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

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.

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