Veteran MLB Slugger Jay Bruce Calling It Quits After 14 MLB Seasons

Veteran Major League slugger Jay Bruce is calling it a career after 14 seasons on the diamond.

The 34-year-old announced Sunday morning that he was playing his final game in New York, ending a solid Major League career.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Bruce's decision Sunday morning, and stated he and Bruce had a long chat on Friday about his decision to step away from the game.

Bruce was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the first round back in 2005. The 12th overall selection came from West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas.










“The reason I ultimately chose to do this is because over 13 years of playing pretty much every single day, I set a standard of what I expected out of myself from a performance standpoint — or at least feeling like I’m able to perform at that level,” Bruce said.

“I know there are ups and downs and ebbs and flows throughout a season and a career.

“But ultimately, I just felt like I couldn’t perform at the level that I expected out of myself. For me to do what I needed to do, it just wasn’t in the cards. It’s tough, but I feel at peace with it.”

Bruce's best season came back in 2012, when he played for the Cincinnati Reds. That year, he hit .252 with 34 home runs and 99 runs batted in and was selected to the All-Star Game. He was also selected to the All-Star Game in 2011 and 2016.

Bruce was traded to the New York Mets in 2016, and then wound up in Cleveland for a playoff run in the 2017 season.

He also played for Seattle and Philadelphia during his career.











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Matt has been a part of the Cleveland Sports landscape working in the media since 1994 when he graduated from broadcasting school. His coverage beats include the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers. He's written three books, and won the "2020 AP Sports Stringer Lifetime Service Award."