Drew Stubbs Still Struggling At The Plate

Cleveland Indians center fielder Drew Stubbs can do all of the little things on the field, including bunting, stealing bases, and fielding well, but is having trouble hitting for average. Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

It was early December and Drew Stubbs, then center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds, was in attendance at the team’s FanFest, the off-season winter festival of baseball that attracts thousands of fans.

Just like his teammates, Stubbs mingled, posed for pictures, and signed autographs. This is a feel-good event, less a wrap-up of the preceding season than a positive look forward to the next season.

For Stubbs, however, it turned out to be his final appearance as a representative of the Reds. Two days later, boom, he was gone, traded across the state of Ohio to the Cleveland Indians.

At first, Stubbs was not happy to be an ex-Red. Cincinnati was a team on the rise, twice in the preceding three seasons winners of the National League Central Division, a club that seemed poised to make a run at the World Series in 2013. Cleveland? Well, the Indians had not been very successful lately. No one would have blamed Stubbs for feeling as if he had been sent into exile.

But then, things began to happen rapid-fire for the Indians. It turned out that acquiring Stubbs was the first of many moves the Indians made, rounding up many new faces and making a statement that under new manager Terry Francona they were going to be spending money and trying to win right away.

“I was kind of worried at first,” Stubbs said during a recent visit back to Cincinnati with the Indians. “I was leaving a contender. Then the Indians made all of the moves and I thought, ‘They’re really trying to make a move here.’ I had mixed emotions because Cincinnati was the only organization that I had ever been with. But it was a new opportunity in a new setting. I was blessed to fall into a good situation. We’re in good position.”

Indeed, the revamped Indians are looking pretty sound after the first couple of months of the season. They have had some hot streaks that put them in first place periodically and they are battling with the favored Detroit Tigers for the division lead.

Stubbs is a fleet-footed outfielder. He steals bases and is a renowned fielder who has great range. His hitting has been troublesome, though. A couple of years ago he led the NL in strikeouts. This season, through 58 games, Stubbs’ average has dipped to .234 and his on-base percentage is an anemic .289. He has four home runs and 18 runs batted in, but has struck out 63 times. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds he looks great standing in the batter’s box, but he just isn’t making enough contact.

The Indians needed to juice up the atmosphere around the club after a long stretch of disappointment in the standings that turned off the fan base. People had been staying away from Progressive Field as if they worried they would catch Legionnaire’s disease by buying a ticket. Bringing in a two-time World Series champion manager in Francona and wheeling and dealing to stock the team with Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and others has re-energized the outlook.

Cleveland may not have the material to make a run for the top just yet, but management showed it is trying to revamp the culture. It was not so many years ago that the Indians sold out every game year after year at a record-setting pace. The team had to give the fans fresh belief.

“The last few years the Indians have not been a great team,” Stubbs said. “The town is hungry for a winning ball club.”

Stubbs hopes he can be part of the resurgence and he hopes he can straighten out his swing and make the Reds miss him.