Tovar off to slow start, but Rockies see signs in rookie

This story was excerpted from Thomas Harding¡¯s Rockies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DENVER -- The Rockies¡¯ Ezequiel Tovar's story is off to a modest beginning.

It would have been nice if his first nine games repeated the legendary tale of the 2016 start enjoyed from the team¡¯s last long-term shortstop, Trevor Story. But through 10 games, Tovar, 21, is 8-for-36 (.222).

During the first road trip, he flashed some of the defense that made him the No. 23 prospect in MLB Pipeline's Top 100. But the last two games saw him come up short on two potential run-saving plays in Saturday¡¯s 7-6 loss and on a missed double play in Sunday¡¯s 7-6 victory.

¡°Take the positive, but take the negatives and learn from them,¡± said Tovar, a Maracay, Venezuela, native with bullpen catcher Aaron Mu?oz interpreting.

Nothing in the start dissuades the club from believing Tovar can join a sneakily impressive line of Rockies shortstops. The coaching staff is stripping away the prospect buzz and dealing with the reality that it must develop a player with 71 games above Class A -- just five in Triple-A before he was called up late last September for a nine-game Major League debut.

Tovar is displaying studiousness and a willingness to respond to in-game lessons.

¡°Does he seem older than 21?¡± special front-office assistant Vinny Castilla said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t show in his face, but in the way he handles himself and goes about his business, yeah.¡±

In the Minors, Tovar regularly employed a leg kick.

But being unfamiliar with opposing pitchers and noticing that right-handers are trying to force him to chase off the plate, he¡¯s quieted the kick and concentrated on the opposite field. Hitting coach Hensley Meulens applauded at the end of a batting-practice session where he hit solidly to right and center. Tovar used the same approach for an RBI double on Friday against the Nationals.

¡°We like the aggression -- he¡¯s going to the plate wanting to swing -- you never want to take that away,¡± Meulens said. ¡°What we talk about is being more selective in the strike zone. [The] opposition knows he is aggressive, so they¡¯re not feeding pitches in the middle. They¡¯re making it tough.¡±

¡°He¡¯s emotionally advanced,¡± said Rockies third-base coach Warren Schaeffer, who offers midgame coaching. ¡°He doesn¡¯t let things bother him. It does bother him when he knows he should make plays. That¡¯s a guy you can trust that will blossom.¡±

Tovar trusts his talent.

¡°Everybody wants to start out hot, start off right,¡± he said. ¡°But it¡¯s a game of adjustments. Just continue to work, knowing that the work is going to stand out.¡±