SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There have been a number of encouraging signs for the Rockies this spring training: right-hander German Marquez’s stuff and demeanor; outfield prospect Michael Tauchman’s power; and righty reliever Jairo Diaz’s white-hot fastball.
But nobody is having a better spring than shortstop Trevor Story, and if he can carry that into the regular season, Colorado’s lineup will become substantially more dangerous.
“I’m happy with where I’m at in the box right now. I feel comfortable and I feel aggressive,” said Story, who’s batting .471 (8-for-17) with four doubles, two triples, a homer and a 1.118 OPS (on base, plus slugging). “I worked hard this offseason on my swing and I think it’s in a good place. I felt good at the end of last season, and I wanted to keep that going.”
Story finished the 2017 season batting .239 with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs, but he came on strong as the Rockies made a run to the postseason. In his final 23 games, Story hit .302 with five homers, eight doubles, two triples and 18 RBIs.
Cactus League statistics, however, can deceive. But in Story’s case, there appears to be truth behind the gaudy numbers.
“The at-bats look very similar to what we saw (toward the end) of last season,” manager Bud Black said Saturday. “By that I mean, controlling the strike zone, and the approach, depending on the situation.”
Last season, Story led the National League with 191 strikeouts, the most in franchise history, and whiffed 38 percent of the time. In this spring’s small sample size, he’s struck out five times (29 percent) with four walks.
“I always want to be aggressive up at the plate, because it puts me in the right mind-set to select pitches,” Story said. “The key is to drive the pitches I want and lay off the others. I feel like, for the most part, I’m doing that right now.”
CarGo update. All-star outfielder Carlos Gonzalez was at the Rockies’ spring training complex Saturday morning to take his physical. Gonzalez and the Rockies have agreed to terms on a one-year, $8 million, free-agent contract, a major-league source confirmed. The contract contains no options, but there will be performance incentives tied into the deal.
The Rockies could officially announce the deal Sunday, but there is no timetable as to when Gonzalez might play in a Cactus League game.
Tinoco’s time. The Rockies cleaned out their big-league clubhouse Saturday, moving a number of players to the minor-league camp. Among the group was 6-foot-4, 225-pound right-hander Jesus Tinoco, who was part of the deadline trade that sent Troy Tulowitzki to Toronto in 2015.
Tinoco’s numbers weren’t pretty — five hits, including two homers, and five earned runs allowed over 3 ⅓ innings. But Black likes the potential of the 22-year-old Venezuelan.
“He’s a big guy and and he’s strong, so there is some potential power to his game,” Black said. “I know that they have done a lot of work on his delivery, to make it consistent and repeatable.”
Tinoco will likely begin the season at Double-A Hartford.
ǴdzٲԴdzٱ. In other moves, the Rockies optioned right-hander Zach Jemiola to Triple-A Albuquerque, and optioned catcher Chris Rabago and outfielder Yonathan Daza to Double-A Hartford. Also, right-hander Peter Lambert, catcher Dom Nuñez and outfielder
Sam Hilliard were reassigned to minor-league camp. … Right-handed reliever Carlos Estevez, nursing a strained left oblique, threw 15 fastballs off the mound Friday. “It felt fine, but we are taking it slow, being cautious,” said Estevez, who’s been limited to one appearance.
