Well, hello, Trevor Story.
The Rockies' rookie shortstop introduced himself to the baseball world Monday night with a pair of home runs off Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke. The first one was a three-run, opposite-field drive to right in the third inning. The second was a no-doubt solo blast to left, complete with a mini-bat flip, in the fourth.
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Story is the first major league player to homer twice in a major league debut that took place on opening day.
A quick primer on the newcomer:
— Story, 23, was a sandwich pick (45th overall) of the Rockies in 2011 out of Irving (Texas) High School. Two years ago, he was playing high Single-A ball in the California League.
— He won the shortstop job in spring training after incumbent Jose Reyes was placed on paid leave because of a domestic violence arrest. Major League Baseball has not yet decided whether to suspend Reyes. If Story is still hitting when/if Reyes is activated, the Rox will have a few hard decisions to make.
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— Power has always been one of his tools. He hit 70 career minor league homers, including a career-high 20 last season between Double-A and Triple-A.
— His signing bonus was $915,000, according to Baseball America.
— He wears No. 27 (a nod to Mike Trout, perhaps?).
The long ball silenced most of the buzz around Greinke's first Arizona start. The D-backs snagged Greinke with a $206.5 million contract in the offseason, signaling their intent to contend in the National League West. Greinke allowed six runs in the frame, one of them on a solo homer to Carlos Gonzalez immediately after Story's dinger.
This article has been updated with Story's second home run.
