Colorado Rockies: The Five Best Players of the 2016 Season

No. 5: Trevor Story

With the trade of former fan favorite Troy Tulowitzki to the Toronto Blue Jays last season, there was a sizable hole at the shortstop position. It seemed the hole would be filled by Jose Reyes, the $22 million dollar man.

But then Reyes got himself in trouble in Hawaii by (allegedly) hitting his wife in a hotel room. He was suspended by MLB and he fell out of favor with the organization who decided they wanted no part of him any longer, resulting in his release after his suspension ended.

Story played well in spring training, earning himself the starting job to begin the season. On the field, only his most ardent supporters could have foreseen the impact he would have, both with his bat and with the glove.

Before he broke his thumb sliding into second base, Story played in 97 games. He hit .272, hit a NL rookie shortstop record 27 home runs, had 101 hits and a slugging percentage of .567. In the field, he had some bumps and bruises with 10 errors and a .977 fielding percentage, but at the same time he made some highlight reel plays to highlight his talent.

Prior to his injury Story was a leading candidate for the NL Rookie of the Year award. If he had maintained the same level of performance he would have also been a good candidate for the Rockies MVP.

Furthermore, when he went out of the lineup the Rockies offense took a noticeable dip and the team went from contending for the NL second Wild Card berth to being also-rans once more. His replacements became a platoon between Cristhian Adames and Daniel Descalso, and even though they are serviceable players, they did not have anywhere near the same impact as Story.

Despite missing the last 65 games of the year, Story is a very deserving member on this list.

Next: No. 4: Tyler Chatwood