Project Prospect peice on Jay Bruce

Adam Loberstein of Project Prospect wrote this on Jay Bruce

Farm Feed: Jay Bruce

Over the course of his 18 major league seasons, Ken Griffey Jr. has posted a career vital line of .291/374/.557, slugged 563 home runs, and driven 1608 runners home while collecting 10 gold gloves, 11 all-star births, and the 1997 MVP award.

Good thing the Cincinnati Reds feel they have a replacement inline.

When the Reds made West Brook High School product Jay Bruce the twelfth overall selection in the 2005 draft, they knew they were getting a good prospect.

But this good?

The center fielder had a solid, but not overly impressive start to his minor league career. In 17 games with Billings in the Pioneer League, Bruce hit a rather pedestrian .257, but displayed enough patience at the plate early on to post a strong .358 OBP to go along with a .457 slugging number.

Following his stint with Billings, the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder was transferred to the Gulf Coast League for the 37 remaining games to close out the 2005 campaign. Bruce put up a .270/.331/.500 line with five home runs and 35 RBI, proving that while the teenager may not have been ready to breakout onto the scene, he was more than prepared to show he could make an impact.

And make an impact he did in 2006.

Bruce used his 444 at-bats at Single-A Dayton to prove that now was his time to take baseball by storm. The Beaumont, Tex. native posted an impressive vital line of .291/.355/.516 while driving the ball all over the yard, collecting 42 doubles, five triples, and knocking 16 over the fence – playing hurt.

Once his injured shoulder regained its strength, Bruce finished out 2006 by posting an imposing 1060 OPS in 99 June at-bats. Bruce also spent his time with Dayton showing his ability to make a mark on the base paths by collecting 19 steals.

While Bruce’s 66:159 walk to strikeout rate has left some scouts asking questions about his free-swinging nature, the 19-year-old phenom has displayed more all-star potential then any other teenage bat in the minor leagues. The solid defensive play, speed, and power presence of Jay Bruce gives the Cincinnati Reds’ faithful something to be very excited about for the future.

As the teenage icon continues to gain the experience to grow into the player he is expected to become, just know that Jay Bruce has what it takes to become the number one prospect in all of baseball as his development continues.