Jay Bruce emerged as a 21-year-old rookie in early 2008, and he came up to the big leagues with tons of hype and manned center field, flanked by Ken Griffey, Jr. and Adam Dunn. His first career home run was a walk-off against Atlanta, and of course no one will ever forget this. Chills.
When he was traded to the Mets last year, Reds fans who longed for the past and still didn’t know what a rebuild was and why the Reds needed to do it began to feel like their best memories were slipping away.