5. Jay Bruce – New York Mets and Cleveland Indians
Even though Jay Bruce has switched teams, it has not stopped him from producing on a daily basis. Bruce was traded from the New York Mets to the Cleveland Indians on August 10.
Bruce has been consistently one of the best defensive right fielders in MLB for most of his career. He has consistently always been near the top in putouts, with already 207 this year. He was fourth in assists last year with 10 and fourth in double plays turned as a right fielder with 4.
Let’s just say that if you are looking to advance a runner into scoring position, or you are trying to put another run on the board, you better not try and get one on Bruce. Odds are that you are going to regret that move when you get your team an out that they do not need, or if it is an inning ender.
Bruce is also one of the top run preventers for right fielders. He ranks fifth with 2.6 UZR. Run prevention is something that cannot continue to be overlooked in baseball, and Bruce takes his defense with the utmost seriousness and does it better than most of the people at his position.