Trevor Story: Batting Seventh Shows Rookie’s Growth

Trevor Story proved on Thursday night in Boston that he can hit anywhere in the Colorado Rockies lineup. On Friday in the series opener against the San Francisco Giants, Story will once again have the opportunity to show that little seems to phase him in his rookie season.

Batting seventh for the first time all season, Story belted his 13th homer of the season with a two-run shot over the fabled Green Monster to help the Rockies take the final game of a three-game set over the Red Sox, 8-3.

“That win was big,” Story said. “Boston was hot and playing really well. For us to scratch out that last game was big for us. You never want to get swept and we fought back hard and that showed a lot about our team.”

After batting second for the entirety of his rookie season, Story said he took the move to seventh on Thursday night in order in stride.

“It didn’t really affect me at all, whether hitting two or seven,” Story said. “DJ (LeMahieu) is really good at hitting in the two hole. I think that’s where he’s hit most of his career. Whatever the best lineup is for us to win, I’m all for it.”

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Story said the Rockies were looking for a jolt to an offense that had recorded just three runs in each of its last three games prior to Thursday’s victory. The move also helped invigorate Story, who struck out five times in the Red Sox series and 14 times overall in the nine-game road trip.

“Walt told me we were trying to mix it up,” Story said. “Our offense was standing still so he was just trying to mix things up and try to spark things a little bit.”

“Our offense was going OK but it stalled a little bit on the road trip,” Colorado manager Walt Weiss added. “When that happens, I look for ways to give it a spark. Especially on the road, I’ll try to manufacture and little more and create. DJ helps me do that in that two hole.”

Neither Weiss nor Story looked at the move down the lineup as a demotion. Rather, it was a testament to the growth that the shortstop has shown in his inaugural season. Weiss believes he’s shown the poise at the plate to no longer need a slugger like Carlos Gonzalez protecting him in the lineup.

“With CarGo hitting behind him, that was one of the big reasons why I put him the two hole early on,” Weiss said. “It’s the most protected spot in the lineup. He’s showing that he can handle the ups and downs that any offensive player or any player goes through. I feel the freedom to move him around a little bit.

“Trevor being down there always lengthens the lineup. We saw that last night. He’s not going to stay there. I’m sure he’ll be back in the two hole or elsewhere at some point but it looked pretty good last night.”

The ability to move Story in the lineup always was a tip of the cap to LeMahieu’s versatility and strengths at the plate.

“DJ has been that piece that I feel I can move anywhere in the lineup because he handles the bat, he’s a tough out, he can get on base, or he can play the situational game,” Weiss explained. “He’s a tough out and that works anywhere in the lineup.”

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Trevor Story was happy with the win, but always walked out of Fenway Park with a memory that will last a lifetime.

“It was awesome. It was an unbelievable experience to play there,” Story said. “I grew up dreaming about going there and playing there and I finally got to do it. To hit a home run over the Monster was kind of a bucket list thing for me. It was a real special moment.”