Thursday Newsletter time: Trevor Story, future Texas Rangers shortstop? It's easy to connect those dots.
The Rockies All-Star is from Irving and lives in Colleyville in the offseason, and he appears to like hitting at Globe Life Field.
Trevor Story is from Irving and lives in Colleyville with his wife, who is also from Irving.
They welcomed dozens of family members and friends to Globe Life Field to watch him play shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, which he did very well despite the Rockies losing two of three games to the Texas Rangers.
(The Rockies won Monday 9-5 by rallying in the ninth for five runs on one hit, two walks and four Rangers errors. “I’ve never seen an inning like that before,” manager Chris Woodward said.)
Story has played six career games at Globe Life Field and has four home runs and a few other drives that would have been home runs in other ballparks, like Coors Field.
Story is also a free agent after the season.
Local boy, plus local team, plus comfortable in the Rangers’ new ballpark … it’s a perfect match. Right?
Story was asked Monday if he’s let his mind wander to the offeseason, when he will be coveted by several teams even though there will be three or four other big-name shortstops on the market (Marcus Semien is playing second base this season but has been a shortstop).
“I just try to be where my feet are at, honestly,” he said.
Could his feet be at Globe Life Field beginning in 2022?
“They’re here in the offseason, so … ,” he said.
So, you’re saying there’s a chance.
The top two Rangers officials, Jon Daniels and Chris Young, have both said that the Rangers will be players this offseason. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, while leading the league in defensive runs saved at shortstop, has seven home runs and a .658 OPS.
Story, who is having a down year despite being selected as a National League All-Star, has 18 homers and a .783 OPS. He’s also stolen 17 bases, one more than Kiner-Falefa.
The Rangers will have to outbid the others, possibly by a considerable margin, to convince a free agent to sign with them with another sub-.500 season likely on the horizon. The Rangers will have to sell the minor leagues, sell future financial planning and use the ballpark as a selling point to attract free agents.
Story grew up going to games at Globe Life Park, so he understands how hot it it here and what an advantage a roof must be.
There’s also some pressure and distractions that come with a local player playing the local team. Would he want to play at home, where dozens might be asking him for tickets on a nightly basis?
Maybe. He likes being where his feet are, and they’ve been in the Metroplex most of his life.
Lowe’s loss
First baseman Nathaniel Lowe was asked a simple question Tuesday night: What are his goals for the rest of the season.
The answer caught the media off guard.
“I watched my grandfather take his last breath on Sunday,” Lowe said. “I just want to make him proud for this last month.”
He was asked later if there was anything else he wanted to say. It wasn’t easy, but Lowe managed to say that it’s a privilege to play major-league baseball and that he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support he received from his granddad.
Lowe sharing that private matter publicly is yet another example, for those who continue to doubt this, that baseball players are humans first.
They aren’t soulless robots who live a vacuum and don’t experience loss or never worry about their kids or wives. They have things go wrong at their homes and get flat tires and speeding tickets. They are impacted by things going on culturally or politically.
Baseball is their job, a really glamorous, high-paying job, but it’s a job. And they might be dealing with life things just like you and me.
“He was pretty private with it, which I respect,” manager Chris Woodward said. “They’re human beings. It just shows you how life happens. He was pretty emotional. He told the team last night, and we all understood."
“It shows a lot of people that we are human beings and we are fragile at times and things happen to us off the field. People may not notice that when you have uniform on and you come to a game and you just assume everyone’s in the same state of mind.”
ICYMI …
The first half of the week is done. These are the stories that were published by the Texas Rangers Newsletter, in case you missed it.
Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast, Episode I (Jon Daniels).
Glenn Otto’s sparkling debut (he starts tonight).
The Sunday Read: Rangers building pitching depth.
Doggy video!
Me when I get home late from a ballgame and my daughter and dog are on my side of the bed. Enjoy. See you Friday.
Story will be 29 next season, so curious how that plays into length of contract. Honestly can’t see why another FA SS would sign with a rebuild and hope for the best. Should be interesting.