Drew

Stubbs

Realmuto will get a Sunday breather for the finale against Cleveland. Drew Stubbs will handle catching duties and hit ninth in Realmuto’s absence.

It’s a day of maintenance for Realmuto in the series finale against the Cardinals. The backstop will get a break with Garrett Stubbs handling catching duties and hitting eighth.

Stubbs promised the team he would sign quick and he did. The Reds will reportedly give the former University of Texas star outfielder a $2 million signing bonus.

An elite defensive center fielder with great speed and tons of power, the big question with Stubbs is whether or not he can make consistent contact at the plate. He’s been compared by some to Mike Cameron and could eventually replace the man Cameron was traded for, Ken Griffey Jr., in Cincinnati’s outfield.

Stubbs ended the year hitting .252/.368/.400 with 19 steals in 56 games in the Pioneer League. The University of Texas product doesn’t project as a star offensively, but his defense in center field will likely turn him into a quality regular and the speed makes him fantasy prospect.

Stubbs has four hits in two days since being elevated to the No. 2 spot in the Reds lineup. It’s not the ideal placement of him, but it’s a lot better for his fantasy value than batting sixth or seventh is.

Stubbs singled and hit a two-run double off the center field wall in Saturday’s Cactus League opener against the Indians, finishing the day 2-for-2. He’s aiming for a big 2012 campaign after batting just .243/.321/.364 last season with a major league-leading 205 strikeouts. The speedster did manage to swipe a career-high 40 bases.

The two singles improved Stubbs’ final Cactus League line to .292/.364/.458. However, he finishes with 15 strikeouts in 48 at-bats. Not exactly a positive omen after Stubbs whiffed a staggering, MLB-leading 205 times in 681 trips to the plate last season.

Stubbs’ third home run of the season was a two-run shot off Charlie Morton in the third. The bomb was his second in three games, though the steal was his first since April 27, and just his second since April 20. Hitting only .262/.309/.388, Stubbs still has a ways to go to get his numbers where mixed-league players expect them to be.

We still think the Reds offense functions better with Stubbs leading off and Brandon Phillips in the middle of the order, but that’s not the way it figures to work initially. Stubbs will have less fantasy value if he starts off hitting seventh.