Quick Update

I don't have too much spare time today so I'm going to keep this post very short.

Jay Bruce of the Reds had his first multi-homerun game of his career (two HRs last night). Is this a sign of him getting out of his prolonged slump?

Matt Garza of the Rays is a legit pitcher now. He should be on all fantasy rosters.

Eric Chavez of the A's is back on the DL and for owners this is the last straw that broke the camels back. He should be owned in ZERO leagues.

The closing of games in Tampa Bay should fall into the laps the following (in order) Wheeler, Howell, and Bafour. Expect Wheeler to get most to all of the saves except if he pitches 3-4 nights in a row.

Pedro of the Mets has reached a point where if he does not pitch well in his next start he should be banished to the wire in all formats.

Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks is getting torn apart on the mound. He has a good K/BB rate so he can still strike batters out. Wait a game or two and if he doesn't show an improvement, you have my blessing to drop him to the wire.

Brett Gardner of the Yankees was called up to the big leagues and he should give owners steals. If you are in need of steals or just lost Pierre make sure to find this guy and add him. He will steal everytime he reaches base.

Chris Davis of the Rangers is a legit power hitter. He has 3HRs so far. Go out and grab him.

Kershaw and Bruce

Clayton Kershaw and Jay Bruce both were both called up from the minors this season to a red carpet studded event and there was reason for that. Both players have huge upside and bring their respective clubs, the Dodgers and the Reds, a great future but lately both players are struggling to produce.

Kershaw, remember he is only 20 years old, is 0-2 with a 4.36ERA in 7 starts this season. He is giving owners some nice K/9IP (7.9/9IP) but is not giving owners enough innings at this moment (only pitchimg more than 5.1 innings once). The Dodgers organization is going to protect this young pitcher and I see them shutting him down early when he reaches a specified innings limit, most likely around 140-160IP for the season. Joe Torre is not like the stupid Dusty Baker who ruined the careers of Mark Prior and Kerry Wood by making them throw too many innings too early in their careers. Kershaw will be a fantasy stud but his time is not now. Owners who keep him on their teams because the high K/9IP is worth a spot on all rosters.

Jay Bruce jumped on the scene with huge numbers in his 10-15 games but since then has fallen from the heavens. He is currently being dropped in most leagues and I can see why but I personally as a Jay Bruce owner am going to keep him on my roster for now. You should too! Since the word AVERAGE is what it says it is, it's a average. He was never going to hit .457 for the rest of the season. His current struggles is just a little correction and he should land in the .280 area and hover there for the rest of the season. This kid is not going to bring stud fantasy numbers like Matt Holliday immediately. Learning the pitchers and adjusting to them after they adjust to Bruce is a cat and mous game that I know Bruce will succeed in. So, owners...just hang on tight and realize that this kid is not going to give you monster numbers but in the end he will help you as a 5-tool player. For now, bench him until he starts to show signs of breaking out of his slump. If you can, try and grab him from another owner for cheap.

The Struggling Jay Bruce

After exploding onto the scene with the Reds, Jay Bruce seems to have come back to earth. There was no way fantasy owners could expect Bruce to continue hitting .400 for the rest of the season since no one has done that since Mr. Ted Williams did so in in 1953 with a .407AVG. If you are an owner of Bruce and are kind of angry because he is not producing huge numbers you must be stupid, this kid is not going to hit .400.

In his past 10 games, Bruce has cooled off considerably by hitting .176 which has dropped his average to .302. Don't worry, Bruce should find his stroke again and with so few at-bats he could easily go back up to .330 in a matter of games. This highly touted prospect is here to stay and when he starts to rake again you won't even remember this little slump ever happened.

Bruuuuuuuuuuceeee

Jay Bruce is 0-8 in his past 2 games. What is this world coming to?!?!?! ;)

HR Streaks

It isn't too normal for guys to have consecutive games where they hit home runs so for all owners of Chase Utley, Jay Bruce, and Manny Ramirez enjoy their current HR streaks.

Utley - 5 game HR streak (7HR's in last 8 games).
Bruce - 3 game HR streak (.577AVG since his major league debut, 7 games).
Manny - 3 game HR streak (4 HR's in last 6 games).


Absolutely amazing production coming from these three guys. If you happen to have all three on your team, all I can say is thank the fantasy gods!

Jay Bruce

For those individuals who were able to find and place Jay Bruce of the Reds on their rosters, it seems to have paid immediate dividends. Everyone knew by his minor league stats that he could hit but after 6 games in the big leagues, Bruce has shown his ability to change and adapt to a whole new game.

After 6 games Bruce is hitting .591 (13-22), 2HR, 6RBI, 6BB, and 2SB. Obviously these numbers are not going to continue throughout the season but you might be wondering what kind of realistic numbers can he actually put up by the end of September. Well, after looking through his minor league numbers I believe a stat line of .315-.325AVG, 15-20HR, 70-80RBI's, and 15-25SB's. These are absolutely amazing numbers especially for a rookie at the tender age of 21.

Remember, pitchers throughout the majors will adapt to his hitting and with all those video cameras everywhere, coaches will have the chance to dissect every pitch and and every swing to see where his weaknesses are. But as I mentioned before, Bruce has the ability to adapt to pitchers so let the cat and mouse games begin.

Brrruuuuuuuuuuuuccceeeeeee!

Bruce the Hype

With all the hype surrounding the call-up of Jay Bruce of the Reds he sure did live up to it. In his major league debut Bruce did not disappoint the fans who flashed hundreds of cameras when he came up to bat while yelling, "Brrrruuuuuucccccceeeee" something usually reserved for Isaac Bruce of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL.

In his first game, Bruce went 3-3, 2R's, 2RBI's, 2BB's, and 1SB. What, no homer? that's pathetic! For those who don't pick up sarcasm, that was it. It was about time Bruce was called up from AAA because he was absolutely tearing things up down there and had nothing else to prove except that he belongs in the big leagues.

Owners who dropped him and lost his services, too bad. Most owners who dropped him were in need of immediate help and only dropped because of roster inflexibility. It's okay, just try to be vigilant for the next upcoming superstar.

Now Bruce is finally here in the big leagues lets move onto the next big prospect. At the moment it's Colby Rasmus, but as mentioned in a previous post he isn't doing so well in AAA so don't expect a call-up anytime soon.

*Side note, with Bruce being called up S. Hatteberg was optioned to AAA. I honestly thought it was going to be Patterson who was going to be let go. Oh well, Patterson is droppable now since Bruce will be the daily CF.

JAY BRUCE

Jay Bruce of the Reds was finally called up from AAA-Louisville where he is absolutely tearing things up. According to the Reds website, Bruce will make his major league debut against the Pirates. This is great news for fantasy owners who have been waiting and holding onto Bruce on their rosters. Bruce should make an impact if his AAA stats have anything to do with it.

His 2008 stats in AAA (International League) are as follows 49G, .364AVG, 10HR's, 37RBI's, 1.023OPS. This kid can flat out hit and play ball.

Bruce will immediately take over the centre field duties but his batting position will be decided later. Owners of Patterson should drop him for Bruce because Patterson will most likely be demoted and taken off the roster. With a terrible 2008 season Patterson is the one that will feel the burn when Bruce takes his spot.

Fantasy owners, this kid is a 5-tool player and will provide help in all your categories. The only problem/weakness with this kid is his high K rate. So far he has struck out 45 times in 184 at-bats this season in AAA.

For the lucky owners who held him, which includes me, or the ones who were able to grab him from the wire enjoy his services!

Bruce Update

Expect Jay Bruce to be called up around June 12. This is the time where the Reds add another year to his free agency and all the rest of the contractual and business stuff. If Bruce is there on the wire as a FA go and stash him on your bench.

DL Report

Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox has landed himself on the 15-Day DL with a broken nail on his right middle finger. This injury seems a little odd but does make sense since he applies plenty of pressure while pitching. For fantasy owners, this doesn't mean much unless you are in a deep deep deep league or an AL-only league. Look for Clay to be back right after his DL stint is over.

Jeff Keppinger of the Reds is on the DL, as I mentioned in a previous post, and this has a bigger impact on fantasy owners than Clay. So far this season, Keppinger has held the team together by hitting a solid .324AVG, 3HR, 27RBI's, and 2SB's. The injury, a fractured left kneecap, will sideline him for 4-6 weeks. This guy is droppable if you don't have room on your team or if you DL is filled with someone more important. Also, Paul Janish was called up from AAA-Louisville and well I guess Jay Bruce will have to wait another day before being called up. But the Reds would be stupid if they don't call Bruce up soon. With their current spot in the bottom of the standings and with trade rumours flying over Griffey and Dunn, the Reds should give this highly touted and highly proven stud a chance in the majors.

Keppinger.......and BRUCE

Jeff Keppinger of the Reds suffered a fractured patella bone and surely heading for the DL. So far, Jerry Hairston will take over at the SS position because he has the most experience at that position.

THE BIGS NEWS is if Keppinger goes to the DL, there will be a spot for someone to be called up...and with all the news about Jay Bruce absolutely tearing up the AAA this might be the chance Baker has to call up Bruce. Jay Bruce deserves to be in the majors. He's batting .328 with 7HR's, 29RBI's, and 7SB.

FOR GODS SAKE, CALL UP BRUCE!!!

Jay Bruce

Jay Bruce of the Reds is currently in AAA-Louisville and is tearing up the league. This 21 year old, highly touted prospect, is batting .328 in 131 at-bats. With 6HR's, 27RBI's, and 7 steals, this prospect has nothing to prove in AAA and is going to be in the big leagues soon!

Dusty Baker has come out and said, "expect Bruce to be called up sooner than later." This is great news for owners who have Bruce in leagues. His 5-tool potential will add great depth to any fantasy roster. Especially those who are in deep leagues.

With Corey Patterson not doing much in 2008 Baker is being forced by Bruce's stats to insert him into the big league lineup. Go out and grab Jay Bruce now!!

Corey Patterson

C. Patterson of the Reds is finding a nice comfy place on the bench because of his poor performance on the field. Even with an early jump on his power, 4HR's, his other stats are killing him, especially since he's a lead-off guy. With a .255AVG and .244OBP, the Reds and coach Dusty Baker need to consider bringing up their highly touted prospect Jay Bruce. Currently, Bruce is starting AAA with a sweet stroke (.333AVG, .345OBP, 3HR, 9RBI, and 3SB all in 54 AB's). If you have a chance to pick him up in your league please go right ahead.

Yes, Dusty Baker is in love with veterans but with Patterson hitting like this and Bruce showing AAA is not a challenge for him the club might decide to bring Bruce up. If you have a bench spot please go right ahead and put him there, if he comes up he will give you power and speed.

Jay

Jay Bruce of the Reds is working down in the minors right now and might never see the majors this year because of Corey Patterson. Patterson has provided some pop with 3HR's and has produced 1 SB so far this season. Patterson has always been touted as a player who can have a 25HR 35+SB's in a season but has never put everything together, except for 2004.

If Patterson stays healthy, owners who drafted him or picked him off the wire should expect him to swipe 30+ bags this year. Unless Bruce is absolutely tearing up the minors he won't be seeing major league pitching anytime soon. Owners of Bruce should keep him ONLY if you have room on your bench. Bench spots aren't just for sitting players, you need to make sure to use this spot wisely.