THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

Drew Stubbs is one of those players who can infuriate you one inning and turn you into an unabashed fan the next.

He did it again today.

In the 4th inning at Milwaukee, pitcher Sam Lecure led off with a double to center. Stubbs was the next batter up in a 4-2 ballgame with the Reds in the lead. Stubbs proceeded to strike out on three pitches. He strikes out a lot. But the infuriating thing about this strike out was that Stubbs was caught looking by Milwaukee pitcher Yovani Gallardo. He didn't even offer at the third pitch. To me, that's the most inexcusable out a player can make with a runner in scoring position. You at least have to make an attempt to put the ball in play. Stubbs slinked back to the dugout with Lecure still on second. He got no farther than 3rd base.

Yet, the other Drew Stubbs is the guy who can track down fly balls in center field that not many other players can. The other Drew Stubbs arrived in the 10th inning of a tie game and delivered a solo home run, the difference in a 7-6 Reds win. It was the difference in going 3-3 on this road trip or 2-4.

Yes, I'd like to see Stubbs bunt more. Why that hasn't been a priority with Dusty Baker and his hitting coach, Brook Jacoby is beyond me. As a wise mind like Reds TV broadcast, Chris Welsh said several times last season, if Stubbs would turn 15 of his strike outs into bunt base hits, he'd be a .280 hitter with killer power numbers. But he's also young (and more important to the Reds front office salary cheap). Stubbs upside is enormous, even if his current stock seems stagnant.

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