Cincinnati Reds: Ranking the top 10 hitters of the decade (2010-2019)

2. Jay Bruce, Outfielder (2008-2016)

Bruuuuuuuuce! Jay Bruce was one of the best players for the Cincinnati Reds over the past decade. Bruce was the 12th player taken in the 2005 MLB Draft and made his major league debut on May 27, 2008. Bruce went 3-for-3 in his first game with the Reds, racking up a double and two singles. Bruce launched his first big league homer on May 31, 2008 in a walk-off win over the Atlanta Braves.

There was no bigger moment in Bruce’s tenure with Cincinnati than his walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on September 28, 2010. Stepping up to the plate with the score knotted at 2 runs apiece, Bruce swung at the first pitch he saw and launched it towards the batter’s eye in center field.

Bruce knew it the second he hit it. With his index finger raised toward the sky and the capacity crowd at Great American Ball Park rising to their feet, Bruce watched the ball fly over the center field wall while rounding first base. The dugout emptied, the bullpen overflowed onto the field, the fans showered the players with cheers, and Bruce was mobbed by his teammates at home plate.

Bruce spent nine years in Cincinnati. The left-handed slugger smacked 233 home runs, racked up 718 doubles, and had a career-OPS of .789 while playing in front of thee fans at GABP. While leading the league in RBIs during the 2016 season, Bruce was dealt to the New York Mets as the Reds were in full-on rebuild mode.