We tackled a few of Jay Bruce’s legendary feats yesterday. After that thread posted, Bruce was named NL Player of the Week.
The 24-year-old right fielder collected four home runs, 13 RBIs and 25 total bases last week — all of them either the Majors’ best mark or tied for the best mark — while hitting .353 in seven games.
Bruce had four multihit games during the week, including a pair of three-hit performances. The week continued what has been a torrid May: He has 12 homers and 32 RBIs for the month entering Tuesday, and his 31 home runs since August 2010 are the most of anyone in the NL.
It is also notable that “since August 2010” is about 1 year after his terrible wrist injury from the previous year. It takes about a year to see a player’s power return after an injury like that. Those 31 homeruns since last August have come in just 341 at-bats, or a homerun every 11 at-bats.
Heading into play yesterday, Elias made the following note from Bruce’s prior 15 game period:
From Elias: Jay Bruce went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs in the Reds’ 7-3 win over the Brewers. Bruce has batted .422 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs over his last 15 games. No Reds player posted numbers that high over 15 games in all three triple-crown categories since Johnny Bench did it in 1972. Prior to that, only three other Cincinnati players did so: Tony Perez (1970), Frank Robinson (1961) and Ted Kluszewski (1954). Monday’s home run raised Bruce’s total for the month to 12, tying the Cincinnati single-season record for homers during May, set by Eric Davis in 1987.
A favorite for NL Player of the Month, Jay Bruce finished the month of May yesterday:
— ranked 1st in all of MLB in May homeruns and RBI
— 2nd in runs scored
— 3rd in OPS
Bruce ranks first in the National League in all of those categories for the month of May and first for the full season in homeruns and RBI.