Colorado Rockies: A Mile High history of shortstops from Weiss to Story

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SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 8: Manager Walt Weiss #22 of the Colorado Rockies looks on before a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 8, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

The Colorado Rockies have implored many shortstops throughout their clubs history. From Walt Weiss in the nineties to Trevor Story today, and everyone in between, the position has been brought with talent.

Our friends over at SoDo Mojo, the FanSided site for the Seattle Mariners, recently looked in at the history of center fielders in the Mariners organization so, in a similar exercise, we have decided to look at the history at some positions for the Rockies. First off will be shortstop.

Twenty-two names have stepped through the hallowed walls of both Mile High Stadium and Coors Field, bringing with them their unique skillset. Some have merely window shopped, while others remain some of the best to grace the diamond in a Rockies uniform.

The inaugural season for Colorado was fun for the city of Denver. Baseball arrived with a vengeance and has become a staple of ‘LoDo.’ The teams’ first shortstop, Vinny Castilla, became a hero in Rockies lore, someone all fans came to love and adore throughout his many years in Denver.

The earlier days

Castilla was selected by the Rockies in the 1992 expansion draft, from the Atlanta Braves. It took a couple of years for Castilla to gain his footing in the majors. In 1995, in his second season in which he had been playing third base instead of shortstop and the clubs first playoff appearance in its short history, he slashed .309/.347/.564 with 32 home runs and 90 RBI. From then on in his Rockies career, Castilla became a monster.

DENVER – MAY 31: Vinny Castilla #99 of the Colorado Rockies coaches first base against the San Diego Padres during MLB action at Coors Field on May 31, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The Padres defeated the Rockies 5-2. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

In his seven-year career in Colorado, Castilla posted a .299/.342/.530 slash line, hit 203 home runs and finished with a .872 OPS. Regarding why he is the primary name to kick off this list, Castilla played 104 games at shortstop before transitioning over to third base, and will always remain one of the greatest to don a Rockies uniform.

Walt Weiss takes the cake as the next well known Blake Street Bomber. Signed as a free agent following the 1993 season, Weiss manned the six hole from 1994-97. Over that span, Weiss slashed .266/.375/.347.

Somehow Weiss never posted eye-popping numbers but remained one of the more well-known names of the 90’s Rockies. Weiss would return to Colorado as the teams’ manager from 2013-16, finishing with a paltry .437 win percentage. Nonetheless, when fans think the Rockies they think Weiss.

Falling into this time frame too is Neifi Perez. Perez did not take over as the primary shortstop in Colorado until 1998. Signed before the teams the first year, he spent a decade with the Rockies. Between 1996-00, Perez slashed .279/.311/.405 with a .717 OPS. In 1997, Perez finished 11th in National League Rookie of the Year voting, slashing .291/.333/.444.

In the year 2000, towards the tail end of his Rockies career, Perez won a Gold Glove, beating out New York Mets shortstop Rey Ordonez, who was coming off three straight Gold Glove’s himself at shortstop. The stage to his lengthy major league career would be set in Colorado, and when you talk to longtime Rockies fans, Perez is still one of the talked about players in the clubs history.

DENVER – JULY 18: Shortstop Juan Uribe #4 of the Colorado Rockies watches the flight of the ball during the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 18, 2002 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies won 6-4. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /

Moving in the right direction

The early-to-mid 2000s saw the Rockies platoon many players at the position. Between 2002-06, there were eight different options the franchise deployed. Some of the more well known early options included Juan Uribe and Tony Womack between 2001-03, Royce Clayton in 2004, Omar Quintanilla from 2005-10, Jonathan Herrera from 2006-13, and finally homegrown hero Troy Tulowitzki from 2006-15.

Uribe’s first three years in the league consisted of shortstop. Uribe finished with a career .258/.298/.408 slash line with Colorado, and because the team was so bad during that time, Uribe shifted to one of the better-known faces of the franchise despite lackluster production. Womack was terrific in the late nineties but was downright dreadful for Colorado. He played just 21 games for the Rockies, batting just .190 before the team shipped him to the Cubs.

Clayton played a full season for the Rockies, slashed .279/.338/.397, registering double-digit stolen bases. Despite below-average production, Clayton still posted a 1.2 WAR. After one season, the club released him and Clayton signed in Arizona.

Quintanilla and Herrera never amounted to anything but platoon options, however, managed to produce somehow enough to stick around. Herrera would not find solid production until his final year in purple, slashing .292/.336/.364 with a respectable 11.2% strikeout rate. One of the crowning moments of Herrera’s career came when he took then Arizona Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin deep for a solo home run.

DENVER, CO – JUNE 23: Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki #2 of the Colorado Rockies throws out a runner against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on June 23, 2015 in Denver, Colorado. The Rockies defeated the Diamondbacks 10-5. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) /

Finally getting it right

A long history of trying to get it right finally came to fruition when the Rockies drafted a young kid out of Long Beach State. He would begin to turn the team around and change the course of Colorado sports lore as we all know it forever.

Troy Tulowitzki became a staple, an icon, for the Rockies. He would earn the nickname ‘Tulo’ and became one of the faces of the franchise. At 21 years of age, Tulowitzki appeared in 25 games in ’06. He slashed a porous .240/.318/.292 with a home run and six RBI.

In 2007, still considered a rookie, Tulowitzki played 155 games, recorded 609 at-bats, slashed .291/.359/.479 with 24 home runs and 99 RBI, and finished only behind Milwaukee Brewers’ Ryan Braun for National League Rookie of the Year. That year the Rockies made a magical run to the World Series, as Tulowitzki would find himself as an integral part of that team, and would only continue to get better.

His next five years in Colorado, Tulowitzki slashed .295/.367/.521. He averaged 21 home runs per season, only a 14.4% strikeout rate, along with a .380 wOBA and 124 wRC+. In 2009 and 2010, Tulowitzki finished fifth in MVP voting; in 2010 and 2011 an All-Star, Gold Glove, and Silver Slugger winner. Unfortunately, Tulowitzki was plagued with many injuries, and in 2015, the team traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package which included once All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes.

Reyes played just 47 games in a Rockies uniform before the club designated him for assignment.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 20: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies poses during MLB Photo Day on February 20, 2019 at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /

The present and future

In need of a staple shortstop, the team gave Trevor Story a non-roster invite to Spring Training at the beginning of the 2016 season. Earning the opportunity after making the Opening Day roster, Story had himself one heck of a rookie season, before his year was derailed with an injury.

During that first year, Story played in 97 games. He slashed .272/.341/.567 with a ridiculous 27 home runs and 72 RBI. The young star’s career kicked off with a bang, as on Opening Day he launched not just one but two home runs off Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke. It would only be the beginning.

While 2017 was a down year for Story, last season, he rebounded nicely and in a significant way. He missed only five games the whole year and posted 37 home runs with 108 RBI. Story also stole 27 bases and slashed .291/.348/.567. Most impressively, he produced a .384 wOBA and 127 wRC+. It was good enough for an even 5.0 WAR. In just his third season, Story finished as a top-20 offensive producer will only continue to get better.

Currently, Story is the future at shortstop for the Rockies. He is not a free agent until 2022 and will most certainly be the next name in line for an extension. Brendan Rodgers is on his way to the Show, and the team also has both Colton Welker and Garrett Hampson, who himself saw time with the big league club last season, waiting in the wings.

Next. How the Bryce Harper signing changes the Colorado Rockies outlook on the 2019 season. dark

Only time will tell for what is next; however, the future is bright for Colorado at the shortstop position. Moving forward fans can enjoy the depth of the situation for many years to come while enjoying the production from so many of the clubs young guys. It is an excellent time to be a Rockies fan.

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