Cincinnati Reds in Review: OF Jason Bourgeois

Jason Bourgeois’s all-time most popular moment in Cincinnati Reds history doesn’t even involve him doing anything in a Reds uniform. In fact, it’s more of him not doing something.

“Racing back to the wall Bourgeois…the Reds…are National Central Division, CHAMPIONS!” Whether you listened to Thom Brennaman call it on television that night, or listened to Marty Brennaman call it on the radio, the legendary father-son pairing depicted the 2010 division crown-winning home run as only they can.

Jason Bourgeois – Outfielder

It was just a season ago that the Reds carried outfielder Derrick Robinson, who was such a tremendous athlete that he initially signed on at the University of Florida to play defensive back on the football team. Bourgeois may not have had the same raw foot speed as Robinson, but ask those who watched him play on a nightly basis down in Louisville, and they’ll tell you he was plenty fast in his own right.

For the past seven seasons, Bourgeois has appeared in at least a single Major League game. Yet in that span, it has been with six different clubs, in order from appearance: the Chicago White Sox, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Houston Astros, the Kansas City Royals, the Tampa Bay Rays, and finally, the Redlegs.

Bourgeois has been no stranger to the minor league scene. Ever since the year 2000 when he was just 18 years old, he has been on the circuit.

While we’ll think of him as a Red, he wasn’t so much a Redleg, as a Louisville Bat. He would have 600 plate appearances with the club and was even elected their MVP. Stealing 24 bases and collecting 153 hits, Bourgeois earned himself a call-up to the show for the season’s final month.

Bourgeois’s Stat Line:

.242/.265/.303, 33 AB’s, 1 RBI, 8 H, 0.3 WAR

Top Jason Bourgeois Moment:

After getting sparse playing time during the season’s final month, Bourgeois got the start in left field on the final day of the season while starting pitcher Johnny Cueto went for his 20^th victory of the season.

To leadoff the bottom of the eighth inning of a deadlocked contest, Bourgeois slashed a triple to the centerfield alley. Later in the frame, it would be Cueto himself who would drive him in with a base hit that would seal his stellar season.

Once again, Bourgeois was at the forefront of Reds history.

Low-Point of the Season for Jason Bourgeois:

It’s the age-old paradox of getting to play, but not at the level you want to be playing at. Sure, Bourgeois would go on to get 600 plate appearances with Louisville this season, but his aspirations lay in being with a Major League club.

At age 32, each time he comes up to the show may be his last.

Final Grade: D

Whether or not Bourgeois is to continue on with the Reds as a player is still to be determined. Regardless of his immediate future, his presence will live on for generations as he will always be there on the video footage looking up at Jay Bruce’s walk-off, division-winning home run, hoping to savor that moment for a lifetime.