Post-Hype Sleeper: Jay Bruce
After a monster 2007 season in which he dominated Single-, Double- and Triple-A, it was no surprise that Jay Bruce was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year and the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball entering 2008.
Bruce lived up to the tag, hitting .364 with 10 home runs, eight steals and a 1.023 OPS in 184 at-bats for Triple-A Louisville before making his major league debut on May 27, 2008. While he would only hit .254 in 108 big league games, his 21 bombs made him a top target for many entering 2009 drafts.
Members of the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) in particular took a liking to Bruce, as his Average Draft Position (ADP) entering last season in NFBC leagues was 76.00 - good enough for the 72nd overall player selected.
Things didn't work out quite as planned, however, as Bruce's batting average sat at .207 on July 11 when he fractured his wrist in a freak fielding accident that would cost him the Cincinnati Reds' next 57 games.
Although he did manage 18 homers in his 299 at-bats prior to the injury, most owners sent Bruce to the waiver wire disappointed that their early-round investment didn't pay off. Unfortunately for them, that wouldn't be the last time they were frustrated.
Bruce returned from his injury on Sept. 14 and reminded many - including those who released him a few months earlier - as to why he was so highly regarded with a scorching hot 18-game finish to the season.
During that streak, Bruce hit .326 with four home runs, 17 RBI and a 1.078 OPS in 46 at-bats; numbers eerily similar to the gaudy minor league statistics that put him at the top of prospect lists.
At the end of the day, though, 2009 was a disappointment for Bruce, who ended the year with a .223 average, 22 home runs, 58 RBI and a .773 OPS.
Not surprisingly, early drafters are being cautious with the 23-year-old, as Bruce is being drafted in the middle of the eighth round in the majority of running 15-team NFBC slow drafts. The start of the double-digit rounds appears to be his ADP in 12-team leagues.
Despite a .240 average and 185 strikeouts in 758 major league at-bats, 120th overall is a good time to take a gamble on Bruce.
If his late-2009 run was a sign of things to come, Bruce owners are going to be sitting pretty with a mid-round selection producing early-round numbers.
If he continues to struggle making contact, there's still a good chance that Bruce will provide decent enough power numbers to keep him from being labeled a complete bust.
Whatever happens, the reward is unquestionably greater than the risk, as Bruce still has plenty of time to live up to the immense hype that surrounded him two years ago.
Bruce lived up to the tag, hitting .364 with 10 home runs, eight steals and a 1.023 OPS in 184 at-bats for Triple-A Louisville before making his major league debut on May 27, 2008. While he would only hit .254 in 108 big league games, his 21 bombs made him a top target for many entering 2009 drafts.
Members of the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) in particular took a liking to Bruce, as his Average Draft Position (ADP) entering last season in NFBC leagues was 76.00 - good enough for the 72nd overall player selected.
Things didn't work out quite as planned, however, as Bruce's batting average sat at .207 on July 11 when he fractured his wrist in a freak fielding accident that would cost him the Cincinnati Reds' next 57 games.
Jay Bruce provides a ton of upside from the middle rounds of your draft.
Bruce returned from his injury on Sept. 14 and reminded many - including those who released him a few months earlier - as to why he was so highly regarded with a scorching hot 18-game finish to the season.
During that streak, Bruce hit .326 with four home runs, 17 RBI and a 1.078 OPS in 46 at-bats; numbers eerily similar to the gaudy minor league statistics that put him at the top of prospect lists.
At the end of the day, though, 2009 was a disappointment for Bruce, who ended the year with a .223 average, 22 home runs, 58 RBI and a .773 OPS.
Not surprisingly, early drafters are being cautious with the 23-year-old, as Bruce is being drafted in the middle of the eighth round in the majority of running 15-team NFBC slow drafts. The start of the double-digit rounds appears to be his ADP in 12-team leagues.
Despite a .240 average and 185 strikeouts in 758 major league at-bats, 120th overall is a good time to take a gamble on Bruce.
If his late-2009 run was a sign of things to come, Bruce owners are going to be sitting pretty with a mid-round selection producing early-round numbers.
If he continues to struggle making contact, there's still a good chance that Bruce will provide decent enough power numbers to keep him from being labeled a complete bust.
Whatever happens, the reward is unquestionably greater than the risk, as Bruce still has plenty of time to live up to the immense hype that surrounded him two years ago.
