The first five years of his career, the 28 year old Jay Bruce - his B-day is the same as my brother's, April 3rd - increased his homer total. The same can also be said about his RBI total. That's damn impressive. Additionally, from 2011-13, Bruce hit at least 30 homers with 97 RBIs and 84 runs scored each season. In point of fact, only one other man was able to join Bruce at that party - Miguel Cabrera. 

So how do we explain the catastrophic failure that was Jay's 2014 effort (.217-18-66-71)? Obviously health was an issue. Bruce had knee woes that required surgery in early May and ultimately he appeared in 137 games, hit first season in four years under 155 games played. Clearly he was unable to generate enough torque/power with his lower half and the long ball suffered a bit (his HR/F ratio was 15.3 percent, below his career average and tied for a seven year low). The real issue though was his inability to lift the ball as his ground ball rate, under 37 percent each year from 2010-13, ballooned to 45.2 percent. He simply hit too many balls on the ground. Given his consistency in the ground ball and fly ball columns for years, it seems rather likely that Bruce will return, if fully healthy in 2015, and be able to lift the ball as he once did. With that the power should return and another run at 30 homers is easily within the realm of the possible. 

The knee also hurt his approach at the dish. Trying to do too much to compensate for his struggles, Bruce swung at a higher of pitches outside the strike zone than at any point in his career, as pitchers were able to get him to chase (this can easily be seen in the fact that he saw fewer pitches inside the strike zone, as a percentage, than at any time in his career). Pitchers were able to challenge him more and were able to induce more swings. Therefore, it's hardly surprising that his walk rate was the lowest mark he has posted in six seasons. His strikeout rate went up a bit to a career-high mark and while I can write off some of that given his lack of full health, it is a bit disturbing to note that his K-rate has increased in each of his last five campaigns. 

Bruce isn't ready to be tossed into the hopper with a bunch of regressing flunkies. Just 28 years old, and coming off a three year run in which he and Miggy Cabrera held their exclusive party, Bruce is primed to bounce back in a big way in 2015. He's simply too young, too skilled, and too consistent to merely give up on after a rough 2014 effort. What did Shakespeare write... if you believe Shakespeare actually wrote his own works (there is some scholarly debate)... Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.