Jay Bruce

For the season for the three teams he batted .319/.375/.587 with 46 doubles (tied for 7th among all minor leaguers), 8 triples, 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.

Bruce became the first Major League player since 1977 to reach base in his first six plate appearances.

On May 30, Bruce went 4-for-5 in a 3–2, 11-inning win over the Atlanta Braves.

Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball right fielder.

He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees.

Bruce was born in Beaumont, Texas, on April 3, 1987, the youngest of three children of Joe, a plumber, and Martha Bruce, a special education schoolteacher.

His older sisters are Amy and Kellan, who is mentally disabled.

As a child, Bruce played both baseball and football, 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: "[Football] was 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 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, but opted instead to turn professional out of high school.

The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round, 12th overall pick, of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft; he made his MLB debut in 2008.

Bruce was named an All-Star three times during his career, and won the Silver Slugger Award twice.

He was drafted 12th in the First Round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, immediately behind fellow center fielder Andrew McCutchen, and signed for $1.8 million, the 5th-largest signing bonus the Reds had ever given.

Bruce's professional career began in 2005 in the Gulf Coast League, 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.

There he hit .257/.358/.457 with four home runs and 13 runs batted in (RBIs) in 70 at bats.

Baseball America 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, where he excelled batting .291/.355/.516 (6th in the Midwest League) with 16 home runs (tied for 4th), 81 RBIs (4th; leading all Reds minor leaguers), and 42 doubles (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 of the Florida State League, then quickly promoted to the Reds' Double-A team, the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Southern League.

He was a Mid-Season Florida State League All Star, and was selected to the 2007 All-Star Futures Game.

Bruce was then promoted to the Reds' Triple-A club, the Louisville Bats of the International League.

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.

Bruce was invited to the Reds' 2008 spring training.

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 bases 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 as the top prospect in baseball, and by ESPN 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 Ian Snell of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bruce started in center field, batting 3-for-3 with two 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.