Tom Szczerbowski/US Presswire

Jay Bruce hit 21 homers in 108 games after being called up by the Reds last year.

VOTTO, BRUCE KEYS TO REDS' FUTURE

By Eric Young, ESPN

The maturity level and approach to the game shown by the Reds' Joey Votto and Jay Bruce has been phenomenal. Often times you find a lot of young players who play off of their own natural ability, but these guys have something special.

When I spoke to Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, he indicated that these two have an old-school approach to the game, specifically in their preparation and the way they come to the ballpark excited to play. It's rare to find young hitters studying pitchers early on, but Votto and Bruce do a great job of being students of the game.

Votto's preparation is the key to his success this year. Last year, he hit 24 home runs, drove in 84 runs and posted a .297 batting average. This season, he's picking up right where he left off, entering Tuesday's action with a .378 average, second-best in the National League. The last Reds hitter to bat over .350 in April was Sean Casey, who hit .414 in the season's first full month in 2004.

It would be unfair to compare Votto to someone like Albert Pujols, but I do think he's a lot like San Diego first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. They are both disciplined, both hard workers and both know how to make adjustments early on in the game. They are both great hitters, and you can count on them for homers and high averages. It also helps that both are pretty young.

Another young hitter to look out for is Bruce. There was a lot of hype surrounding the right fielder, who was the Reds' first-round draft choice in 2005. He started off very strong when he was called up last year, but tailed off in the second half. This year, Bruce has gotten off to a better start. In Sunday's game against the Braves, Bruce homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Reds to their only victory in the three-game series. The change in Bruce's approach this year is impressive, and is also key to rebuilding the team.

The overall team dynamic in Cincinnati has dramatically changed since the Reds got rid of Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr.; this team is a lot younger now. From the Reds' standpoint, it's something to be excited about. Keep in mind that the Reds thought so highly of Votto and Bruce that they wanted them to be everyday players. They were essentially the reason why Griffey and Dunn did not come back. One thing to consider is, these younger guys don't strike out a lot. Think about all the strikeouts Dunn had. These young guys know how to put the ball in play, and right now all they need are the other pieces to the puzzle to work together.

One problem Baker is facing involves his batting order. Ideally, you want Votto in the middle of the lineup, probably third or fourth, which Votto can handle. The problem is finding a place for Bruce. Is he going to be a run producer or is he going to be the guy in the second spot, hoping he'll see a lot more fast balls with a speedster on base threatening to steal? So far, he's seen a lot of success hitting second. It will ultimately come down to the dynamics of the team. It will be interesting to see where Dusty decides to put Bruce.

Ultimately, Votto and Bruce are two great players for the Reds to build their team around. The bottom line is that they need guys who can hit. It's going to be hard to pitch in Great American Ball Park, as well as in the NL Central because of all the strong offenses in St. Louis, Chicago and Milwaukee. But if the Reds' pitchers can keep them in games, along with their one-two offensive punch of Votto and Bruce, then being competitive in the NL Central doesn't seem unrealistic at all.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: April 27 | April 26 | April 23 | April 22 | April 21

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	PITCHER	SITUATION
I. Rodriguez, Hou	3	Cin	Harang	Top 2: 1-1, 2 Outs. None on.
C. Utley, Phi	6	Was	Lannan	Bot 3: 0-2, 1 Outs. 1 on.
P. Feliz, Phi	2	Was	Lannan	Bot 3: 0-0, 2 Outs. 2 on.
J. Cantu, Fla	4	NYM	Hernandez	Top 4: 2-1, 0 Outs. 1 on.
H. Kendrick, LAA	3	Bal	Eaton	Top 4: 1-2, 1 Outs. 1 on.

The complete list of Tuesday's homers

ON DECK: WEDNESDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS

Marlins at Mets

The Marlins finally got a win, breaking their seven-game skid with a win Tuesday. The bad news? Johan Santana is waiting for them on Wednesday.

Dodgers at Giants

How good has Tim Lincecum, who starts Wednesday, been over his past two outings? Well, try this out -- 16 innings, one run, 25 strikeouts, one walk, two wins.

Rays at Twins

Scott Kazmir has been nearly untouchable on the road this season. He is 2-0 away from home and has given up just one run in those two starts.

For the rest of Wednesday's schedule, click here.