The time away helped. After playing sporadically in the Majors, and not performing well enough to justify the opportunities he received, Stubbs struggled with strikeouts immediately after the demotion. But he built up to .263 with a .376 on-base percentage, two home runs, four doubles and three triples at Albuquerque.
"It was a big snowball for me," said Stubbs, who will be eligible for free agency after the season, provided he stays in the Majors. "I felt like every fastball, regardless of velocity, was on top of me. Things got magnified. You lose confidence. You lose timing at the plate.