Colorado Rockies: The top 25 players under 25 years old

1 Trevor Story

No shortstop in baseball has hit as many homers since the start of the 2016 season as the 25-year-old. Sure, he led MLB in strikeouts last year but he has plus-plus power for a middle infielder and he’s come into his own at the game’s toughest defensive position.

He saved 11 runs more than the average shortstop and only committed 11 errors in 1185.1 defensive innings. Many wrote Story off and said he had a down year … which is true in a way. He struggled with strikeouts all year and his first six weeks were a mess. But he came on strong in the second half and he turned into a legitimate clean-up hitter against left-handed pitching.

If 82 RBI from a well-defending shortstop qualifies as a down year, it says a lot about how good Story can be if he puts it all together.  Even so, Story provides much needed pop to a Rockies lineup that badly needs the power.

Sure, Rodgers is knocking down his door but if you can’t see it with Story, I can’t help you. Story is already a valuable MLB shortstop with room to grow. He is already good and has the potential to be better.

Could Marquez be in this spot on the list? Sure, but Story has done essentially what Marquez has over the course of a longer period.

Next: Why this writer is picking Jon Gray to win the Cy Young Award

It’s easy to get frustrated with Story given the strikeouts and he being the replacement for one of the best shortstops in the history of baseball during his peak in Troy Tulowitzki, but you should not write off Story. He’s not going to let you.