Cleveland Indians: Looking back at Jay Bruce’s short stint in town

Jay Bruce didn’t join the Cleveland Indians until August, but he left fans with great memories during his short time with the team in 2017.

Jay Bruce made his Cleveland Indians debut on August 10 of last year, and went hitless in one at-bat. He followed that up with an 11-game hitting streak.

Bruce’s slash line of .248/.341/.477 with the Indians doesn’t stand out as all that great, but he still provided fans with plenty of memorable moments.

His first came when he hit a walk-off double to extend the historic streak to 22 games, while his other top moments came in the postseason during the team’s two wins. Bruce had home runs in both games before things went south for the entire team.

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Bruce is now back with the New York Mets and while some Indians fans are angry about this, a few big moments don’t warrant a big new deal, especially when players like Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer may provide equal value in right field this season.

But just because Bruce is gone doesn’t mean fans should be angry. If anything, his acquisition shows fans the plan in place by this front office.

Instead of shelling out big money in the offseason based on past performance, the Indians may decide to just go after players who are doing well in that given season.

If there are injuries or players underperforming this season, don’t be surprised if the Indians are buyers both before and after the July trade deadline.

Bruce fit in with the team right away and the team should continue to search for such respected veteran talent in the future, especially when trying to fit a new players into a lineup during a pennant race.

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A few highlights didn’t earn Bruce a new contract in Cleveland, but they will go in the highlight reel for the season after some time passes and fans aren’t still angry about the ALDS exit. Just like with Mike Napoli in 2016, Bruce’s time in Cleveland was short, but fans will never forget the small magic he provided in this golden age of Indians baseball.