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Colorado Rockies: What are the 25 best seasons by Rockies aged 25 or under?

By Noah Yingling

DENVER, CO - JULY 16: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies rounds the bases after a ninth inning solo homer against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on July 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JULY 16: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies rounds the bases after a ninth inning solo homer against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on July 16, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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Trevor Story of the Colorado Rockies
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 26: Trevor Story #27 of the Colorado Rockies follows through on his swing after hitting a single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on September 26, 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images) /

9) Trevor Story’s 2018 season (Age 25 season)

Trevor Story’s 2018 season was, arguably, Story’s best season. That’s because of his improvement on offense after his injury-plagued rookie season and sophomore slump in 2017.

In 157 games, he hit .291/.348/.567 with 37 home runs, 108 RBI,  42 doubles, 27 stolen bases, and a 127 OPS+. The average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage were a 52, 40, and 110 point jump from his 2017 season. For OPS+, it was an astonishing 43 percent jump.

The slugging percentage was second in the NL, his 5.6 WAR was 7th in the NL, his OPS was 5th, 174 hits was 10th, 339 total bases was 2nd, doubles was 4th, stolen bases were 6th, and extra-base hits was first in the league.

He was an All-Star, won a Silver Slugger Award, and came in 8th in MVP voting.

His 5.6 WAR would have him lower than some of the players already ranked in our list. So why is he higher than, for example, Carlos Gonzalez, whose 2010 season was ranked just below Story at 10? The Rockies made the postseason this year and Story was a huge part of that.

In the Wild Card Game, when the Rockies defeated the Cubs, he went 3-for-6 in that game with a run and a double. He didn’t play particularly well in the NLDS when Milwaukee swept the Rockies but he did well in the regular season and he was a big factor in the Wild Card game as well.

8) Ubaldo Jimenez’s 2009 season (Age 25 season)

Ubaldo Jimenez was a contributor to the Rockies 2007 National League Champion team but he contributed more to the 2009 team, which also made the playoffs.

In that season, Jimenez 15-12 record with a 3.47 ERA in 33 starts. In 218 innings, he had a FIP of 3.36, an ERA+ of 136, struck out 198, allowed fewer hits than he did in 2008 (8.2 to 7.6 H/9), walked fewer batters (4.7 to 3.5 BB/9), and struck out more batters (7.8 to 8.2 K/9).

He had a pitching WAR of 5.5 (and 0.4 WAR as a batter for a total WAR of 5.9). That pitching WAR is high enough to be the 6th-highest of any pitcher in Rockies history, behind the two players ineligible for this countdown (Jimenez in 2010, Pedro Astacio in 1999), the aforementioned Joe Kennedy in 2004, and two more pitchers that are still on this list.

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