Alex Cora explains why Boston Red Sox' Trevor Story has struggled
But will he hit enough to justify playing nearly every day for the rest of the season?
It hasn’t gone well for Story so far this year. Meanwhile, 22-year-old shortstop Marcelo Mayer, Baseball America‘s No. 8 overall prospect, is making a case at Triple-A Worcester with his OPS up to .819 after a slow start to the season.
Story entered Saturday with the 22nd worst OPS (.627) in the major leagues. He was batting .234 with a .276 on-base percentage and .351 slugging percentage in 44 games (181 plate appearances). He has only eight extra-base hits (six homers, two doubles).
“Physically he feels great,” manager Alex Cora said before Boston’s game against the Braves on Saturday. “And he worked his (expletive) off in the offseason to get to this point. He wanted to play a lot of games, more than 150. And I think he’s on pace to do that. But obviously I gotta be smart, too. Not only with the production, but also the body.”
Saturday marked Story’s 45th game, the most games he has played in a season since 2022. He missed most of 2023 following elbow surgery, then was limited to 26 games last year after fracturing the glenoid bone in his left shoulder during the opening road trip.
“All the metrics, all the information that we have — the bat speed is there, his hands are where they’re supposed to be. Everything looks OK,” Cora said. “The only thing we’re not doing right now is hitting the ball forward.”
Story is the bottom 10th percentile among major league hitters in chase percentage (36.7%), strikeout percentage (30.9%), walk percentage (3.9%) and squared-up percentage (17.9%).
Cora said the Red Sox felt better about Story’s at-bats Friday when he went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the ninth. Story also has a walk and single in Saturday’s game so far.
“Just missing his pitches,” Cora said. “That’s the bottom line. I know he’s swinging a lot but he’s getting pitches in the zone and he’s fouling them off. And after that, they (pitchers) get to work.”
Cora said Story also hasn’t taken advantage even after he gets ahead in the count.
“2-0, 3-1, misses his pitches and then they bury him,” Cora said. “Early on, he wasn’t doing that. He was actually connecting and hitting the ball hard. And lately it hasn’t happened.”
Story’s 47.8% hard hit percentage is in the 73rd percentile among major league hitters. He’s also been an above-average baserunner. But all his other advanced offensive stats on Baseball Savant are between the poor and average scale (mostly poor).
Cora said it’s important for Story to make in-game adjustments.
“When he’s really good, he’s hitting the fastball. We know that,” Cora said. “And one thing that he did his first year (with the Red Sox in 2022), he was driving the ball to right-center. And I always talk about hitting the ball hard the other way. And then whatever soft is in the zone, he was able to pull.”
Story has struggled mightily on fastballs this season, going 18-for-87 (.207) with a .218 slugging percentage and just one extra-base hit (double).
Story’s best years offensively were 2018-21 — and he was able to feast on fastballs each of those seasons.
vs. fastballs:
“Right now he’s fouled them (fastballs) off,” Cora said. “Yesterday was a good sign. He stayed on a good pitch by Chris (Sale). Fouled it off but he stayed with it. And then the base hit up the middle, that was good.”
As Cora mentioned, the Red Sox feel OK with Story’s bat speed — but he ranks in the 28th percentile in that category (70.6).
Cora was asked how long the Red Sox can continue on this path with Story if he’s not producing.
“Right now, he’s not the only one struggling,” Cora said. “KC (Kristian Campbell) has struggled for 50 at-bats and we’re not talking about that. It’s a lot. Like right now, I think offensively we got some holes and it’s not because they’re bad players or bad hitters. They’re just going through a stretch right here. And we just have to get ‘em going. Start doing the little things, hit the ball the other way, get your walks. And if we start doing that as a group, we’re gonna be better.”
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