Reds see Edmonds in Bruce

[missionhockey21]

Reds see Edmonds in Bruce
High school outfielder selected 12th overall in MLB draft

By John Erardi
Enquirer staff writer

The Reds ignored conventional wisdom about drafting a college pitcher and instead drafted high school outfielder Jay Bruce from Texas with their first pick Tuesday.

"He was the best athlete on the board for us," said Terry Reynolds, the Reds' director of amateur scouting. "He's the guy we had targeted going into the day, and we weren't sure which teams in front of us were on him."

Reynolds said the choice didn't come down to Bruce or a pitcher of any stripe, be it a high schooler or collegian.

"We just had this guy higher on the board (at No. 12, where the Reds picked) than anybody else," said Reynolds, who when asked whom Bruce reminded him of cited St. Louis center fielder Jim Edmonds. "Jay is left-left (hitter and thrower) and similar tool-wise."

Bruce was humbled by that comparison.

"I hope one day I'm as good as Jim Edmonds," Bruce said. "I love defense."

He said he had signed a letter of intent with Tulane University but would sign with the Reds.

"I'm getting out there and playing," he said."(As a) first-round pick, you can't ask for much more than that."

He noted the Reds' success in getting high school outfielders to the major leagues.

"(And) they (the Reds) have a few Texas guys, so hopefully we can bring the Big Red Machine back."

With their next five picks, the Reds took pitchers, four of them college right-handers. Most of them are hard throwers, in the 90-94 mile per hour range, Reynolds said.

Click here for the link to the article (two pictures of Bruce)

[missionhockey21]

Reds take prep outfielder
Bruce selected in first round
By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter

More than anything else, the Reds need pitching in their farm system, but they didn't let that discourage them from taking the player they really wanted in the first round.

Even better, Jay Bruce really seems to want the Reds, too.

Bruce, an outfielder from West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, sounded as if he was ready to report to Sarasota today after being selected with the 12th overall pick Tuesday. He said he has no intention to follow through on his commitment to Tulane University and probably will be playing in the Gulf Coast League relatively quickly.

"College doesn't fit in," he said emphatically. "I'm definitely signing, I'm getting out there and I'm playing. First-round pick, you can't ask for much more than that."

Nor could the Reds when their selection rolled around. They have followed Bruce for more than a year now after seeing him at an open tryout last May, with scout Brian Wilson doing most of the legwork, and scouting director Terry Reynolds said selecting the outfielder was an easy decision.

"Best athlete, best player on the board for us," said Reynolds. "We had him real high, he's a guy we had kind of targeted going into the day and weren't quite sure which teams were on him in front of us, but he was a guy we were real happy to get."

Bruce is known as a "five-tool" player, meaning he's proficient at hitting for average, hitting for power, running, fielding and throwing. The Reds list him at 6-feet-3, 190 pounds, and they believe he may grow into a corner outfielder once his body matures.

Bruce hit .538 with 12 home runs, 31 RBIs and 13 stolen bases this season. He bats and throws left-handed, and as a bigger center fielder he reminds Reynolds of Cardinals All-Star Jim Edmonds.

"I hope one day I'm as good as Jim Edmonds," said Bruce. "I love defense, it's a big part of my game, so that's a great comparison."

The Reds had taken a pitcher with their first-round pick five of the previous six years, but only their 2003 selection, Ryan Wagner, has paid dividends from that group. They loaded up on young arms as they moved through the rest of the rounds Tuesday, but they felt like they had to grab Bruce right off the top.

Not only was he too good to pass up, he also probably is a lower injury risk.

"The statistics on pitching in general are not as good as they are on position players; pitchers just seem to break down more often," said Reynolds. "But it really didn't come down in this case to a choice between a position player and a pitcher, we just had this guy higher on the board than anybody else."

Click here for the rest