Bruce key to next step

Jay Bruce has matured since taking the baseball world by surprise with his amazing debut in 2008. Sure, Bruce was electrifying his first few games in the league. He finished that season hitting .254, a fair but unspectacular clip for a rookie.

Bruce has been more consistent over the last few years in his hitting. His average has stayed in the mid-.250's over the last 2 seasons, but he has seen his power numbers rise each year. Bruce's best hitting for average came in the year the Reds failed to make the playoffs. Bruce hit .281 with 25 homers in 2010.

2013 has looked to be a major stepping stone for the right fielder in his quest for achieving greatness. Bruce has once again flashed an MVP caliber right field defense, and he has kept his average relatively high up to this point. Bruce is hitting over .300 in June, and has an overall average of .278. He took a little while to get going in terms of power hitting, but he has turned it on lately with 13 homers, including 3 in his last 5 games.

Bruce is very important to the Reds as the fifth hitter in the lineup. If the Reds want to continue to earn victories, they are going to rely on the middle order hitters to drive in runs. Shin-Soo Choo, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips have consistently shown the ability to get on base. Choo and Votto each have an OBP of over .400, and Phillips excels with an 0-2 count in his at bats by working his way back to a hitter's count. Bruce is the X-factor. If he can drive in the hitters at the top of the order, it won't matter how much an inconsistent bullpen struggles. The Reds will be too far ahead in the game to fret.