseball America'' and
Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...
.


Cincinnati Reds


2008 season

Bruce was invited to the Reds' 2008
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
. He hit .262 in his first spring training. On March 20, he was reassigned to the team's minor league camp, and started the season at Louisville, where he batted .364 with 10 home runs and 13
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base to which they are not entitled and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or ...
s in 49 games before he was promoted. Entering the season he was rated by ''Baseball America'' as the top prospect in the Reds organization, and by both MLB.com and ''
Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...
'' as the top prospect in baseball, and by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
as the second-best prospect in baseball, as ''Baseball America'' rated him the best hitting prospect in the International League. On May 27, 2008, Bruce got the call to join the Reds. He made his major league debut that day against right-handed
pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Ian Snell Ian Dante Snell (born October 30, 1981) is an American former professional baseball right-handed pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Seattle Mariners. From 2001 to 2003, he went by the name Ian Oquendo ...
of the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. Bruce started in
center field A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the c ...
, batting 3-for-3 with two
singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...
and one double. He drove in two runs, scored twice, walked twice, and stole a base. In his second game, on May 28, also against Pittsburgh, he added a double, another stolen base, and two more walks. Bruce became the first Major League player since 1977 to reach base in his first six
plate appearance In baseball statistics, a player is credited with a plate appearance (denoted by PA) each time he completes a turn batting. Under Rule 5.04(c) of the Official Baseball Rules, a player completes a turn batting when he is put out or becomes a runner ...
s. On May 30, Bruce went 4-for-5 in a 3–2, 11-inning win over the
Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...
. Bruce doubled in the tying run and scored the winning run in the 11th inning, after leading off the inning with a single. On May 31, Bruce launched his first Major League home run in the bottom of the 10th inning, to give the Reds a walk-off win. One day later, on June 1, he went 2-for-3 with a home run, a single, two RBIs, and a base on balls. Bruce had a 1.000
slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at bats for a given player, ...
after his first six games; the only major league player since 1969 to achieve a higher slugging percentage for his first six games was Mike Jacobs in 2005. On June 2, Bruce hit the third home run of his career while going 2-for-4 in Philadelphia against the Phillies'
Kyle Kendrick Kyle Rodney Kendrick (born August 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, and Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kendrick was born in Houston, Texas ...
. In his first full week in the majors, he batted .577 (15-for-26) with three home runs, three doubles, and nine singles in addition to six bases on balls. He also scored 12 runs and batted in seven more runs. The Reds had a winning percentage of .714 (5–2) during his first week. Before Bruce was called up to the majors, they had a winning percentage of .451 (23–28), and had lost five of seven games. Bruce had a 12-game hitting streak during July. To open August, after nearly half of a month without a home run, Bruce hit home runs in back-to-back games against the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. Two games later, Bruce hit his 10th home run of the season and his third of the month against the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
. In the final game of the Brewers' series, Bruce hit his 11th home run of the season. Following the trades of veteran outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn, Bruce hit his 12th home run of the season in a loss to the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
. For the season, he batted .254/.314/.453 with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs in 413 at bats. On defense, in 2008 he tied for the lead among all major league outfielders in errors, with 11. He was the 6th-youngest player in the NL. He was named to the ''Baseball America'' Major League All-Rookie Team and the TOPPS Major League Rookie All-Star Team. He came in fourth among rookies in voting for the National League's
Jackie Robinson Award Jackie or Jacky may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky ** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore ** Jackie Lee (I ...
.


2009 season

On April 6, Bruce started his first-ever
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent years ...
game. After missing time due to injury, Bruce bounced back with back-to-back homers on April 21 and 22 against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
. On July 11, Bruce fractured his right wrist while making a diving play in right field in a game against the New York Mets. On September 14, Bruce made his return against the Houston Astros, pinch hitting with the
bases loaded B backdoor breaking ball :A breaking pitch, usually a slider, curveball, or cut fastball that, due to its lateral motion, passes through a small part of the strike zone on the outside edge of the plate after seeming as if it would miss the p ...
in the seventh inning. Bruce's two-run single gave the Reds a 2–1 lead that would hold up as the game-winning hit. Bruce batted .223/.303/.470 for the season with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs in 345 at bats. He was tied for 5th among NL outfielders, with 11 assists.


2010 season

On June 30, Bruce hit the game-winning home run off Phillies' ace
Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nicknam ...
. On August 27, Bruce hit three home runs against the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
– two off
Tom Gorzelanny Thomas Stephen Gorzelanny (born July 12, 1982) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who is currently the pitching coach for the minor league Amarillo Sod Poodles. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, C ...
and another off Scott Maine in Maine's MLB debut. On September 28, Bruce hit a bottom-of-the-ninth inning, first-pitch, walk-off home run off
Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division, having moved to the div ...
pitcher
Tim Byrdak Timothy Christopher Byrdak (born October 31, 1973) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has pitched for the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and New York Mets of Major League Baseball (ML ...
to clinch the NL Central title for the Reds. It was the team's first trip to the postseason since 1995. The home run was the Capital One Premier Play of the Year. On October 3 he won the NL Player of the Week Award. For the season, he batted .281 (a career high)/.353/.493 with 25 home runs and 70 RBIs in 509 at bats. He led NL right fielders in range factor/game, at 2.40. Bruce was the only baserunner allowed during Halladay's
no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...
in game 1 of the
2010 NLDS The 2010 National League Division Series (NLDS) were two best-of-five game series to determine the participating teams in the 2010 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners and a fourth team—a "Wild Card"—played in t ...
. On December 9, 2010, the Reds agreed to extend Bruce to a six-year $51 million deal, that included a $12 million option for a seventh year.


2011 season

After finishing March/April hitting .237 with four home runs, 11 RBIs, and striking out 27 times, Bruce came back strong in May, batting .392 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs and earning NL Player of the Month for May. On May 29 he won the NL Player of the Week Award. He was selected to play in the 2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. On August 14 he won the NL Player of the Week Award. At age 24 years, five months, and 191 days, Bruce hit his 100th career home run on September 27, becoming the third-youngest Reds' player to reach 100 home runs behind
Johnny Bench John Lee Bench (born December 7, 1947) is an American former professional baseball player. He played his entire Major League Baseball career, which lasted from through , with the Cincinnati Reds, primarily as a catcher. Bench was the leader of t ...
and
Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams, from to . The only player to be named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of bot ...
, who both accomplished that feat at age 23. For the season, he batted .256/.341/.474 and was 8th in the NL in home runs, with 32, and in RBIs, with 97, in 585 at bats. He had 10 outfield assists (tied for 6th in the NL), and was nominated for a Rawlings
Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...
for the first time in his career.


2012 season

Bruce was named the NL Player of the Week for April 23–29. In that span, he hit .476 while leading the MLB with a 1.143 slugging percentage and 24 total bases while tying for the lead with four home runs. Bruce hit a go-ahead home run on April 29, giving the Reds a 6–5 win over the Houston Astros. On June 15, Bruce hit an
inside-the-park home run In baseball, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of the field of play. It is also known as an "inside-the-parker", "in-the-park home run", or "in-the-park homer". Discussion To score a ...
to ignite the Reds to a 7–3 win over the Mets. He was named to his second
Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
on July 1. On September 9 Bruce won the NL Player of the Week Award for the fifth time in his career. Bruce ended the 2012 season batting .252/.327/.514 and was 3rd in the National League in home runs with 34, behind
Ryan Braun Ryan Joseph Braun (born November 17, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder who played his entire career for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2020. Braun also played right field and f ...
and
Giancarlo Stanton Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton (born November 8, 1989), formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2010 a ...
, 4th in extra base hits (74) and at bats per home run (16.5), 8th in sacrifice flies (7), 9th in RBIs (99), and 10th in slugging percentage (.514). He won the
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...
, and came in 10th in voting for NL
Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
. His throwing arm was rated third-best in the league by NL managers.


2013 season

On September 17, Bruce hit his second career grand slam, this one against the Houston Astros. The home run, his 30th, meant he reached that mark for the third season in his career, and his five RBIs gave him 100 for the first time. He finished the season batting .262/.329/.478 and was 2nd in the NL with 109 RBIs, his highest year-end total to date, and 74 extra base hits, 3rd in doubles (43; a career high) and home runs (30), and 10th in runs scored (89) and at bats per home run (20.9). His 13 outfield assists tied for 3rd in the NL. In the post-season, Bruce was a finalist nominee for the Gold Glove Award, but did not win. Bruce did win his second consecutive
Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...
and the 2nd Annual
Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award The Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award was awarded annually to the best defensive player at each fielding position in Major League Baseball (MLB). The award was given between 2012 and 2019. An overall Defensive Player of the Year and a De ...
(awarded to one player on each team). For the second year in the row, Bruce finished tenth in NL MVP voting.


2014 season

On May 5, 2014, Bruce underwent left knee
arthroscopic surgery Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the ...
to repair a torn
meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
. He was placed on the 15-day
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...
on the same day he had the surgery. On July 7, with
Joey Votto Joseph Daniel Votto (born September 10, 1983) is a Canadian-American professional baseball first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Reds in 2007. He is the first Canadian MLB player ...
out due to injury, Bruce made his professional debut at
first base A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...
. He batted .217/.281/.373 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, and a career-high 12 stolen bases in 496 at bats for the season.


2015 season

The Reds almost traded Bruce to the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
before the season, but the trade fell through at the time, due to injury issues with the involved players. Bruce hit his 200th career home run on August 10, 2015, becoming the ninth Reds player and 319th Major Leaguer to do so. For the season, he batted .226/.294/.434 with 26 home runs and 87 RBIs, and was 3rd in the NL in sacrifice flies (9) and 8th in the NL in extra base hits (65). He led NL right fielders in range factor/game, at 2.09, and ranked 3rd among NL outfielders in assists, with 11.


2016 season

On July 9, 2016, Bruce was named to his third All-Star team as a replacement for the injured
Dexter Fowler William Dexter Fowler (born March 22, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinal ...
. With Cincinnati, before he was traded, he batted .265/.316/.559 with 25 home runs and league-leading 80 RBIs in 370 at bats. He became the first player traded during the season while leading the league in RBIs since the stat became official in 1920.


New York Mets (2016–2017)

On August 1, 2016, the Reds traded Bruce to the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
for
Dilson Herrera Dilson José Herrera García (born March 3, 1994) is a Colombian professional baseball second baseman for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...
and Max Wotell. For the remainder of that season, he batted a disappointing .219/.294/.391 and hit 8 home runs with 19 RBIs in 169 at bats. Between the two teams he batted .250/.309/.506 in 539 at bats. For the season he was 6th in the NL in home runs (with 33), 8th in at bats per home run (16.3), and 9th in RBIs (with 99). He had 10 outfield assists, 5th-most in the NL. In the 2017 season, Bruce batted .256/.321/.520 along with hitting a team-high 29 home runs with 75 RBIs in 406 at bats, prior to his trade.


Cleveland Indians

After the Mets failed to trade Bruce before the trade deadline, on August 9, 2017, the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...
picked him up off waivers and he was exchanged for minor league pitcher Ryder Ryan. On September 14 he hit the walk-off double to extend the Indians' win streak to 22 games. In 2017 with the Indians he batted .248/.331/.477 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs in 149 at bats. In total for the 2017 season he batted .254/.324/.508 with a career-high 36 home runs and 101 RBIs.


Return to the Mets

On January 16, 2018, Bruce signed a three-year, $39 million contract with the Mets. For the first half of the season, he struggled offensively, hitting .212 with three home runs and 17 RBIs before being placed on the disabled list on June 19 with a right hip injury that had bothered him since mid-March. In 2018, Bruce hit .223/.310/.370 with 9 home runs and 37 RBIs in 319 at bats. He had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league right fielders, at 25.5 feet/second.


Seattle Mariners

On December 3, 2018, the Mets traded Bruce,
Jarred Kelenic Jarred Robert Kelenic ( ; born July 16, 1999) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kelenic was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft by the New York Mets and was trad ...
,
Anthony Swarzak Anthony Ray Swarzak (born September 10, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Chica ...
,
Gerson Bautista Gerson Bautista (born May 31, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Toros de Tijuana of the Mexican League. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the New York Mets in 2018 and also played for the Seattle Mariners ...
, and
Justin Dunn Justin Warren Dunn (born September 22, 1995) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Seattle Mariners. Dunn played college baseball at Boston ...
to the
Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...
for
Edwin Díaz Edwin Orlando Díaz Laboy (born March 22, 1994) is a Puerto Rican professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Seattle Mariners. Within two months of his MLB debut, Díaz brok ...
,
Robinson Canó Robinson José Canó Mercedes (; born October 22, 1982) is a Dominican-American professional baseball second baseman who is currently a free agent. He previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, San Die ...
, and $20 million. On May 31, 2019, Bruce hit his 300th career home run off of
Tyler Skaggs Tyler Wayne Skaggs (July 13, 1991July 1, 2019) was an American left-handed professional baseball starting pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels from 2012 until his death in 2019. ...
as the Mariners won 4-3 over the Angels. During the 2019 season with Seattle, before he was traded, he batted .212/.283/.533 with 14 home runs and 28 RBIs in 165 at bats. In his major league career through that point, he had played 1,431 games in right field, 52 games at first base, 36 games in center field (all but one of them in his first season), and 17 games in left field.


Philadelphia Phillies

On June 2, 2019, the Mariners traded Bruce and about $18.5 million to the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
for minor league third baseman
Jake Scheiner Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Seattle Mariners system. Players Prelander Berroa Prelander Berroa (born April 18, 2000) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the Seattle Mariners organization. Berroa ...
. There was $21.3 million remaining on his contract, and the Mariners were obligated to pay Bruce $2.75 million of that over the following seasons. Bruce said: "I get to go somewhere I have a chance to win, and at this point in my career that's pretty paramount for me." Bruce hit two home runs (including a grand slam) and a double in his first start for the Phillies."Did win over Padres cost the Phillies another reliever?"
/ref> He became the fourth player to hit two home runs in his first start for the Phillies (joining
Lefty O’Doul Francis Joseph "Lefty" O'Doul (March 4, 1897 – December 7, 1969) was an American Major League Baseball player who went on to become an extraordinarily successful manager in the minor leagues. He was also a vital figure in the establishmen ...
(1929),
Jeremy Giambi Jeremy Dean Giambi (; September 30, 1974 – February 9, 2022) was an American outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for four teams from 1998 to 2003, primarily the Oakland Athletics, where he was a teammate of hi ...
(2002), and
Daniel Nava Daniel James Nava (born February 22, 1983) is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Philadelphia Phillie ...
(2017)), the first to hit two home runs including a grand slam, the first Phillies player with 10 or more
total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, while ...
in his first start for the team, and the fifth player since 1920 with at least two home runs and six RBIs in his first start for an MLB team (joining
Roman Mejias Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
(1962), Brant Alyea (1970),
Sam Horn Samuel Lee Horn (born November 2, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player who spent parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) and was an anchor for New England Sports Network, the flagship station of Boston sports team ...
(1990), and Calvin Pickering (2004)). Bruce became the first Phillies player since the onset of the modern era (1920) to hit four home runs in his first four games with his new team. On June 10, he won his sixth career Player of the Week Award. In 2019, he batted .221/.235/.510 for the Phillies, with 12 home runs and 31 RBIs in 145 at bats as he spent more than one spell on the injured list. His 312 career home runs at the end of the season were 8th-most among active ballplayers, and his 1,535 strikeouts were 9th-most. In 2020, Bruce hit .198/.252/.469 with 6 home runs and 14 RBIs in 32 games during the pandemic-shortened season.


New York Yankees (2021)

On February 13, 2021, Bruce signed a minor-league deal with the New York Yankees, with a $1.35 million contract option if he was named to the team. When regular first baseman
Luke Voit Louis Linwood Voit III (born February 13, 1991) is an American professional baseball first baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Washington Nationals. Voi ...
was diagnosed with a partial
meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...
tear that would keep him out of the lineup for the first few weeks of the season, the Yankees selected Bruce's contract on March 27. Bruce's first game in a Yankees uniform was on April 3, his 34th birthday; he recorded one hit and two RBIs off of Tim Mayza of the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
in the sixth inning of the Yankees' 5-3 victory, their first win of the season. Bruce struggled in the following two weeks, however, batting only .118 in 10 games and striking out 13 times in 39 plate appearances. As Bruce's struggles became more apparent, the Yankees shifted
DJ LeMahieu David John LeMahieu (; born July 13, 1988) is an American professional baseball infielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies. The Cubs selected LeMahieu in the ...
from second base to first, with new addition
Rougned Odor Rougned Roberto Odor () (born February 3, 1994), nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees and Balt ...
filling in at second.


Retirement

Bruce announced his retirement from baseball on April 18, 2021, telling reporters, "Ultimately, I just felt like I couldn't perform at the level that I expected out of myself." During his retirement conference, he added that he knew, following the 2020 season, that "the days erenumbered" with regards to his tenure in MLB. Across 14 major league seasons, Bruce had a career .244 average, .314 OBP, and .467 slugging percentage. He also recorded 319 home runs and 951 RBIs in 1,650 career games.


Personal life

Bruce is of Scottish ancestry. On December 1, 2012, in
Dripping Springs, Texas Dripping Springs is a city in Hays County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,650 at the 2020 census. Dripping Springs is a primarily rural town. Geography Dripping Springs is in northern Hays County at (30.191998, –98.085382). It is ...
, Bruce married Hannah Eastham, whom he had been dating since early in high school. The couple have two children.


Awards

* 2016 – NL All-Star * 2013 – Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award (for Cincinnati Reds) * 2013 –
Louisville Slugger Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters co ...
* 2012 – Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award * 2012 – NL All-Star * 2011 – NL All-Star * 2007 – ''Baseball America'' Minor League Player of the Year Award * 2007 – ''Baseball America'' Minor League All-Star * 2007 –
Florida State League The Florida State League (FSL) is a Minor League Baseball league based in the state of Florida. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following ...
Mid-Season All-Star * 2006 – ''Baseball America'' Minor League All-Star * 2006 –
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
(MID) Post-Season All-Star * 2006 – MID Mid-Season All-Star * 2006 – MID All-Star Game Top Star


References


External links


Baseball America, Player of the Year Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Jay 1987 births Living people Baseball players from Texas Billings Mustangs players Chattanooga Lookouts players Cincinnati Reds players Cleveland Indians players Dayton Dragons players Gulf Coast Reds players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball right fielders National League All-Stars New York Mets players New York Yankees players Philadelphia Phillies players Sarasota Reds players Seattle Mariners players Silver Slugger Award winners Sportspeople from Beaumont, Texas