Phillies: 38 player milestones to watch for in 2020 season

Jay Bruce

(591) – 600 walks

Thirteen-year veteran Jay Bruce is one of the few players that were active when the Phillies last  won a World Series in 2008; in fact, the Beaumont, Texas, native was a rookie that year with the Cincinnati Reds.

Bruce tallied 33 walks that season, and needs just nine more to reach 600 for his career. In 2011, during one of his three All-Star seasons, Bruce set a single-season career high in the category with 71.

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(12,936 1/3) – 13,000 innings fielded as an outfielder

Assuming Phillies manager Joe Girardi continues to have Andrew McCutchen start as designated hitter, there should be plenty of innings for Bruce to accumulate in left field. He needs to field just 63 2/3 more innings in the outfield to reach 13,000 all-time.

(2980) – 3,000 putouts as an outfielder

Likewise, Bruce needs just 20 more putouts in the outfield to record 3,000 for his career.

Following Friday evening’s 6-2 win over the New York Mets, the Phillies have just 44 more games left to play in the season, meaning Bruce has some time to achieve at least one of the three above milestones.

While Bruce’s contract expires after the 2020 season, he surely can find another big-league deal if the Phillies do not re-sign him; among the achievable milestones for him in 2021 includes reaching 1,000 career RBI; he currently has 941. The Phillies acquired Bruce from the Seattle Mariners in early June 2019 in exchange for minor-league infielder and outfielder Jake Scheiner.