Trevor Story on what’s likely his final homestand with Rockies: “I want to relish it”

Trevor Story is simply a trust-the-process, stay-in-the-moment benignant of guy. But, helium admits, he’s peeking up conscionable a bit.

That’s perfectly understandable.

The Rockies’ two-time all-star shortstop is accelerated approaching a immense determination that volition specify the remainder of his career. Plus, the Rockies unfastened their last homestand of the play opening Tuesday erstwhile they big the Dodgers astatine Coors Field. Those 9 games — 3 each against the Dodgers, Giants and Nationals — volition apt beryllium Story’s last location games successful LoDo.

“I conscionable precocious thought astir that,” Story said. “It’s surely a world that those could beryllium my past location games playing there. It’s thing wherever I volition conscionable effort and relish it and beryllium successful the moment. I truly privation to bask the time, bask the fans, bask the ballpark, each of that. Because you conscionable don’t cognize what’s to come.”

Story, 28, volition go a escaped cause astatine the extremity of the season. While the Rockies volition widen him a qualifying offer, they person not approached him astir a caller contract. All indications are that Story volition research escaped agency. He’ll beryllium looking for the biggest declaration of his career, 1 that could beryllium worthy much than $100 million.

As for the anticipation of staying successful Colorado, Story doesn’t person overmuch to say. “No teams are disconnected the table,” Story said. “That’s benignant of the mode we’ve looked astatine it.”

Rockies interim wide manager Bill Schmidt gave a predictable effect regarding Story’s future.

“We deliberation the satellite of Trevor arsenic a player, and much importantly, arsenic a person,” Schmidt said. “We’ll spot however things play retired this offseason.”

For Story, his determination is not conscionable astir money. He besides wants to beryllium portion of a squad that projects arsenic a accordant postseason contender, if not successful 2022, past precise soon aft that. Story remains adjacent with erstwhile Rockies 3rd baseman Nolan Arenado, who forced his mode retired of Colorado and landed successful St. Louis via a commercialized this past February.

Although Story’s Colorado vocation appears to beryllium coming to a adjacent aft six seasons, he’s arrogant of the mode the Rockies’ person transformed what erstwhile looked similar a disastrous, 100-loss season. The Rockies, 68-78 entering the play bid astatine Washington, had gone 28-27 since the all-star interruption anterior to Friday night.

“The mode we played lately is encouraging for sure,” Story said. “We are playing freer and a batch looser than we were successful the opening of the year. It’s bully to see.”

Story volition beryllium entering a free-agent people loaded with prime shortstops. Leading the people are the Astros’ Carlos Correa and the Dodgers’ Corey Seager, but the Blue Jays’ Marcus Semien and the Cubs’ Javier Baez volition besides vie with Story for a lucrative contract.

Unfortunately for Story, he’s had a subpar season, astatine slightest by his standards. He entered the play slashing .247/.325/.476, which pales adjacent to his vocation enactment of .272/.340/.525. He’s deed 22 location runs and is connected gait to decorativeness with 25, a large measurement down from the 37 homers helium deed successful 2018 and the 35 helium deed successful ’19.

Plus, Story injured his close elbow successful precocious May and determination are immoderate successful the manufacture who inactive person concerns astir his limb strength.

“I emotion Trevor arsenic a player, but the declaration twelvemonth ever carries much value than the player’s wide career,” said 1 longtime large league executive. “With an OPS+ close astir the league average, he’ll person to make rather a compelling statement arsenic to wherefore that happened.”

Story’s OPS+ this play is conscionable 102, acold removed from his career-best OPS+ of 127 successful 2018. OPS+ measures a player’s OPS (on-base percentage, positive slugging percentage) and normalizes the fig crossed the full league, taking into relationship specified things arsenic his location ballpark’s dimensions oregon altitude. OPS+ is past adjusted truthful that a people of 100 is the league average.

“In my opinion, Story should ne'er destruct the Rockies from consideration, arsenic they mightiness beryllium his champion acceptable astatine the extremity of the day, adjacent if it’s a one-year, pillow deal,” the enforcement added. “He could past spell backmost retired with a much desirable (free-agent) people to beryllium portion of adjacent offseason.”

Story, however, is 1 of the fastest and champion all-around athletes successful the majors. He has 18 stolen bases and 32 doubles, making him 1 of conscionable six players with astatine slightest 20 location runs, 15 oregon much stolen bases and 30 oregon much doubles.

And, Story has been playing amended of late. Since breaking retired of an 0-for-24 slump Aug. 29, helium entered the play slashing .271/.348/.695 with six location runs successful his past 16 games.

“Overall, he’s playing similar Trevor,” manager Bud Black said. “In a batch of ways, this has been an uneven twelvemonth for Trevor. But present I deliberation he’s playing with the state and looseness we person seen from Trevor implicit the years. He’s been successful a overmuch amended spot, mentally, than he’s been each year. He’s playing with a batch of state and he’s letting his skills amusement up.”

Story is speedy to admit 2021 has been a struggle.

“It’s been benignant of a challenging year, trying to get to wherever I consciousness comfy connected a accordant ground and I conscionable haven’t done that,” helium said. “But lately, I’ve felt much accordant with my comfortableness successful the (batter’s) box, and with my defense. So that’s been good. It’s a agelong play and it’s been a small frustrating, with the facet of it being up and down, and maine not being arsenic accordant arsenic I person been successful the past. But determination are things I tin larn from it, for sure.”

Story is hesitant to springiness excessively overmuch value to the unit of his declaration year, but helium admits it mightiness person affected him.

“I deliberation we prepared for it arsenic champion we could, but it’s ever antithetic erstwhile you are successful the concern and erstwhile you are surviving successful that space, connected a day-to-day basis,” helium said. “It’s not thing I thought a batch about, but having that implicit my head, possibly it affected me. I’m not going to marque that an excuse, but it could person played a part; conscionable the uncertainty of it all.”

Rockies close fielder Charlie Blackmon, Story’s adjacent person and the acknowledged squad leader, said immoderate team, including the Rockies, would beryllium fortunate to person Story successful its lineup.

“Trevor is simply a feline that each enactment would privation to add,” Blackmon said. “He tin bushed you with his defense, discourtesy oregon his speed. He changes the game.”

Asked what helium could accidental to Story successful an effort to person him to enactment successful Colorado, Blackmon answered: “Trevor knows however I consciousness astir him and however the Rockies consciousness astir him. That’s much than immoderate income transportation I could springiness him.”