RADIO
Jay Bruce 2019 Player Outlook - Looking to Bounce Back
6 years agoAfter spending the first nine years of his career in Cincinnati, Jay Bruce will play for his third team in the last four seasons to begin 2019. Now a member of the Mariners after an offseason trade, Bruce is projected to be the full-time designated hitter while batting in the middle of the lineup. There is an understandable lack of enthusiasm surrounding him to enter the 2019 season after he managed only nine home runs in 319 at-bats in 2018. Positively, his skills remained largely intact, with his strikeout and barrel rate both at or better than his career rates. Given that, whether Bruce is able to bounce back from his 2018 disappointment appears to come down to his health as he battled a hip injury for the majority of the campaign. An afterthought in most league formats with an ADP of 281, Bruce is worthy of consideration as a late source of power in deeper leagues, having surpassed 30 home runs as recently as 2017.
