Colorado Rockies: Raimel Tapia should be the leadoff man

With reports swirling that Colorado Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon may hit third in the lineup, it’s time to go over who could be the Rockies leadoff man if that change is made. Now there are many different guys that we could all think of to be the leadoff man, but I’m going with a somewhat out of the box choice … Raimel Tapia.

The 24-year-old Tapia should seriously be considered on a short list of candidates if Blackmon is moved down in the lineup. When you think of Tapia, you automatically think of speed. In baseball, speed is a vital possession to have on a team. It’s even better when you have someone leading off with a lot of it. Looking back on his 2017 season, he played in more games 70 compared to 22 in 2016. Tapia put up 46 hits, 30 of those being singles along with 12 doubles and two triples. With the Rockies pushing forward the youth movement, Tapia may be just what Colorado needs.

In most cliché lineups, you usually do see a speedster in the leadoff role. It isn’t a bad thing to be cliché, especially when you have a team like the Rockies. If the Rox were to have Tapia batting first and Charlie Blackmon third, it does setup a serious power move. In other words, if Tapia gets on base then you have DJ LeMaheiu, Blackmon, and Nolan Arenado all right behind. Speed plus power hitters equals runs for the Rockies … which leads to wins. You get my point. If you’re not too sure about Tapia, take a look at this video that showcases his speed.

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If you want to go even deeper into the subject let’s talk about how convenient this will be in the future. If all goes well, when October comes back around, having someone with the speed Tapia has will be vital to the Rockies if they want to survive the postseason. Looking at Tapia as a whole, you have a guy who can not only get on base, but when on base he can fly. This is something the Rockies should not only utilize now, but invest into for the future of the franchise.

Final Thoughts

The Rockies have some serious momentum going for the 2018 season. I don’t blame Bud Black at all for taking a step back and looking at how to improve the Rockies. If that means moving some guys around in the lineup, so be it.

Next: How the Rockies fared in 2017 according to the uniform they wore that game

The only thing I hope is that Tapia is not overlooked while looking to fill this spot. With Tapia, you have speed … and speed kills. If the Rockies want to mix it up this season and have a young playmaker batting first, Tapia is your man.