Research Shows Jay Bruce Will Be OK Update From May 10

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For some reason modern Reds' fans, perhaps spoiled by the Big Red Machine, have trouble grasping the fact that baseball is a game of failures.

Thirty-one games into the season, Jay Bruce is struggling at the plate.  That is obvious. The proposed remedies from the caring but misguided fans are just plain goofy.

Bruce was hitting .172 through May 9 with five home runs and 16 RBI.  There is no doubt these results are undesirable, but not uncommon to very good baseball players at some point in their career.

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The solutions from Facebook and Twitter are: trade him, release him, bench him,  Fire the manager, general manager and the hitting coach.

It didn't take long to find examples of very good players who struggled to the degree that Bruce is now.

Pete Rose had several 30 game periods in his career in which he hit in the lowly .200's without Bruce's power and production.  Rose was also surrounded by great hitters who helped him get good pitches to hit.

But the most relevant comparison by age, time of service and past success was found in Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin's 1992 season.

Both players were 28 at the start of Bruce's seventh or eighth season and Larkin's seventh season.  Both had been to the All-Star game more than once.  Both had earned MVP votes at that stage of their career.

On May 9, 1992 Larkin was hitting .167 with one home run and only five RBI.

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Had Reds' manager Lou Piniella and general manager listened to Twitter and Facebook, dumping the 28-year old Cincinnatian as has been suggested for Bruce, Larkin may not have been around for his MVP season in 1995. He may have never been elected to the Hall of Fame.

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It provides a lesson that baseball fans must endure frustrations before they reap rewards. It may not be easy but sometimes the facts of baseball life are difficult to understand.

Since this was written on May 10, Bruce is hitting .292 over with 11 home runs and 39 RBI, including the game-winning home run against the Cardinals on Wednesday night.  His on-base percentage is a cool .366 and he hit 21 doubles.

Professionally edited by ML Schirmer

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