Blue Jays SS Tulowitzki Returns To Colorado
DENVER (AP) - Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki returned to Coors Field saying he is "in a good place" 11 months after being traded by the Colorado Rockies.
Tulowitzki was in Denver on Monday for a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that acquired him from the Rockies last July 27. He greeted his old Colorado teammates during batting practice and had a warm embrace with Rockies' rookie shortstop Trevor Story, who has succeeded him in the field and with the fans.
"He was my favorite player," Story said. "I have a lot of respect for Tulo. He's been a mentor for me. I've got nothing but good things to say. I kind of grew up watching him play. He's a bigger shortstop, so I kind of idolized him a little bit. It's going to be cool to play against him."
Tulowitzki landed in Toronto after asking the Rockies to trade him to a contender. The Blue Jays reached the AL Championship Series with him last October before losing to Kansas City in six games.
Tulowitzki said he is happy in Toronto but wasn't pleased with how the trade went down last summer. He has said he had an agreement with Colorado to be kept informed of any trade talk but when it happened he said was "blindsided."
"I wish it would have been cleaner, I wish there would have been better communication," he said. "I believe I touched on it when I got traded how upset I was."
Tulowitzki said he is not bitter despite being unhappy at the time.
"I'm not bitter. I'm in a good place, I'm on a good team," he said. "It's all I ever wanted. We should all move on. The Rockies got good players for me. Hopefully I do my thing here in Toronto and win a World Series."
Tulowitzki played 10 years with the Rockies and helped lead them to the 2007 World Series as a rookie. He hit .299 with 188 home runs in Colorado but his time with the organization was marked by injury. He spent significant time on the disabled list in 2012 and 2014.
When he was healthy he was an MVP candidate for Colorado. He hit 21 or more home runs six times while with the Rockies including a career-high 32 in 2009 when Colorado won a club record 92 games. The Rockies reached the NL Division Series as the wild card before losing to Philadelphia.
Tulowitzki was fifth in voting for the 2010 NL MVP and had his best statistical year the following season when he hit .315 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs.
He played in just 47 games the next season and in 91 in 2014.
"Obviously that injury history of mine is something I wish I could take away, but it is a part of me and what I have to deal with," he said. "''When I have been out there and healthy, it's what I love doing."
The injuries followed the five-time All-Star to Toronto. He missed three weeks with a leg injury before returning June 18. He is batting .320 since returning from the 15-day disabled list but entered Monday hitting .219 with 11 home runs this season.
Monday marks the first time he has played at Coors Field since last July 25.
"It's a little weird being on this side," he said. "I have mixed emotions. It's kind of like making my big league debut all over again. I played here for a long time, gave it everything I had and have fond memories."
- By MICHAEL KELLY, AP Sports Writer
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