The Texas Rangers picked veteran MLB outfielder Drew Stubbs up this August after he was released by the Colorado Rockies. Few could have expected Texas to keep Stubbs around once his contract expired, but the Rangers have indeed signed the free agent to a minor league contract, per MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Stubbs will receive $1.5 million if he makes Texas’ major league roster.
Stubbs had a rather strong 2014 campaign in Colorado, posting a career-best slash line of .289/.339/.482. However, he has struggled mightily to back that up and has been relegated to the bench of late as a result.
It got so bad with the Rockies that Stubbs was designated for assignment by the team and eventually released. He then started his stint with the Rangers in the minors before being promoted in September, when he proceeded to bat .095 in 27 games.
For someone who’s such a threat to steal bases when he does reach safely, Stubbs has had poor plate discipline throughout his career. Absent any significant power to justify the high strikeout rate, Stubbs has his work cut out for him to integrate with Texas as more than a situational role player.
Although Stubbs is an asset in the outfield thanks to his unique speed, the 31-year-old is becoming an increasing liability at the dish, batting just .195 in 2015.
The Rangers appear to be retaining Stubbs as an occasional defensive specialist with the hope his prolonged hitting slump won’t persist this year and beyond.
If Stubbs can’t take better cuts in the batter’s box, he may well be out of baseball before long.
This isn’t a long-term commitment by Texas to bring Stubbs back and hardly costs the club anything. It’s a potential low-risk, high-reward acquisition should Stubbs return to his 2014 form.
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