Mets’ Bruce in New York state of mind
PORT ST. LUCIE, FLA. New York Mets third baseman David Wright is shut down with a shoulder impingement and has no idea when he’ll return.
First baseman Lucas Duda, coming off a stress fracture in his back, hasn’t played an inning this spring after getting cortisone shots in each hip and only now is cleared to even swing the bat.
Jay Bruce, the man they desperately tried to trade all offseason, suddenly has never looked so good in a Mets uniform.
Bruce, surprised as anyone that he’s still with the Mets, just might be their employee of the month by the end of spring training.
Bruce, booed last summer for his performance, with the Mets telling the world they no longer wanted him after re- signing Yoenis Cespedes, now might be instrumental to their World Series aspirations. He will be the Mets’ everyday right fielder and a valuable insurance policy at first base.
“He came into this camp with a lot of talk that he was going to be the guy who was being traded,” Mets manager Terry Collins says. “So I wasn’t sure, being a veteran guy, being in his free agent year, how he would handle it. But he came in and has handled it great.
“I asked him to take some ground balls at first, and he said, ‘ Listen, if something happens to Lucas, I need to be the guy. I need to practice more over there.’
“He could have said, ‘ This is my free agent year. I don’t want to play anywhere else.’ Instead he says, “I’ll do whatever you need me to do to help the club.’ ”
Bruce, who didn’t want to waste his deposit money and waited until a month before spring training to rent a house in Port St. Lucie, is finally convinced he’ll be staying with the Mets and is finalizing an apartment lease for the season.
“The whole time I just assumed I was going to be traded,” Bruce tells USA
TODAY Sports. “Honestly, the way everything went down, I did not think I would be back. Not to sound like a ( jerk), but I knew I was going to be the opening- day right fielder somewhere.
“But I’m definitely glad it’s back here. Believe me, I’m very, very happy to be back.”
Bruce, 29, a three- time All- Star with the Cincinnati Reds, aims to show last year’s struggles were an aberration.
He doesn’t want to make excuses, but he was never comfortable after being traded July 31, leaving the only organization he has known. He was in New York for two months and stayed in six hotels. He was apart that time from his wife and 4- month- old son, who stayed in Texas.
Bruce’s struggles on the field made his life even more miserable. He hit .174 in the first six weeks after the trade, with four home runs, 11 RBI and eight extrabase hits. He was blasted in the tabloids, and Mets fans let him know their sentiments with boos every night.
“There was so much stuff that absolutely wasn’t true about me being overwhelmed by the city,” Bruce said. “That had nothing to do with it. I’m a grown man. I didn’t care what city I was playing in. I was excited to be playing in a pennant race in one of the greatest cities in the world. What more could I ask for?
“The bottom line is that they brought me in to help them. So you want to play well and kind of make a splash. It didn’t happen. It’s not because it was New York City. It’s baseball. It happens.”
The Mets might have wanted to dump him, but now that he’s back, it could be the best trade they never made.
Bruce last regularly played first base in his freshman year in high school and has appeared at first in three games in the major leagues, in 2014, making two errors. Yet if that’s what the Mets temporarily need, with Michael Conforto going to right field, Bruce is all- in.
But now, if you’re talking about sheer hitting, Bruce is ready. He has hit 25 or more homers in six of his last seven seasons, driving in at least 90 runs four times. He provided a glimpse of what he’s capable of doing in the last week of the season, going 12- for- 25 with four homers and eight RBI to help the Mets clinch a wild- card spot.
“Nobody puts more pressure on myself than me, but now I have a fresh start,” Bruce says. “This is a great opportunity. I’ve been to the playoffs, but I’ve never been to a World Series. I’ve never even gotten out of the division series.
“To win a World Series now, and to do it in New York City, can you imagine how special that would be?
“I’ve got a feeling this is going to be an awesome year.”