Ranking The Rockies: 34 Drew Stubbs

We at BSN Denver are running a series where we rank how valuable each of the Colorado Rockies’ 51 players was to the team in 2015. Value was calculated by statistics, viewing, and how memorable each player’s contributions were. The rankings will be from last to first, you may view the full rankings (here)

Player: Drew Stubbs

Stats: (With Colorado) 51 G, 114 PA, .216 AVG, .286 OBP, .431 SLG, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 75 wRC+, -0.4 UZR, -0.1  WAR

Big Moment: July 12, Stubbs has his only two extra base hit game of the season. His second inning walk where he’d come around to score helps the Rockies big three-run inning. In the fourth Stubbs hit a triple off of Braves pitcher Alex Wood, nothing came of it. But in the seventh inning Stubbs put the game on ice with a two-run home run that drove in Brandon Barnes to give the Rockies a seven-run lead. The Rockies would beat the Braves 11-3 to complete a four-game sweep.

Season Recap: Stubbs came off of a great 2014; he made a name for himself as one of the best bench players in baseball. Despite a high strikeout rate his franchise-best BABIP (batting average on balls in play) of .404 last year lead him to a 2.5 WAR season. He played more than originally anticipated as injuries decimated the Rockies. This year that was not the case and Stubbs could not get his bat going at the start of the season. His strikeout rate jumped to a whopping 43.9% and his inability to produce offensively made him replaceable. Although he still offered speed and solid defense, the cost of striking out nearly half the time was too much and Stubbs was soon sent down. Stubbs has the rare combination of speed and power for a right-handed outfielder, that’s probably why he was drafted eight in 2006 between Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum, but the outfield is one of the positions the Rockies are strongest at, and the club decided it was time to cut him loose. He’s never really been able to piece it all together for more than a year at a time. He had a spectacular 2014 as well as a solid two years with the Reds, but each time Stubbs seems to figure it all out, he comes crashing back to replacement level.

What’s Ahead: After being waived by the Rockies, the Rangers picked up Stubbs. He even appeared in the postseason this year for Texas. Stubbs will be a free agent this offseason.