Colorado Rockies: The Best and Worst Stories of 2016

Aug 11, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Colorado Rockies first baseman Mark Reynolds (12) is injured after a swing in the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Colorado Rockies won 12-9.Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 season will go down as a mixed bag for the Colorado Rockies. The team struggled against teams it shouldn’t have (losing two of three to Tampa Bay at home) and looked like world-beaters against some of the league’s best (taking four of six from the Chicago Cubs). The Rockies struggled before catching fire after the All-Star break and putting themselves in a position to compete for a Wild Card spot. Then, just as quickly, blown saves and injuries to Trevor Story, Carlos Gonzalez and Mark Reynolds took the Rockies out of the race.

There were some great moments … and not-so-great moments. As we count the minutes until 2017, now is a great time to look back at what could be considered the best story about the Rockies in 2016. We’ll also take a look at what could be the worst Colorado-related story in 2016.

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Some of the contenders for best story could include Jon Gray, who rose to become the ace of the Colorado pitching staff and set a Rockies record with 16 strikeouts against the San Diego Padres. Another candidate could be Tyler Chatwood, who returned from Tommy John surgery to post Colorado’s most dominant road season in franchise history. And, of course, Nolan Arenado and his amazing season at the plate and in the field could be in there as well.

However, that’s not the story that we think was the best for the Rockies in 2016.

Jul 7, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story (27) hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado’s Best Story … is Trevor Story

It’s ironic that the team’s best story is Story. You’re probably as sick of the puns by now as we are, but the 24-year-old rookie shortstop exploded on the scene last season … and all of the puns soon followed. His 10 homers in April set the table for a campaign that saw him post 27 round-trippers and 72 RBI before having his season ended early by a thumb injury.

However, those are just numbers. You have to look deeper to see why Story was named as one of Major League Baseball’s 10 most captivating stories last season. Remember, this is a player who was battling Cristhian Adames and Daniel Descalso for the starting shortstop job heading into spring training. When I caught up with him in mid-March at spring training, he knew people were starting to take notice of what he could bring to the team.

“I roll with (expectations). I expect the most out of myself more than anyone else does out of me,” Story told me in Arizona. “If I live up to my expectations, everything will work out.”

Of course, things worked out just fine for Story and the Rockies. In his first week as a Major Leaguer, Story blasted seven home runs and logged 12 RBI. He became the first Major League batter ever to homer in each of his first three career games and the first player to hit four homers in his team’s first three games.

Are there high expectations for him heading into 2017? Absolutely. However, Story has already shown he has the demeanor to handle whatever is thrown at him. As good as Story was in 2016, there are plenty of places where he can improve. He struck out 130 times last season and was caught stealing five out of 13 times. If he can boost those numbers, the sky is the limit for him in 2017.

Aug 28, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes (7) looks on in the on-deck circle against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado’s Worst Story…

For the worst Colorado story of 2016, we’re looking right at you, Jose Reyes.

One of the biggest reasons that Story was competing for the starting shortstop job in spring training was that Reyes, who was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Troy Tulowitzki deal, wasn’t in Arizona with the team.

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Reyes was arrested by police in Maui on Halloween and charged with abusing a family/household member after allegedly assaulting his wife in their hotel room. If you need to know the rest of the story, you can click here to read about it. As I said in this editorial, when they finally jettisoned him, it was good riddance for the Rockies.

Reyes was a player who made it clear from his first moments in Colorado that he didn’t want to be here. The specter of his domestic assault issues hung over the Rockies not only in spring training, but through much of the first two-plus months of the season. Finally, on June 15, Reyes was released by the Rockies.

Even though he’s no longer on the Rockies roster, he is still on the payroll. He is due $22 million this season alone. That makes him, at the moment, the highest-paid player on the payroll.

What’s one of the best things about Colorado’s calendar turning to 2017? We can officially say that Reyes had no impact whatsoever on the team, other than his paycheck.