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

Way back in 2011, Raimel Tapia was considered a top 100 prospect with a multitude of quality player attributes. Now, eight years later, Tapia may be the odd man out for the Colorado Rockies. The question remains: should he be?

As a 17-year-old, the Rockies signed Raimel Tapia, a budding speedy star, out of the Dominican Republic. Tapia is now 25 years old, and still hardly has experience at the major league level. In fact, over three seasons since making his debut in 2016, Tapia has just 108 games at the major league level.

Tapia began his career playing at the Rookie level. The first season for Tapia was respectable as he started in the right direction. He slashed .262/.336/.323 with one home run, 35 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. It was good enough for Tapia to finish with a .332 wOBA and 97 wRC+.

The following year, Tapia found his groove. He decreased his strikeout rate from 14.5% to 12.9% while improving in virtually every other offensive category. Tapia slashed .316/.383/.363 with a much better .373 wOBA and 122 wRC+. He finished with an identical 35 RBI and stole 13 bases.

By 2016, Tapia had worked his way to Triple-A. The power remained almost nonexistent; however it was an area of which was not part of his production. That year, before leaping, Tapia finished with a .346/.355/.490 line, producing an above-average .365 wOBA and 120 wRC+. At the time, it felt like it was his time to shine; however, the club felt differently.

The sad reality is Tapia had a horrendous 2018 campaign. The Rockies were in a spot where Tapia served primarily as a pinch-hitter. Despite the truth of his situation last season, the blame should not be solely placed on Tapia’s shoulders.

Colorado has always been a team with a plethora of outfield options. For many years, it has been the deepest area, which can be both a positive and negative. Last season, however, it showed how bad it could get.

Gerardo Parra, for example, has never been a good option for the Rockies. Before the argument is sprung about his career .283/.320/.407 line in his time in purple pinstripes, Parra did post a .312 wOBA and porous 77 wRC+. Not great for someone being given $27.5 million throughout a contract. Nevertheless, Parra is now a free agent which, in theory, should have opened the opportunity for Tapia. Not the case, however.

When the team signed Ian Desmond to a $70 million deal in 2016, the idea held pat that Desmond would play first base. Now, moving into this season, the club surprisingly signed Daniel Murphy to play first base. Desmond, meanwhile, will move to center field while Blackmon will move to right field. With David Dahl set to play left field, Tapia seems to be the odd man out. The big question now is, how do the Rockies proceed with Tapia?

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The simple truth remains that Tapia needs consistent play in the majors. His 2017 campaign proved he could be a substantial contributor when given the opportunity. It feels like it will not be the case again in 2019 as the team is seemingly set with their outfield as we careen towards the first spring training games.

Tapia deserves an opportunity. The numbers have not shown how good of a player he can be because he has been up and down, shuffled in the system. It is understandable why the Rockies continue to shift Desmond around for more opportunities. A $70 million deal is something that is difficult to give up on, mainly since it has not worked out for the Rockies to this point.

Spring Training will be a significant opportunity for Tapia to showcase his abilities once again, and hopefully force the Rockies hand. The team is showing a more consistent approach to youth, displayed by the starting rotation the past two years, and Tapia falls entirely in line with that attitude.

If anything, Tapia can provide much-needed depth for an outfield carrying two over-30-year-olds. Fans should make sure to watch Tapia leading up to the season. For the Rockies, it is time they gave him a real opportunity.