How Trevor Story transformed into one of MLB’s best shortstops, and a world-class athlete

On Aug. 28 of final season, San Diego Padres outfielder Trent Grisham hit a screaming line drive towards right-center discipline. Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, in a shift behind second base, sprinted towards the hole, leaped and pulled the ball down.

“When he jumped and made that catch, he appeared like an Air Jordan poster,” Bobby Stroupe mentioned.

For Stroupe, the founder and president of Athletic Efficiency Enhancement Facilities (APEC) in Fort Price and Tyler, Texas, that second was merely affirmation of one thing he already knew — that Story is without doubt one of the greatest all-around athletes in Main League Baseball.

“He’s a dude,” Stroupe mentioned, going as far as the say that the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Story shares the identical measurement, weight, power and explosiveness as NFL operating again Adrian Peterson.

Some prime examples of Story’s athletic prowess:

* Story’s standing vertical leap has elevated to 37.6 inches, which might rank within the high 10 on the NFL mix for operating backs and broad receivers. According to NFL.savant, the typical operating again’s vertical is 35.1 inches and the typical for broad receivers is 35.8.

* His step-to-vertical leap of 41.8 inches would rank within the high 5% of an NBA mix, based on Stroupe.

* His dash velocity has been clocked at 21.8 mph.

After which there may be Story’s bat velocity and energy. On Sept. 5, 2018, Story hit three home runs in opposition to San Francisco at Coors Area, together with a 505-foot blast that formally ranks because the longest within the ballpark’s historical past. The record-setting house run had an exit velocity of 111.9 mph.

Put all of that athleticism collectively and Stoupe firmly believes Story has what it takes to hit 40 house runs and steal 40 bases in a season. How uncommon an accomplishment would that be? It’s solely been achieved 4 occasions in main league historical past and it hasn’t occurred since Alfonso Soriano hit 46 homers and stole 41 bases for the 2006 Washington Nationals.

“Trevor has some very distinctive bodily traits that may make that potential for him,” Stoupe mentioned. “His operating velocity, acceleration and rotational power are particular. You mix that along with his acumen in baseball, alongside along with his psychological {and professional} make-up, and 40-40 is a practical objective for him.”

Story hasn’t set the bar that top, at the very least not publicly, however he does have a fairly lofty objective. On the primary day of spring coaching, he mentioned he needed to grow to be a 30-30 man. The final Rockies participant to do this was Corridor of Famer outfielder Larry Walker in his 1997 MVP season when he mashed 49 homers and swiped 33 bases.

Final season, Story led the Nationwide League with 15 stolen bases and hit 11 house runs, placing him on tempo for 41 stolen bases and 30 house runs. He almost joined the 30-30 membership in 2018 (37 homers, 27 stolen bases) and ’19 (35, 23).

“I felt like I used to be on tempo final 12 months,” Story mentioned of the pandemic-shortened 60-game season. “Clearly, we didn’t play sufficient video games, but it surely’s all the time been on my radar to hit 30 and steal 30.”

Stroupe’s lengthy checklist of shoppers at APEC consists of greater than 60 energetic NFL gamers, together with Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Tremendous Bowl LIV champion and 2018 MVP who has labored with Stroupe for the reason that fourth grade. APEC’S MLB shoppers embrace Tampa Bay right-hander Michael Wacha, San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt and Rockies outfielder Sam Hilliard.

Story and Stroup first met in 2017, and Story started coaching at APEC in Fort Price in 2019. The objective was to optimize Story’s pure athleticism, making him sooner, faster, stronger and extra highly effective, all tailor-made towards making Story a greater baseball participant.

Story educated 5 days per week, amounting to 12-14 hours of labor.

Stroupe isn’t a baseball coach, so he doesn’t essentially deal with swing mechanics or fielding. Somewhat, Stroupe, a registered power and conditioning coach with the Nationwide Power and Conditioning Affiliation, works on educating athletes how you can transfer extra effectively and how you can flip power into velocity and energy.

Story wrapped his arms round Stroupe’s ideas, and it’s paying off.

“My confidence comes from my preparation, so it’s not one thing I take into consideration throughout video games,” Story mentioned. “It’s one thing I take into consideration within the (batting) cage or one thing I work on through the offseason or spring coaching.

“I’m making an attempt to make the whole lot as environment friendly as I can. Again house in Texas, at APEX, I practiced rather a lot on first-step quickness and mechanics. I don’t need any false strikes there.”

That not solely helps him on the basepaths but in addition within the infield. Story’s patented play — during which bolts to his left, scoops up a groundball close to second base, does a 360-degree pirouette and fires a strike to first base — doesn’t come by happenstance.

Story, nevertheless, dedicated 10 errors in 57 video games at brief final 12 months and was not glad along with his career-low .961 fielding proportion — a quantity that may have price him a shot at his first Gold Glove. Considered one of his objectives at APEC was to repair his footwork to remove off-target throws.

To that finish, Story huddled with Stroupe and Brandon Sherard — Story’s hitting-and-infield coach, confidant and shut pal for greater than a decade.

“The three of us received collectively and we went again and checked out some issues,” Stroupe mentioned. “We carried out a number of the identical issues I did with Patrick (Mahomes). We labored on movement throws.

“You don’t need this fluid, explosive higher physique after which have your toes appear like they’re disconnected. When the ball sailed on Trevor final 12 months, what it appeared like, to me, was robotic toes and a fluid higher physique.”

By the point spring coaching arrived, Story’s arm and toes had been working in live performance.