Fansided

Battle of the shortstops: Trevor Story vs. Fernando Tatis Jr.

By Daniel Wettstein II |
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 28: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies throws a runner out during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 28, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 3-2. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - JULY 28: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies throws a runner out during a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on July 28, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds won 3-2. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
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DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 31: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies is congratulated by Charlie Blackmon #19 after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on July 31, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 31: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies is congratulated by Charlie Blackmon #19 after hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Coors Field on July 31, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

This past weekend, an idea was hatched after seeing the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres shortstops.

We all here in Colorado got to enjoy our Colorado Rockies continue their torrid streak to begin the 2020 season this past weekend, where the Rox and their homegrown rotation may have even ratcheted up the dominance. However, the player I believe who caught the eye of all was a position player who is criminally underrated.

The idea for this “story” hit me at this moment: I even have receipts on this very lightbulb moment:

But to be clear, it wasn’t just because I dig the long ball (even though we all do). It is because this game, no matter how disappointing the ending was, was a statement game for Trevor Story and the best left-side of the infield in Major League Baseball. They did everything as you can see here:

This though is not their case. This is going to be a deep dive into the case for Story himself and why he deserves all that has been handed to the second-generation star who resides in the same division, Fernando Tatis Jr., otherwise known as the player who burst our bubbles for a night for one moment.

DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 31: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates as he crosses the plate after hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 31, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 31: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres celebrates as he crosses the plate after hitting a solo home run in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 31, 2020, in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Fernando Tatis, Jr. had a moment but he’s not better than the Rockies’ Trevor Story.

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I’m glad he enjoyed his moment, pictured above. This was his second homer of the shortened 2020 campaign, while Story matched that total in this series alone. And Story just kept bringing the highlights throughout the weekend.

He finished the series 5-for-11 with a pair of home runs and RBI, plus four runs. That’s all on offense and doesn’t mention at least four defensive plays that deserve SportsCenter Top 10 status.

The entire weekend, however, was a cacophony of praise for his counterpart … the one of a whole 93 games played. Even Jenny Cavnar and Cory Sullivan of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain couldn’t help themselves during the pregame show for the Friday night Home Opener at Coors Field.

I get it, the shiny new toy gets the most playtime, ask Sheriff Woody. This, however, should not shroud your view of the greatness that resides at 20th and Blake. And no, I don’t mean the view from and beyond that behemoth of a scoreboard in left either.

I know a lot of people will cite the number of games played by Tatis against me as this being an unfair argument. So I will concentrate on Story’s rookie year of 2016 and Statcast from Baseball Savant to even things out.

DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 15: The Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 15, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
DENVER, COLORADO – JULY 15: The Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 15, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) /

Each of their rookie seasons was very similar to one another.

Below is a comparison of Story’s (2016) and Tatis, Jr.’s (2019) rookie years:

As you can see, they had almost identical rookies seasons, with both being cut far too short due to injury. Even with that being the case, they still both ended up in the top four of Rookie of the Year voting.

So you would be thinking we will be splitting hairs … and when you simply look at offensive numbers, you would appear to be right. But when you start to mix in defensive numbers, no matter if you use standard metrics or advanced stats, Story shines.

Standard metric comparison of Trevor Story and Fernando Tatis Jr. 2019 seasons (numbers from Baseball-Reference):


That’s right. In 61 fewer games, Story had 10 fewer errors. If you want advanced stats, Story had a 90% Success Rate, a 3% added Success Rate, and 15 Outs Above Average (seventh in MLB) in 2019.

Compare that to Tatis Jr., who posted numbers of 83% Success Rate, a -4% added Success Rate, and -12 OAA. Story has only posted negative defensive numbers once, 2018, when he posted a -1 OAA and 0% added Success Rate. I think it is safe to say, he has turned the corner.

dark. Next. The top 5 shortstops in Rockies history

I’ll say it again, no matter how you start writing the novel, Story always ends up writing the final chapter.

Note: All statistics are prior to Monday night’s action.

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