New York Mets: Jay Bruce has seen better days
Jay Bruce was a National League All-Star this season. But since being traded to the New York Mets, he has been one of the worst hitters in the league.
Jay Bruce has definitely seen better days. After being traded to the New York Mets on August 1st, Bruce has been horrendous at the plate, slashing .165/.245/.271 in 23 games and 85 at-bats. The 29-year-old outfielder has struck out 26 times in that span and in his last eight at-bats, he has struck out seven times.
The left-handed slugger has always been prone to striking out, but usually there is enough production to negate it. Before joining the Mets, Bruce was leading the National League in RBI with 80. He also had a batting average of .265 with 25 home runs, 22 doubles and a slugging percentage of .559.
The main reason the Mets traded for Bruce was for that offensive production as they entered the playoff chase. On August 1st, the day the Mets acquired Bruce, they had a record of 54-51 and were 7.5 games back from first place in the NL East. After acquiring Bruce, the Mets’ record is 10-13 and they are nine games back from first.
In response to Bruce’s struggles, Mets manager, Terry Collins, gave Bruce a “mental” day off on August 27th. According to the New York Post, “Collins said hitting coach Kevin Long and assistant Pat Roessler have looked back at Bruce’s at-bats for the last few years, to see if he has changed anything since joining the Mets. They found one minor flaw Collins said was so insignificant it wasn’t worth mentioning.”
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So if the problem isn’t in his swing, maybe it is mental. Either way, Bruce and the Mets need to figure something out. The Mets are nine games back from first place in their division, but only 2.5 games back from a Wild Card spot. If Bruce finds his swing the Mets are in good shape, as eight of their next 10 series are against divisional opponents.
Bruce may also want to find his swing for his own benefit. It looks like he will be an upcoming free agent given his recent performance. The Mets have a club option to keep him for $13 million or they can exercise a $1 million buyout.
This also wouldn’t be the first Reds player to struggle with a change of scenery. In 2015, Mike Leake was traded to the Giants and dropped from a 3.56 ERA to a 4.07 ERA. Maybe Bruce isn’t comfortable in his new jersey or maybe Terry Collins and the coaching staff haven’t found the real cause for Bruce’s struggles.
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Whatever the issue is, the Mets need Bruce to do well if they want to make the playoffs. And if Bruce wants a big paycheck, he needs to perform.