Rockies’ Alan Trejo knew baseball passion early

HOUSTON – From a very young age, Alan Trejo had to decide which sport to pursue. He’d played baseball since T-Ball. He also played basketball, a sport that his father coached at Roosevelt High School in East Los Angeles for 13 years. 

Trejo excelled at both sports, but his devotion to baseball won out over basketball. The native of Los Angeles’ love for the game came from watching the Dodgers. Players like Paul Lo Duca and Shawn Green stood out to Trejo. 

Although his dad Ray coached basketball, he supported his son’s decision to pursue baseball. His parents, Ray and Elsa Trejo, often missed family events to attend their son’s weekend tournaments. He played for Los Tomateros de California, a travel ball team named after Los Tomateros de Culiacán. 

The 6-foot-2 utility player garnered an opportunity to play at San Diego State before being drafted by the Colorado Rockies in 2017. Ray Trejo played an enormous role in Alan’s journey to the majors. 

Alan Trejo, 28, vividly remembers watching his dad coach basketball at Roosevelt High. He learned a lot from watching how his dad treated his players with respect. 

“I learned how to be a good player that has respect for the coaches,” Trejo said. “I learned how to be a coach’s player.”

Roots in Zacatecas

Trejo’s parents’ roots are in Morelos, Zacatecas, Mexico. He grew up eating Mexican food daily. 

The Rockies’ infielder represents his family’s culture any way possible. He was the starting shortstop for Team Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The team made it to the WBC semifinal for the first time. Mexico beat highly favored Puerto Rico in the quarterfinal and were close to defeating Japan in the semifinal. 

During last year’s offseason, Trejo played Winter Ball in the Mexican Pacific Winter League. He joined the Charros de Jalisco and reunited with manager Benji Gil, who coached him during the WBC. With the Charros he played in 28 games and had a .649 OPS. 

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“Going down there and playing was a fantastic experience not just for myself but for my family,” Trejo said. “It was the first time I was down there to play baseball, and it was a lot different than I expected but I learned a lot. I would definitely do it again.”

Earlier this season, the Rockies and Astros played two games in Mexico City. For Trejo these games meant a lot. It was an opportunity to expand baseball in Mexico and gain popularity in a country dominated by soccer. 

Catch a rhythm

The season isn’t going the way he envisioned. Trejo jokingly claims that his bat is sick. It’s been hard for the 16th round pick to garner any type of groove at the plate with limited playing time. He’s played in 28 of Colorado’s first 80 games. 

His offensive struggles haven’t taken away from elevating his defensive prowess. His teammate Ezequiel Tovar, who shows elite glovework, has benefited from having Trejo as a teammate. 

“He’s like a brother to me,” Tovar said. “We are always together cracking jokes and I have lots of trust in him. When it comes to work we always work. We always make goals to better our infield. He’s a tremendous person and has helped me a lot.”

For Trejo it’s all about catching a rhythm at the plate. He is adamant that with more at-bats, he’ll catch a rhythm and finish on a positive note.