SHORTSTOP STORY NOT ALARMED BY EARLY-SEASON STRIKEOUT TOTALS
Trevor Story found himself on the bench to begin Tuesday night’s game against San Diego. The Rockies shortstop opened the season batting just .148 over his first eight games and striking out 12 times in 27 at-bats, an ugly 44 percent of the time.
Manager Bud Black, however, insisted that his primary objective was to get utility infielder Cristhian Adames some playing time, so he gave Adames a start at short. As for Story’s strikeouts, Black is not alarmed, emphasizing that the 2017 season is still in its infancy.
“There are times when players go into a little bit of a funk, and Trevor might be in one right now, but it’s sort of magnified because it’s early in the year,” Black said. “We talked with Trevor over the winter … and he said the walk rate and the strikeout rate were something he would try to improve on.”
Story, who blasted 27 homers in just 97 games last season, is being attacked a little bit differently in the early going this season.
“I have noticed a few more breaking ball in counts where the (pitcher) has the advantage, but nothing too crazy,” Story said.
Story whiffed a lot last season too, even when he exploded on the scene, mashing seven home runs in his first six games. He struck out 11 times in his first 31 at-bats (35 percent). He finished his abbreviated 2016 season striking out in 31.3 percent of his at-bats, second-highest among National League players with 400 or more plate appearances.
Sluggers, of course, can afford to strike out, so long as they hit homers and drive in runs. But so far this season, Story has yet to find his power stroke, with no home runs and no RBIs through the first eight games.
“It’s early, and I’ve missed a lot of pitches that I should have put in play,” Story said. “So I can see my strikeouts going down soon. I’m missing some pitches just a tick, fouling them off. But I think I’m seeing the ball well and I’m really close.”
Billion-dollar Rox.
The Rockies are worth $1 billion, according to Forbes’ annual baseball teams values list released Tuesday. The club’s value was up 16 percent from 2016, when the team was valued at $860 million by the publication. The Rockies also jumped up three spots from No. 26 to No. 23 among Major League Baseball teams.
Despite crossing into the $1 billion realm, the Rockies are still well below the league average of $1.54 billion — a 19 percent increase from the $1.3 billion in 2015.
Forbes credits the league-wide increase to “new local television deals that are increasing at roughly a two-fold rate, surging profitability, and the escalating value of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, the internet and technology arm of MLB.”
The New York Yankees came in at No. 1 again at $3.7 billion, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.75 billion), the Boston Red Sox ($2.7 billion) and the World Series champion Chicago Cubs ($2.68 billion).
Footnotes.
Veteran reliever Chad Qualls (strained right forearm) was scheduled to pitch a rehab game for Triple-A Albuquerque at Reno. Qualls last pitched in a game March 1 during spring training. … San Diego’s Wil Myers hit for the cycle at Coors Field on Monday night, marking the 15th cycle in the history of the ballpark, which opened in 1995. By comparison, Globe Life Park, home of the Texas Rangers, ranks second in the majors with seven cycles since 1995.