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Trevor Story is Red Sox’ unlikely stolen base king and perfect on the season
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- Trevor Story is Red Sox’ unlikely stolen base king and perfect on the season
BOSTON — On a list of baseball’s base stealers, it’s unlikely you’d find the name of Trevor Story .
He’s far from the fastest player on his own team, never mind the league, and soon to be 33, he’s battled a series of major injuries in the last three seasons, causing him to miss almost two-thirds of the Red Sox’ games in that span.
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And yet, following two steals of second Tuesday night, Story is currently tied for the second-longest streak of successful steals to begin a season since 1961.
Only Vince Coleman, who swiped successfully in each of his first attempts in 1989.
Like an ESPN documentary, Story is 30-for-30, tying him with Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay 2009) and Trea Turner ( Philadelphia 2023).
“That’s something he talked about. He wanted to (run more),” said Alex Cora of Story. “It’s been impressive, the attention to detail.”
His 30 stolen bases have him tied for sixth in the American League. His next one, if it comes before he’s throw out, will make him the new American League record-holder.
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Cora said Story picks his spots carefully, resulting in his perfect success rate this season.
“That’s something he takes a lot of pride in doing that,” said Cora. “I remember last year or the year before, he got thrown out. He doesn’t show a lot of emotion, but in the dugout, he was very upset. (He knows being on first base), he’s going to score on a ball in the gap. Obviously, he wants to be in position to score (from second) on a single.”
Cora credited first base coach Jose Flores and third base coach Kyle Hudson for studying tendencies and other factors into account.
“All that stuff comes into play,” said Cora. “But (opposing teams) are quick and they know it’s Trevor. But it’s been fun to watch that whole process.”
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Story is not in the business of padding his individual steals. Instead, he’s searching for opportunities that make sense for his team.
“He’s very patient,” said Cora. “He knows what he’s looking for and he might have (the pitcher) on the first pitch. Or, he might let the at-bat go on and then take his shot. But it’s not a gamble with him. It’s not. He knows when he’s going to be safe and he takes off.”
His sprint speed is well above-average (in the 81st percentile), but there are other factors in play, including a great first step.
“His leads...I think it’s the biggest lead in the big leagues,’ said Cora in admiration. ”He does everything fundamentally sound. He’s a competitor. He’s explosive, he’s fast, and he’s smart."
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