Shortstop prospect Story learns valuable lesson from Tulo

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- This is the introductory Major League camp for the Rockies' Trevor Story, a 22-year-old shortstop who was a supplemental first-round pick in 2011 out of Irving (Texas) High School. But Story already has been introduced to big league ways.

Before last season -- when he sizzled at .332 in 50 games at Class A Modesto before hitting .200 in 56 games at Double-A Tulsa -- Story was invited by Rockies star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to Las Vegas for offseason training.

Tulowitzki had given him a tip: When fielding a grounder and setting up to throw, use your legs. Then they went out to the field.

"I guess I wasn't using my legs like he thought I should," Story said. "He kind of snaps on me, like, 'Come on, let's go. Get after it. Use your legs.' He lets you know when you're not doing something right or not giving the right effort. The biggest thing I learned from him was intensity."

Tulowitzki never let up, and Story learned to never relax, either.

"It was a real long day," Story said. "We worked out two or three times, then we hit in the batting cage at 11 that night. On the ride home, he asked me if he thought anybody else in baseball did anything more than we did. I said, 'I don't think anybody did anything close to what we did today.' He said that's how you work to be the best."