From the free side of Baseball Prospectus…they’re confused about Drew Stubbs and concerned about Edinson Volquez:
First….about Drew Stubbs:
Just confusing
Drew Stubbs, OF, Reds (Triple-A Louisville)
Monday’s stats: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
So the Reds keep throwing Willy Taveras out in center field pretty much every day, despite the fact that he’s pulling off the rare double threat of both an on-base percentage and slugging percentage under .300. Meanwhile, Stubbs is now batting .281/.370/.375 at Triple-A, and his numbers are brought down by a June slump. He’s nearly as fast as Taveras, a better basestealer (42-for-49 in his attempts), and arguably the best defensive center fielder in the minor leagues. Basically, he’s just a flat-out better baseball player on every level and deserves a shot.
Then, about Edinson Volquez:
Edinson Volquez (10/4)
Scott Rolen (8/5)
It was a busy day for surgeons, as Tim Kremchek had to go into Volquez’s elbow. As expected, Volquez had a torn UCL, which was replaced in a Tommy John procedure. What wasn’t expected was the flexor mass problem that was revealed, which multiple sources described as either “shredded” or “ruptured.” The Reds say they expect Volquez back in 12 months, a very specific timetable which surprised many Reds watchers. Normally, the Reds estimate 9-12 months, so was the full 12 an indication of thinking that the flexor issue would keep him from hitting the aggressive end of the timetable, or is itâ€â€as I thinkâ€â€that 12 is the best-case scenario, and that they didn’t want to give an even more conservative estimate? For all intents Volquez is done for 2010, but he’s young enough to correct his mechanics and come back well. The Reds are also keeping a close eye on Scott Rolen after taking a hard shot to the head. He was held out since he was still having some symptoms. The team will continue to hold him out as long as symptoms are there, but they don’t think he’ll be out long.