Rockies outfield Drew Stubbs is trying to dig his way out of a spring slump that has seen him strike out 23 times in 41 at-bats. (Denver Post file photo)
Mesa, Ariz. —Spring training stats don’t matter.
That’s written in every big-league manager’s baseball bible. But I’ll bet there is an asterisk with a footnote that says: “Unless it’s a young player trying to make the roster, or unless it’s a veteran who has struck out 23 times in 41 at-bats.”
The latter applies directly to backup outfielder Drew Stubbs, who is hitting .195, and who has, indeed, struck out 23 times in 41 at-bats this spring.
“We certainly check in with a player (who’s slumping),” manager Walt Weiss said Monday morning before the Rockies played the A’s at Hohokam Stadium. “(Hitting coach) Blake Doyle has been working with him in the cage. They are communicating, as far as what ‘Stubby” is feeling right now.”
“I think 98 percent of it is mental. I’ve felt good in the cage and good in BP, so it’s just a matter of getting back comfortable in the game and being able to slow things down a little bit and regain my timing. I think that’s all it boils down to.”
— Drew Stubbs
Players have up-and-down cycles throughout the season, and Stubbs is going through one now. Weiss, however, concedes that Stubbs has not looked good at the plate of late.
“It’s been a struggle the last couple of weeks here, so you want to make sure a guy has a road map, or a blueprint, to get out of something like this,” Weiss said. “Fortunately it’s still spring training and none of this stuff counts, but we want a good feeling as we leave here.
“So this last week here, we will be focused on ‘Stubby’ and communicating with him to make sure that mentally he feels like he’ll be ready to go when the season starts.”
Stubbs has great speed, some occasional power (two homers this spring, 15 homers last season), and the ability to steal bases. But his .315 career on-base percentage and his struggles against right-handed pitching tends to diminish his skill set.
Stubbs admitted his rising strikeout total is “a concern,” but he thinks it’s a temporary slump.
“A week ago I felt great at the plate and then I had a turn, for whatever reason,” he said. “Everything has just been off for me, but luckily it is spring and there is still time to work things out.
“I think 98 percent of it is mental. I’ve felt good in the cage and good in BP, so it’s just a matter of getting back comfortable in the game and being able to slow things down a little bit and regain my timing. I think that’s all it boils down to.”
Tags: Drew Stubbs, Walt Weiss
