Cleveland Indians: Hopping aboard the Jay Bruce hype train

Cleveland Indians fans were excited when the team acquired Jay Bruce, but he has gone and exceeded expectations in his short time with the team.

Is Jay Bruce the greatest player to wear a Cleveland Indians uniform? He sure is, if we are only looking at stats since his arrival last Thursday.

Bruce entered Friday’s game in Kansas City riding a seven-game hit streak and coming off a game in which he hit his first home run with the Indians.

He decided to top that Friday with three hits, two of which left the yard, and five RBI. Still think he isn’t the greatest of all time?

Jokes aside, Bruce has been an absolute treat for Indians fans to watch in his first week with the team. And for the front office, the extra few millions spent to acquire him looks well worth it.

His presence has helped lessen the stress of being without both Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall, but more than that he has come in and been the best hitter on the team. For a guy the New York Mets were so eager to get rid of, he sure looks like one of the best steals in recent memory.

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But back to the hype train, there is no knowing the limits to Bruce’s dominance. He topped his first home run of the season by hitting two the next day, so perhaps he is up for three more tonight.

He has also picked up at least two hits in four of his eight starts, so there is no reason to expect a slowdown in production.

In reality, away from the ever-rising hype, Bruce is going to level out and not maintain his current batting average of .406.

If he does we have to build him a statue, but the good news is the Indians don’t need him to carry the lineup on his own.

His greatness has happened without both Brantley and Chisenhall, and also without Jose Ramirez since he left Thursday afternoon’s game after being hit by a pitch. Ramirez is now ready to return, while Edwin Encarnacion is currently mashing home runs with ease. Add Bruce to those two in the middle of the order and there is no stopping this lineup.

Add Chisenhall into the mix next week and the division race will only get tougher for the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins, that is if they are even in contention next week.

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It must have been an odd moment for the front office when the Mets agreed to the deal for Bruce, but that is a phone call you hang up immediately once the terms are agreed to and before you scream out with joy.