The Spokane Fightin' Fish seemed like an ideal landing spot for Idaho Taters shortstop Trevor Story (2/$38) heading into Draft Day. Turns out, the clubs just needed to get past Draft Day to find common ground on a deal. The Fish will add Story to an already stacked club while surrendering pitching prospect Casey Mize (Minors) and their 1st Round Pick in 2022.
Story is entering his final year under contract with the Rockies, when he’ll try to follow up on a stellar three-year run in which he batted .292/.355/.554 (124 wRC+) with 83 home runs and 65 stolen bases in 1,571 plate appearances. Given Colorado's recent run, it's hard to imagine Story returning to the Rockies so his contract will be one to watch against his production in 2021, especially on the road. Former teammate Nolan Arenado saw his move away from Coors Field drop his value $17 after being dropped for $55 from the Alamo Short Stacks before landing with the Las Vegas Aristocrats for $38 on Draft Day.
Mize has had a perplexing start to his pro career. He dominated the competition over the first few months of 2019 and looked like the clear top pitching prospect in baseball. Some nagging arm injuries, which also hindered him at Auburn, have sidetracked him but under-performance at the big league level in 2020 has left his role this season up in the air. A start in Triple-A is likely in the cards as his last outing left his Spring Training line as unconvincing: 12 hits, 10 walks, 11 earned runs and 12 strikeouts in 10 innings.
Mize remains just 23-years-old and the stuff still jumps off the page when watching him so there's plenty of time to recoup the value that made him the top selection in the 2018 MLB Draft. He will join a very talented group of young starting pitchers that GM Mike Friedrich has compiled with Nate Pearson, Matt Manning, Matt Liberatore and 2021 1st Rounder Jack Leiter in addition to stud hitting prospects Spencer Torkelson and Jo Adell.
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