Rockies and Braves square off in Free Game of the Day
Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story has been unquestionably one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 baseball season
Story tied the National League rookie record for home runs before the All-Star break by hitting 21. matching Dave Kingman’s mark in the 1972 season.
He is a product of Irving, Texas and a former first-round draft choice in 2011 (45th overall). So it’s safe to say people in the Colorado organization had high hopes for Story. It’s also safe to say no one in Colorado or elsewhere in Major League Baseball forecast such a tremendous start to his rookie season.
On a team that includes stars such Nolan Arenado and Carlos Gonzalez, Story has been the best reason to watch the Rockies at times this season, and that remains the case heading into Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, which is MLB’s Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. ET. You can watch the game on Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index, video home and right here in this very post. Local blackouts apply, per MLB rules.
The Rockies were hoping for a player who could join the lineup and at least allow Colorado fans to begin to put the Troy Tulowitzki trade behind them while also filling in for Jose Reyes, who was suspended to start the season and ultimately released.
Instead, Story provided an historic first half for a rookie shortstop by hitting .261/.332/.543 with 21 home runs and 57 RBI. He is definitely one of the story lines to watch throughout the second half as he pursues the NL Rookie of the Year award.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Kyle Ringo is a contributing writer to Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
