Trevor Story’s first season with the Boston Red Sox, after signing a six-year, $140 million contract back in March, has come with its share of ups and downs.
And the 29-year-old second baseman described much better than that how he has felt his first year with the organization has gone.
“Eventful,” Story told MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “There has been a lot going on personally. Just changing organizations and being part of this one, it has been great. Obviously, we would have liked to have played a little better as of late. Personally, just a little inconsistent. That’s how I would sum it up.”
Story was right on point with his assessment as he’s dealt with a lot since putting ink to paper to come on board with the Red Sox. First, there’s everything that comes with joining a new team, including moving to a different city, plus the heightened expectations for the two-time All-Star in his new uniform.
Story also left spring training camp early on due to the birth of his son and then had a stomach bug that impacted his production. He struggled out of the gate offensively before going on a torrid stretch during May, but then everything came crashing down again when Story was diagnosed with a hairline fracture near his wrist, the result of getting hit by a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12. Story missed 38 games in total.
All of that had to feel like being on a roller coaster ride for Story. It seems with the season approaching its conclusion, he’s found his footing again, batting .395 with one home run and five RBIs over the last 15 days. That’s still far from the two weeks he had in May when he clubbed nine homers with 25 RBIs while batting .283.
But those stretches haven’t lasted for Story with his play dipping dramatically at points, which he believes is uncharacteristic for him.
“I don’t think that’s the type of player I am,” Story said to Cotillo. “I’ve shown that I can be pretty consistent. But you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it on the field. That’s the challenge of our game. It’s always challenging you and you’ve got to make the adjustments quick. I haven’t made them in a timely fashion this year.”
Heading into Friday night’s road matchup against the Baltimore Orioles, Story is batting .241 with 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. That production isn’t exactly eye-popping, but combined with his strong defensive play at second, it’s been a solid first season in Boston with obvious room for improvement.
“(16) homers, (13) stolen bases, elite defense? That’s a good player,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told Cotillo.
