Colorado Rockies: It’s time to give Raimel Tapia a real opportunity

Colorado Rockies celebrate — PHOENIX, AZ – JULY 20: Raimel Tapia #15 of the Colorado Rockies (R) is congratulated by teammate Nolan Arenado #28 after Tapia hit a grand slam home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the seventh inning of an MLB game at Chase Field on July 20, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)

Tapia made his much-anticipated debut at the end of the 2016 regular season, constituted through September call-ups. Appearing in 22 games, accruing 41 total plate appearances, Tapia unfortunately disappointed. He slashed .263/.293/.263 with a 26.8% strikeout rate, three RBI, three stolen bases, and a paltry 34 wRC+.

Of course, the team had All-Star center fielder Charlie Blackmon, as well as fan-favorite Carlos Gonzalez, who was coming off a 40-home run season himself, and signed Gerardo Parra to a three-year contract. At the time, the Rockies were hard pressed to find Tapia playing time.

Still, Tapia managed to force his way into the lineup throughout that 2016 season. In 2017, Tapia showed significant improvement across 70 games. Over that span, Tapia finished by slashing .288/.329/.425 with two home runs, 16 RBI, and five stolen bases. Still under-average, Tapia did also improve his wOBA to .322 and wRC+ to 81, both career highs.

Last season, Tapia found himself relegated back to mostly an observatory role at the significant league level. The young speedster still did see action in 25 games, posting 27 total plate appearances. He finished poorly slashing .200/.259/.480 with one home run and six RBI. Tapia fanned 25.9% of the time, as well. The inconsistency began to rear its ugly head.

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