Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987), is an American professional baseball corner outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, and Seattle Mariners. The Reds drafted Bruce in the first round, 12th overall pick, of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft; he made his MLB debut in 2008. Bruce has been named an All-Star three times during his career, and has won the Silver Slugger Award twice. He has hit over 300 lifetime home runs.\n', '

Bruce was born in Beaumont, Texas. He was the youngest of three children born to Joe, a plumber, and Martha Bruce, a special education schoolteacher. His older sisters are Amy and Kellan, who is mentally disabled. As a child, Bruce played both baseball and football, but he stopped playing the latter when, due to the risk of him being injured, Martha refused to sign the necessary consent forms. His mom said: "[Football] was just so rough and kids got hurt. When it came time for him to move up to the next level, I wouldn\'t sign the consent form. I told him, \'all the work you put into baseball could be wiped out on one play.\'" \n', '

Bruce attended West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, where he was a third-team All-American. In his senior year he batted .538 with 12 home runs, 31 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. Bruce had accepted a scholarship to play baseball at Tulane University, but opted instead to turn professional out of high school. He was drafted 12th in the First Round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, directly behind fellow center fielder Andrew McCutchen, and signed for a signing bonus of $1.8 million (the 5th-largest signing bonus the Reds had ever given).\n', '

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