The Royals are reportedly interested in adding a right-handed bat. We've already taken a look at Josh Willingham, Alex Rios, Marlon Byrd, Dayan Viciedo, Justin Ruggiano, and Jonny Gomes, so we continue our scouting reports with Rockies outfielder Drew Stubbs.
The Royals have not been linked to the twenty-nine year old Rockies outfielder, but he could be a sensible addition at not much cost to complement the Royals current outfield corps. Stubbs was acquired by Colorado this past winter from Cleveland for pitcher Josh Outman. He has resurrected his career hitting .302/.338/.517 with 11 HR 29 RBI in 261 plate appearances.
There has never been much doubt Stubbs could hit for power, that's why the Reds originally made him a first round pick out of the University of Texas. Stubbs has had trouble keeping a starting job however because he is a low contact hitter with a low average who strikes out a ton. He led the National League in strikeouts with 205 back in 2011, posting a line of just .243/.321/.364. In six Major League seasons, Stubbs is hitting just .245/.313/.394 with a 29.4% strikeout rate.
Stubbs has improved those numbers, although obviously Coors Field is a big reason why. He is hitting .358/.385/.650 at home and just .229/.277/.343 on the road with nine of his eleven home runs coming in the thin air of Denver. While those home/road splits are worrisome, there is some evidence that inflated numbers at Coors are counteracted by suppressed numbers on the road due to a "hangover effect." So some players don't suffer much of a decline if they are traded from Colorado.
Even if Stubbs' 2014 numbers are not to be believed, he has proven himself as adept at hitting southpaws, regardless of the hitting environment. In his career, Stubbs has a line of .285/.357/.470 against left-handers.
Stubbs can handle all three outfield positions, although he may be a bit stretched in centerfield. He has some speed and can swipe a base. He can walk a bit and has 1.9 rWAR so far this year, after posting barely replacement level WAR in 2012 and 2013. He earns about $1.5 million the remainder of the season and is under team control through next year. The Rockies are in a lost season and are probably looking to sell high on Stubbs with a crowded outfield so they should be motivated sellers. The asking price is not likely to be much in terms of talent, not even a Top 20 prospect would even be necessary to acquire a bat like Stubbs.