Fantasy Baseball - Bruce or Pence?

Question

Who should I keep, Hunter Pence or Jay Bruce?

Answer 1

Pence.  Bruce has been terrible the last two weeks, so I'm worried about his consistency the rest of the way on a bad Reds team.  Pence seems to have shaken his early slump and should produce as a top 30 OF the rest of the year.

Answer 2

Great question!

As this is a keeper league, my answer is different than it would be in a yearly league.

Hunter Pence is definitely a top-30 type outfielder. He has all the tools. Pence hits for average, has the potential to be a 25 home run type outfielder and will provide around 80 RBI. For this season, he's going to be the more consistent option.

Pence is streaky, just like most hitters, but he's seen the pitching and should have a better idea what to expect as the season moves on. He's getting thrown to differently this year than when he came up last season, and Pence has had a rough time adapting to these changes. Once he realizes that pitchers are doing there best to get him out by going up or going away, he'll be able to produce more efficiently.

Sitting at .269/10/37 right now, I would anticipate seeing season totals of .285/24/80. Don't let his June struggles steer you away from what he can do over the course of the season, but he's not the better option in a keeper format.

Jay Bruce is a stud in the making. He's hit at every level in the minors and there's a reason he came out of the box as quickly as he did when he was called up earlier this season. Bruce will be an everyday player in Cincinnati for the next several years.

Yes, he's slowed down. But he wasn't going to hit .600 all season. Bruce has settled at about where I feel he's going to be this season. He's right around .300, he's hit a few home runs, and he's driving guys in. Now, we haven't seen the power displayed since his first week, but that will come.

Bruce has had to face tough pitching from Boston, the Yankees, and Tampa in his last two weeks. Guess what? There are a lot of teams not hitting against those guys right now. He will struggle initially against tougher left-handed pitching, and I wouldn't want to play him against guys like Cole Hamels until he proves he can do it.

But his long-term prospects are far better than Pence. For this season, I would expect him to be .290/22/80. Since he has four home runs and 17 RBI now, I think he'll be more productive this season than Pence, but it will be in spurts.

In a keeper league, this is a guy who has 30-35 home run potential and could drive in 90-100 runs on a yearly basis. Think Adam Dunn, but less prone to a .250 average and won't strike out 150 times.

Go with Bruce here.

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Answer 3

Jay Bruce.

Answer 4

For the rest of this season......Hunter Pence.