Jay Bruce, one of the best Cincinnati Reds hitters over the last 20 years, announced his retirement from baseball on Sunday.
Bruce played for the New York Yankees this season and made 39 plate appearances. Between 2008 and 2016, Bruce spent nine years with the Reds and ranks 27th in franchise history in hits, 16th in doubles and RBI and eighth in home runs.
"I’m proud of what has happened and what I’ve accomplished," Bruce told reporters on Sunday. "I have no idea what’s next, but I know that I love the game of baseball."
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The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round of the 2005 MLB Draft, and he debuted in 2008 at 21 years old. Bruce finished fifth in the Rookie of the Year ballot that season, and he became a mainstay in the Reds lineup for nearly a decade.
"I knew about him when I was in the minor leagues, the no. 1 prospect in baseball who became a really well-known household name here in Cincinnati," Reds first baseman Joey Votto said. "(He got) All-Stars, Silver Sluggers, my favorite teammate ... If you enter this league and had the sort of career Jay Bruce had, you did some really special things."
"He's a guy that has stayed in touch with my son because was really close to him and Joey Votto when he was a bat boy," former Reds manager and current Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "I wish Jay the best. He's one of the finest guys that I've managed."
A near-certain Reds Hall of Famer, Bruce homered 233 times with Cincinnati, made three All-Star teams and finished 10th in MVP voting twice. In 2010, Bruce had a walk-off home run against the Houston Astros that clinched a playoff berth for the Reds.
Bruce called that moment the highlight of his career.
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"The weirdest part about that is that I was 23 at the time and I thought stuff like that happened all the time," Bruce said. "That was just part of it. To know that the single moment that I’m going to remember the most in my career was 10 or 11 years ago now is pretty crazy. Looking back, it makes me appreciate everything else more."
In 2016, the Reds traded Bruce to the New York Mets for second baseman Dilson Herrera and left-hander Max Wotell. At the time of the deal, Bruce was tied for the team lead with 25 home runs and led the National League with 80 RBI.
Bruce played for five different teams over the next five seasons, culminating with the Yankees. He finishes his career with 319 total home runs and 951 RBI. He ranked in the top-10 among active players in both categories.
"Just really happy for (his) incredible career," Reds manager David Bell said. "He accomplished so much. And what can you say? He should be very, very proud of the player that he was, the teammate, and the person, the way he conducted himself on and off the field."
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