Trevor Story is something special, and at only age 27, he continues to cement himself into the record books and Rockies history. Nick Groke writes about Story’s night in the spotlight after hitting his 100th (and 101st) career home run, the amazing progression of his career, and how he, his teammates, and manager feel about the young star’s style of play.
Trevor is pretty unique to baseball as far as his athletic abilities playing up the middle. He is literally one of the fastest guys in baseball, arguably plays gold glove worthy defense, and is elite when it comes to his power. Just take a look at this tweet from Thomas Harding:
.@Statcast: Longest avg. HR distance, since 2016
— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) May 25, 2019
(https://t.co/R46ezW54Yp)
Min. 75 tracked HR (53 hitters)
1. Trevor Story, #Rockies: 417 ct
2. Giancarlo Stanton #Yankees: 415
3. Joey Gallo #Rangers: 414
4-T. Gary Sanchez #Yankees, Nelson Cruz #Twins: 412
When it comes to “pop,” that’s quite a list of names to be associated with. Like Bud Black says, “The emergence of the total player is right there in front of us,” and Trevor is already well on his way to becoming a perennial All-star and MVP candidate. With Nolan at third, the Rockies easily have one of the best left sides of the infield in baseball for years to come.
Colorado Rockies: Rotation issues must be solved from within | Rox Pile
Jake Shapiro has more on the Rockies rotation’s dreadful start to the year and the biggest culprit so far, Kyle Freeland. There’s a lot of baseball left this season and time to figure things out, but Jake argues that if the Rockies want to jump back into playoff contention, they’ll need to rely on their internal options (dropping names like Chi Chi Gonzalez, Peter Lambert, and even Jorge De La Rosa) instead of the “easy solution” of signing one of the biggest remaining free-agents, Dallas Keuchel.
BSN Exclusive: Charlie Blackmon on modern baseball breaking hundred-year-old truths | BSN Denver ($)
As Drew Creasman explains, it’s getting harder and harder to hit a baseball in the major leagues. Freak athletes, advanced technology, and immense amounts of data have put hitters at a distinct disadvantage, and even Charlie Blackmon is well aware of it. According to Chuck, the concept of plate discipline is even at risk in this new era of baseball since hitters have to be ready and willing to swing at any pitch in any count. Drew writes it more eloquently, but the game is obviously changing, and players need to be ready to adapt.
Arenado launches 200th career homer | MLB.com
I’m sure you didn’t miss it, but in case you did, Nolan Arenado hit his 200th career home run yesterday just a day after Trevor Story hit the 100 HR milestone. It was a thing of beauty in part because it was a lazer—a majestic frozen rope—but also because of Nolan’s swing and bat speed. It was a solid six inches inside the plate and Nolan turned on it like Benedict Arnold. It was classic #NolanBeingNolan, and another highlight reel moment in purple.
Colorado Rockies: Injury update on Charlie Blackmon | Rox Pile
Kevin Henry has an injury update on Charlie Blackmon from Rockies skipper Bud Black, and it’s mostly positive. He drops the dreaded “no timetable for his return” phrase, but more importantly states that Chuck is already feeling better and his activity level has stepped up.
Blackmon would be a huge loss for the Rockies right now as they grapple to stay relevant in the NL West. He has one of the hottest bats on the team following a slow start, and is slashing .341/.400/.705 since April 16th. In that span he has reached base safely in 29 of 30 games and smacked 24 extra-base hits, including ten home runs.
With Chuck, Nolan, and Trevor all destroying the ball of late, it’s only a matter of getting the pitching staff right before the Rockies will be a force to be reckoned for the remainder of the season.
On the farm
The Yonathan Daza and Pat Valaika Show continued for the ‘Topes, with Daza collecting three more hits and Patty Barrels blasting his 12th Triple-A home run of the season, and Chris Rusin pitched three scoreless innings for the Goats in his rehab assignment.
Riley Pint hit another speed bump in his comeback story out of the bullpen by blowing a save for the Tourists while walking two batters in 0.2 innings pitched.
Triple-A: Sacramento River Cats 10, Albuquerque Isotopes 6 | MiLB.com
Double-A: Hartford Yard Goats 5, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4 | MiLB.com
High-A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4, Lancaster JetHawks 3 | MiLB.com