Trevor Story and the Red Sox see no reason why he'll suffer at sea level.
The Boston Red Sox infielder, Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora all addressed the "hot topic" of how he might fare offensively Wednesday, now that the All-Star infielder no longer will play home games at Colorado Rockies' Coors Field. The Denver, Colo., venue is one mile above sea level and long has been believed to inflate batters' numbers because baseballs carry farther in high altitude. One of the risks associated with Story's move to the Red Sox is that his production at the plate might dip, but Cora, Bloom and Story believe those fears are overblown.
Cora cited the recent departures of Nolan Arenado and D.J. LeMahieu as examples of players who continued to thrive after leaving Colorado.
"They help their teammates, and they make them better," Cora said at a press conference. "It's not just about the numbers, it's what they bring to the equation. They know the game, they know how to play the game. Obviously, everybody thinks it's a different game in Colorado, but like Trevor said, it's still the same game. You've gotta get 27 outs, score some runs and play good defense. He brings that to the equation. I think he helps us in that aspect."
Bloom insists public and private research on Colorado and Story suggests the 29-year-old will continue to produce at the plate after moving to Fenway Park.
"It's always a hot topic any time a really good player from the Rockies goes and changes teams," Bloom said Wednesday at a press conference. "There's actually a lot of really good research about it in the public domain that everybody can read, and we do our own research, certainly. From a projection perspective, obviously, it's a variable, but there's a lot of research and a lot of good examples -- Alex just named a couple -- of guys who leave Coors and do very, very well."
Story, who probably has thought about the "hot topic" more than anyone else, offered the most-succinct assessment of his prospects in Boston.
"Baseball is baseball, kind of no matter where it's played," he said at a press conference. "We understand that perception, for sure, but we're just about the ball and looking forward to playing those games."
With Red Sox Opening Day scheduled for April 7, Story soon will have the chance to silence doubts over whether he can flourish away from the Rocky Mountains.
