Is Keeping Jay Bruce Really That Bad?

Newsday.com

     After an entire offseason of Jay Bruce essentially singing should I stay or should I go, his future is far more certain now. That is because he was informed that he will indeed stay with the Mets going into this season. It must be a relief for him now knowing he doesn't have to worry as to where he will play next season, but this move is has provided more of mixed feelings from the Mets fanbase, rather than relief. Maybe though, keeping Bruce around to start the season isn't all that bad, right?
     
     First things first, I'm going to address the elephant in the room. Anyone who has been following the Mets will know that the team has an outfield situation more congested than the lines for shake shack at the games. Those same people also knew going into the offseason that the team needed to shore up their bullpen even before the news of Jeurys Familia likely missing time this season due to a suspension. 

     The fit seemed to be the hand in glove kind, simply trade Bruce for a reliever. The problem with that though, was that Bruce had no market due to both free agency and the trade market being filled with bat first sluggers. After a quick desperation search claiming the team wanted two prospects, they took Bruce off the trade market, and will start him in right field to begin the season. 

    Bruce is well known as a very good slugger throughout his career, but he does come with question marks. He did have a great season before being traded to the Mets, but his OPS+ was over 100 for the first time since 2013. He's also been a middle of the pack outfielder, defensively since 2013. He also has never been regarded as anything special in the way of speed or baserunning. 

     Despite Jay Bruce's nice power numbers, he has posted a wRC+ of 101 since 2013, putting him alongside names like Desmond Jennings, Chris Young and Gregor Blanco. However, I will certainly give Bruce credit on the lowering of his strikeout rate in recent years. 

His stint with the Mets did have some smiles
Image from Kentucky.com

     As much as he was certainly bad with the Mets, even his 23% strikeout rate with the team was still not as significant as strikeout rates seen in other power hitters. Combining that with the fact that he can hit the ball hard (2% of the total pitches he saw last year are what I'd like to call ideal hit balls which are hit 97 MPH or harder, and at a launch angle of between 22 and 37 degrees), and he can certainly be an effective bat for the Mets. 

     Speaking of the aforementioned 2% Bruce had, that would have ranked him among the top 20 in the majors, and right alongside reigning MVP, Kris Bryant. Perhaps another thing to keep note of is how Sandy Alderson over the years has liked to roster power hitters who can draw a walk, as he famously said that those who hit for power and get on base are good hitters. 

     Sandy likely believes that Bruce's defensive inadequacies and at best, average baserunning will be made up for by the sheer fact that he walks at an above average rate (9% for his career), and hits the ball hard, thus hitting home runs. As much as Bruce is awfully streaky, Alderson is hoping that Bruce will get hot at the right times, and that his teammates will pick him up during his cold streaks.

     All in all, as much as I believe that there are far better options to start than Bruce, there was no market for him, so we had to keep him. Hey though, he certainly could surprise most fans (and myself) by having a nice, productive year with the Mets before hitting free agency.