Colorado Rockies prospect Trevor Story has been considered to be their shortstop of the future. He showed way last night.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story bursted onto the scene during Spring Training to put him on the map as the Rockies true replacement for Troy Tulowitzki, who they traded away to the Blue Jays at last year’s trade deadline. The 23 year-old shortstop hit an impressive .340 with 6 hime runs in only 20 games during spring training and won the team’s Abby Greer award, which recognizes the most valuable Rockies player during spring training. This breakout performance could not come at a better time for the rookie with the shortstop spot open because of the legal situation that Jose Reyes was facing.
Story ultimately made the the opening day roster for the Rockies as the team’s starting shortstop and he didn’t disappoint in the opening game of the season. In his major league debut, he went 2-6 with both hits being home runs, while also collecting 4 of the team’s 10 RBI’s. This was certainly a great start to his major league career and while many people will discredit the effect that Spring Training has on the way a player performs during the regular season, there is no doubt that Story was coming into the season with some major positive momentum. The main questions now are can Story continue producing at a high level throughout the season, and if he does, what do the Rockies do when Reyes comes back to the club now that his domestic violence charges have been dropped?
Well to address the first question, people shouldn’t consider what Story is doing a fluke. Story came into the season rated as the 11th best prospect in the Rockies farm system, and while that may be a little low to consider Story a high-level prospect, he has produced very well at the minor league level. In 2015, he spent time at both Double-A and Triple-A, finishing the year with 20 homer and a .350 on-base percentage. Story had also finished the past four seasons in the minor leagues by hitting double digit home runs. While many minor leaguers have their power projected at the next level, Story has been producing power numbers that you don’t see from many young shortstops.
The main weakness that the former 45th overall pick has in his game is that he has posted fairly high strikeout numbers in his career thus far. However, this is not uncommon for most star power hitters at the major league level and he’s also been able to counterbalance the strikeouts by drawing enough walks to have a solid on-base percentage. Overall, Story is a young player that still can grow, but as you could see on opening day, he has the type of power that could make him a real game changer at the next level.
If Story continues to produce, the Rockies face a difficult situation with Reyes coming back to the team. Even though Rockies manager Walt Weiss stated that Story would be the starting shortstop for the club at the end of spring training, Colorado would be paying Reyes a whole lot of money to sit on the bench. However, Story has seemingly impressed the entire organization with his recent play. Rockies General Manager Jeff Bridich had this to say about what type of player Story is and why he’s been so successful.
"“One of the reasons he’s doing so well is that he’s taking every at-bat one at a time, a day at a time,” Bridich said. “He’s showing everybody just how talented he is, the type of talent that we’ve seen out of him for many years.”"
With team management seeming to be on his side, Story will get ample opportunities to continue to prove that he is the Rockies shortstop of the future. In terms of what the team should do with Reyes; there probably won’t be a market for him because of his age and large contract in addition to his recent legal troubles. However, the Rockies are probably doing the right thing by supporting their young shortstop because this will make him only more confident and give him the feeling that he can play without having to look over his shoulder. It might not be a great financial move to have Reyes sit on the bench, but for a team that looks to be a little bit away from becoming a contender, allowing young players like Story to grow is certainly the right move, especially when they are performing as well as Story is.
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