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So it turns out this Jay Bruce kid is pretty good. Tabbed as the number one overall prospect by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus coming into this season, Bruce has proven that he belongs by completing as good a debut week as any player could hope for. In his first six games he is batting a mere .591/.690/1.000 with 10 runs, 6 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and 2 home runs including 1 of the walk-off variety. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact he has struck out just once in 29 plate appearances. Bruce is a future star, but he is plenty good already this season despite being just 21 years old. AccuScore currently projects him to hit 23 home runs and steal 22 bases this season while hitting .355. That projection certainly is on the very optimistic side, but I see him as being a top-25 outfielder from here on out more along the lines of 20 home runs, 15 steals, and a .290 average. There is no reason Bruce should not be owned in any league of any size. Despite his lofty prospect status, Bruce still was not able to earn a major league job out of Spring Training. Fantasy owners cried foul, but the idea to keep Bruce in the minors for some seasoning might have been a good one no matter how talented the kid was. He had just 253 at-bats above A-ball coming into the season. It remains to be seen if he can handle centerfield full-time, and may need to be moved to a corner outfield position if and when either Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. are traded. This will do nothing to affect his fantasy value, and I fully expect him to be a top-50 pick as soon as 2009. • Griffey Jr. may be on the downside of his career, but he still has something left to give the fans in Cincinnati. Remember, Griffey WAS Bruce way back when, and fans should stop and appreciate just how good a player he has been and he never has been implicated by baseball’s performance enhancing drug scandals. He hit his 599th career home run on Saturday, and went 2-3 on Sunday but didn’t achieve the 6C mark in front of the home fans. He will likely achieve the feat on the road as the Reds will spend the next eight days on the road. • When shortstop Jeff Keppinger went down it was a bad break both for Cincinnati and the player as he was in the midst of a breakout offensive season. While this isn’t exactly a Wally Pipp situation, Jerry Hairston has been on a tear as the new everyday shortstop. He’s currently riding a nine-game hit streak (including 6 multi-hit games) during which he is batting .400 with 5 RBI and 6 steals. He is widely available, and is terrific value while he plays everyday as he will score runs and steals bases at the top of the lineup. • Bartolo Colon won his third game for Boston, and looks to be fully healthy as he topped 100 pitches Sunday against Baltimore. It appears he will be staying in the rotation for the foreseeable future as Clay Bucholz was activated off the disabled list, but was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket. • The Marlins lost the battle for first in the NL East Sunday to the Phillies 7-5. Chase Utley his 20th home run of the season, is the frontrunner for NL MVP and, along with Albert Pujols, has been probably the most consistent fantasy performer all year. AccuScore projections have him putting up a monster year finishing with 42 home runs, 124 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. • The Rays continue to win beating the White Sox in extras 4-3 on a Gabe Gross home run. Four different pitchers saw action in the ninth inning over the weekend combining for two wins and a save. I still see Dan Wheeler as the guy you wan to own in place of Troy Percival, but match-ups and workloads are certainly playing a role in manager Joe Maddon’s decision-making without his main man in the endgame unavailable. • The loss for Chicago prompted manger Ozzie Guillen to say he will be “making changes” when the Sox play again on Tuesday. He has not said what that means exactly so stay tuned. • The Angels incredibly won four times last week in their last at-bat. Maicer Izturis did the honors on Sunday getting a hit off Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan to push across the winning run. It was Ryan’s first blown save of the season. Howie Kendrick has returned for California-Anaheim-Los Angeles but will be a health-risk all season perhaps his career. He’s the West Coast middle infield version of J.D. Drew. Rely on him while you can but don’t be afraid to cut bait if he hits the DL once again. • Dontrelle Willis rejoins the Detroit rotation on Tuesday. The current plan is for him to pitch about four innings being backed up by Armando Galarraga. I would doubt that Jim Leyland is swayed by name recognition, but Galarraga has clearly been the better pitcher this season. I would not recommend Willis in any format. More important for Detroit are the impending returns of relievers Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. Both are readying for minor league rehab assignments are expected back sometime in June. • Doug Mathis is starting for the Rangers Monday because Vicente Padilla has gone home to Nicaragua to deal with a family matter. Padilla could start Tuesday if he returns in time, but if he is not able to lefty A.J. Murray would be called up for a spot start. This is actually significant because Padilla has been quietly very good this season at 7-2 and a 3.67 ERA. He is a prime candidate to be traded by the Rangers, and if you own him you should be trying to do the same thing. His WHIP is killer at 1.45 because of too many walks, and he is on pace to give up a career high in home runs (11 so far). His trade value for both you and the Rangers will never be higher than it is right now. • Carlos Gonzalez made his debut to considerably less fanfare than Jay Bruce, but he is a fantastic prospect in his own right. It looks like he will be playing virtually everyday despite Oakland’s crowded outfield situation. He was the top prospect in the Arizona organization and came over in the Dan Haren deal. Gonzalez is just 22 and didn’t even accumulate 200 at-bats at the Triple-A level. He is described as a prototypical right fielder being one of those coveted five-tool players, but he just needs more time to develop. Keep an eye on him, but he is not an immediate must-add except in AL-only leagues. Gonzalez has already smacked four doubles in just three games in the majors. Trackback(0)
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Jonathan Lee AccuScore Analyst
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