The Reds Hall of Fame, sponsored by Dinsmore, unveils its 2024 Signature Series. A former Reds player will greet fans and sign autographs in the Williams Family Champions Gallery within the Reds Hall of Fame and at the Hall of Fame Shop in the First Star Fan Zone during a few home games this season.
Drew Stubbs returns to the Reds this coming weekend. Stubbs played outfield with the Reds from 2009 to 2012, when they won the National League Central Division in 2010 and 2011. Throughout his four seasons with the Reds, Stubbs swiped 110 bases and hit 59 home runs because to his potent mix of speed and power. From 2010 to 2012, Stubbs led the team in stolen bases every season and placed in the top 10 in thefts each of those seasons.
Stubbs talked with the Reds before his visit about his playing days in Cincinnati, his life in Austin, Texas, after retirement, and a host of other topics.
To improve clarity, this interview has been modified.
What is the first thing that springs to mind and what memories of your time in Cincinnati do you have the fondest?
Throughout my career, I ended up playing for seven different companies, and I’m sometimes asked which was my favorite stop. It’s a really simple response for me because, in Cincinnati—I’m not sure this is the case with every team—I felt like the Reds treated a lot of us like family, including myself and many of the players who were homegrown inside the organization and made the league at around the same time. I, Jay Bruce, Zack Cozart, Joey Votto, Mike Leake, Johnny Cueto, Devin Mesoraco, and a long list of others are included if you go back to around 2008–2010.
For a great many of us, it was our first time and we were young. The most memorable experience I had was playing in the Majors for the first time, especially on a team with a lot of young players and excitement. The team had not been performing well for some time before we intervened, winning the division in 2010 and 2012 and fielding a strong squad in 2011. Therefore, when I reflect on my Major League career, those were some of the most memorable years for me.
Do you have any remaining contact with teammates from those previous Reds ballclubs?
I haven’t played the game in almost six years. Many of the players I previously listed have also left the game. You start by putting your feet down and determining what your possible next steps are, and then you begin to turn around. My daily life is outside of baseball, as I told the Reds last year when I visited them for the first time. However, it would be great to have an excuse to visit, as I am this weekend, or to catch up with some of the guys once, twice, or more a year. Paul Janish and Bruce were two of the boys that grew up together.
because then, we’ve had several reasons to get together and do things because we’re all native Texans. I had a buddy in college named Sam LeCure. He’s a big celebrity now days, doing Reds TV stuff, and I still keep in touch with him. Cozart, Mesoraco, and Chris Heisey. Frazier and I spoke the other day. Every now and then, something will come up that makes you think of something we did together, or you could watch something on TV about someone, and that’s just another excuse to go back and catch up. We got along well with a number of people who were outstanding players and enjoyable teammates.
I believe that the baseball style played by the current Reds squad would have been a wonderful fit for your skill set. What about this new round of boys has most pleased you?
When Bronson Arroyo was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in July, I visited the stadium for the first time and got to meet many familiar faces in the front office, locker rooms, and other areas without having to face an opponent. I also hadn’t laid eyes on several of the young males before. You’re accurate that base-stealing and defensive positioning have become more prevalent in today’s game due to its growth, and both were key components of my strategy. They have a few really gifted and physically fit guys. I believe I’d be true in stating that a large portion of the fan base and media did not anticipate them to push as hard as they did the previous year.
and I believe it proves that baseball is all about what you can do right now—it doesn’t care how long you’ve been around or what you’ve accomplished.
It was evident from watching them during the middle and end of last year that they were playing because they loved the game and playing with each other. I know David Bell and his staff did a tremendous job developing those players and putting them up for success once they got up there. Additionally, there’s a certain thrill involved in doing anything for the first or second time as opposed to later in your career since you’re starting from scratch and haven’t been affected by anything. All you’re doing is being delighted to be there and to help.
To what extent do you believe this new baseball era would have benefitted you personally?
Although it’s difficult to estimate what the statistics would be, I do know that it would be advantageous for anyone trying to steal bases and be aggressive on the basepaths. It’s always going to be getting better for the player with how you’re playing, but you can’t really look back and wish what it would have been like. I can’t tell you how many conversations I had with guys who were a generation ahead of me thinking, “If I had this or that or made the money you guys did.”
paid or what is permitted under the regulations. The pitchers might not like it, but as a base stealer who relied heavily on his legs throughout his game, I can honestly say that it would have been much more enjoyable if the regulations had been in place while I was playing.
What about spending this weekend in Cincinnati and returning to the ballpark excites you the most?
My life revolved on baseball and/or athletics from the age of six until around thirty-three. The only thing on your mind is how I can improve as a baseball player, especially throughout my college years. Then that vanishes. Thus, anything you put your whole yourself into kind of
fades, and you go on to raise a family and even launch a new business in a different sector. The best part of returning for me is seeing many of the same people who have been there for a very long time and who helped create memorable moments for me in the front office and around the stadium. to get to know them, see the adoring supporters, and even run into members of the coaching staff from back then. further to simply being in the ballpark’s vicinity.
Now that I live in Austin, I occasionally take my kids to University of Texas games, but beyond from that, I don’t regularly visit major league baseballparks. This is a fantastic chance for me to rediscover the sensation of doing what I done for a long time.
Since you retired, what have you been doing?
2018 saw my official retirement in the spring. I was searching for a good opportunity to advance in my work. I continued to feel well and capable of playing. But I didn’t want to merely keep spinning my wheels. We were going to have our first kid, and it seemed like the proper moment. Her sixth birthday was only a few weeks ago. Our son is three and a half years old. After my playing days, being able to visit every day has been fantastic. I have been employed by a commercial title business for almost three and a half years now.
While I was playing, I just so happened to be an investor in a number of commercial real estate transactions in and around Austin. I’ve now moved into this industry to begin the second or third chapter, whichever you want to call it, of my life. That’s basically how I live my life now. I’m also making an effort to play as much golf as I can as a pastime. That has somewhat replaced the competitive spirit I lost when I stopped playing baseball.
Although being a Major League baseball player is not something most kids get to boast about their dad, baseball doesn’t define who you are. When do you think your children will be able to comprehend your line of work?
A few of my more senior teammates had children who were old enough to watch their dad play in the clubhouse either before or after the game. You have to make a compromise. Do you wait or do you start your family early and forfeit part of your spare or social time? We simply waited till after it was finished for me. When I took my children up in July of last year, it was the first time they had spent a few days engaged in activities like going to a game, playing on the field, and so on.
Perhaps they are at an age when they are beginning to comprehend, but fortunately, all media will be easily accessible for them to view highlights, whether it YouTube or anything else. They will view some of my memorabilia that is scattered about the house, and I or my spouse can show them images of it through videos. After that, take them to a game so they may experience the sights, sounds, and emotions associated with being at a stadium and, ideally, begin to comprehend that.
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