The Beginning
Photo Credit: Dan Cepeda/Star Tribune
In the 2011 draft, The Colorado Rockies drafted an 18-year old shortstop/pitcher named Trevor Story from Irving, Texas with the 45th overall pick. He spent his first year with Casper Ghosts in the Pioneer Rookie League, where he hit .268/6/28 over 47 games.
Two years later, before heading to Class-A Modesta in 2014 and spending some time in Double-A Tulsa and the Arizona Fall League, he got a call from Rockies All-Star and Gold Glove shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Tulowitzki invited him to off-season workouts in Las Vegas, instilling a worth ethic and the drive to be the best.
Story recalls in an interview with Thomas Harding of MLB.com,
“It was a real long day. We worked out two or three times, then we hit in the batting cage at 11 that night. On the ride home, he asked me if he thought anybody else in baseball did anything more than we did. I said, ‘I don’t think anybody did anything close to what we did today.’ He said that’s how you work to be the best.”
The ground work had been laid by the shortstop that he is now being compared. In 2015, he split time between Double-A affiliate New Britain and Triple-A Albuquerque, playing in a combined 130 games and collecting 20 home runs and 80 RBI. He has progressed each year, continuing his upward trend through the minor league ranks.
The Trade
At last year’s trade deadline, the Rockies traded long-time and beloved shortstop Tulowitzki, along with reliever LaTroy Hawkins, to the Toronto Blue Jays, for Jose Reyes and three pitching prospects: Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro and Jesus Tinoco. Although many Rockies fans and Tulowitzki himself were shocked at the news, it made sense for both sides. Toronto got better defensively in their quest to end their long-standing 21-year playoff drought. The Rockies freed up money and, sitting in the basement of the National League West at 43-55, were able to stock up on young arms, which are difficult to lure to hitter friendly Coors field.
Fast forward to this off-season when Jose Reyes was arrested in Maui on October 31st on domestic abuse charges for allegedly grabbing his wife by the throat and shoving her into a sliding glass door of their hotel room. This past February, Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Reyes with pay while Reyes awaited his April 4th trial date. Trevor Story’s time was coming sooner than later.
The Rest is History
Credit: Christian Petersen
Trevor Story is making Major League history.
He debuted April 4th, 2016, hitting a home run in his second Major League plate appearance off Zack Greinke in the top of the third inning; pretty impressive for any rookie. Then he did it again in the top of the fourth. This made him the first player in history to celebrate an Opening Day Major League debut with two home runs. Not bad for a guy most had slated to start in Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Trevor Story has donated his helmet and batting gloves from his debut series to the @BaseballHall. pic.twitter.com/yeeICxf8Kt
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 7, 2016
His fairy tale would continue the next day, when his lone hit of the day left Chase Field in the fourth inning off of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller, travelling some 436 feet.
He capped off the three game series against the Diamondbacks without discrimination, belting a fourth home run in the first inning off of Patrick Corbin in a 4-3 win. Shortly thereafter, only having been in the majors for 3-days, he found himself immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame after donating his helmet and batting gloves from the series to commemorate his historic milestone.
No one could have forecast a 45th overall draft pick out of Irving, Texas in 2011 would be making Major League Baseball history in such short order.
Although, he was not done. After having a day off and opening up their home-stand in Colorado against the San Diego Padres, he belted two more home runs, one off Colin Rea in the fourth and the second one in the bottom of the ninth off of Ryan Buchter.
Story has managed to hit six home runs in four games. He happens to be, according to Elias Sports Bureau, the only player in a hundred years to homer in each of his first four games. Let’s put that in perspective. Barry Bonds, who hit 73-homeruns in a season, did not do it. Hall of Fame slugger Hank Aaron did not do it. Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Ken Griffey, Jr. never did it. Don’t get me wrong, I am not inducting Story into the Hall of Fame. However, in a sport so statistically rich in unbelievable feats, a 56-game hitting streak, batting over .400 in a season, he has created one that until yesterday had not been accomplished.
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The Streak Ends: Future Looks Bright
It was inevitable. All good things must come to an end. Saturday night, Story’s only hit was a single late in the game. He is batting .333 with six home runs and eleven RBI, with no errors to start this young season. Colorado, in the midst of this incredible streak, seemed to have found their heir at shortstop to replace the defense they lost with the departure of Tulowitzki and the offense they lost with the trade of Corey Dickerson to the Tampa Bay Rays. This story looks to have a happy ending.
