Drew Stubbs(notes) managed to hit eight homers and steal 10 bases in just 42 games with Cincinnati last season, and he followed that performance with a solid spring (.300 AVG, 5 HR, 3 SB in 60 at-bats). He made nearly everyone’s sleeper list for 2010. We promised you 40-steal speed and a hint of power. Stubbs was going to hit leadoff, ahead of Joey Votto(notes) and Brandon Phillips(notes). The setup was excellent, we said.
And you bought it.
And then on opening day, Chris Dickerson(notes) was playing centerfield for the Reds and batting first. Stubbs had the little "x" next to his name on your team page, not the expected ^.
The reason, his manager later explained, was simply that Dickerson had experienced a (very) small measure of success against Chris Carpenter(notes), the pitcher who opposed the Reds on Monday. This from the team’s Website:
This does not mean it’s going to be a platoon situation in center field, according to Baker.
"It’s mostly Carpenter," Baker said. "There are other matchups, too. Some pitchers get righties out better than lefties. Some get lefties out better than righties. Dickerson is the about the only one – him and Joey [Votto] – that hit Carpenter."
Prior to opening day, Dickerson was 5-for-10 against Carpenter (all singles). "I’ve gotten lucky," Dickerson told MLB.com. "I haven’t hit him too hard." He is now 5-for-13 against Carpenter, so the luck may have run out.
Anyway, the important takeaway here is that Stubbs may occasionally sit, but he’s not in a strict platoon. Dusty did you a favor on Monday, considering the opponent. Stubbs entered the game late and went 2-for-2 with a run scored and an RBI. Don’t panic. Everyone likes to make transactions, but please try to remain calm.
—
Photo via AP Images