Red Sox Shortstop Trevor Story Uncovers Secret To Hot Streak

Trevor Story has had a rollercoaster season. He hit .260 with five home runs in April before going ice-cold in May. In June, he’s bounced back, hitting .286 with another five home runs, and has carried that into July.

That’s what’s so frustrating about Story for many fans. He shows flashes of brilliance, but hasn’t been able to sustain them or stay on the field through his Boston Red Sox tenure. He hasn’t missed any time due to injuries this season, though, and has hit the ground running.

Story joined the 310 To Left podcast with Tom Caron and Alex Speier to discuss how he broke out of his slump.

“With the injuries, you feel like ‘When I come back, I need to be locked in and be mechanically perfect,’ and I think for me, that’s probably the worst way I can think,” Story said. “What I’ve been doing lately is letting the intent, letting my athleticism, letting what I’m hunting cause the mechanics to line up.”

Story went on to explain how he’s more focused on searching for particular pitches and trusting himself. He said his former teammate and current St. Louis Cardinals third baseman, Nolan Arenado, taught him he shouldn’t be afraid to look bad at the plate.

“Just hunting what I want and being okay with looking silly. That’s one thing that Nolan Arenado taught me. Getting back to the athleticism and the predatory mindset, letting that take over instead of nitpicking the mechanics.”

That mindset of attacking certain pitches shows up in Story’s stats as well. While his chase rate has remained steady, he’s not getting beat by fastballs as he was in May. His wOBA against fastballs in June was .410, way up from his .148 mark in May.

Story has been a streaky hitter throughout his career, but has carried an extended hot streak for over a month now. If he continues to hit at a high level, the Red Sox lineup becomes that much deeper.

For the full conversation with Story, you can listen to 310 to Left on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and more.