Unafraid to make constant adjustments to his game and willing to go to great lengths to improve, Rockies outfielder Mike Tauchman is excited to contribute in any way possible in his second Major League stint.
“[Getting the call] was amazing. That’s what everybody works for the day they get drafted,” Tauchman said after getting his first Major League call up last month. “It’s definitely a grind, but it was worth it now that I get to be here. It’s exciting, it’s really exciting.”
After being selected in the 10th round of the 2013 draft, Tauchman’s road to the bigs was a constant uphill battle. But, after making the necessary adjustments to his swing and exploding at the plate in Triple-A Albuqueque this season, the road finally leveled out for the 26-year-old from Palatine, Ill.
“I was just constantly trying to make adjustments and fine-tune my swing, find something that works for me,” Tauchman said. “Sometimes, that took me a little longer to figure out, and I’m probably going to be constantly evolving in that way for the rest of my career. I’m just trying to make adjustments and let the in-game experience teach me what’s needed to be done.”
That ongoing reeducation has produced a .332 average (fourth best in the PCL), 52 extra-base hits and 77 RBIs in 103 games with the Isotopes this season.
Tauchman has not only tweaked his approach in Albuquerque, he gained beneficial experience when he decided to fly south for the winter. Six weeks with Venezuela’s Aquilas del Zulia last offseason, he said, heightened his skills that much more.
“I think it helped a lot because I ended last season pretty high on the plate, then I was able to kind of take that into Venezuela, which was an environment where I felt like I could get in-game, real-time feeedback on the things I was trying to work on in a competitive setting. They have very, very passionate fan bases. They have a lot of pride in their teams and the game is very fun to play because everybody basically hangs on every pitch.”
Seeing the passion of the fans down in the embattled country gave him added perspective.
“Due to the shortened season, every game is that much more important from a winning and losing standpoint. I would compare the fans to European soccer. They’re live and die on every inning, every pitch, every game. When we would lose and I would go back to the hotel and some of the guys would hear that we lost, their night would be ruined. The passion and the love of the game is very high,” he said. “It was a humbling experience going there and I really enjoyed it.”
Now, Tauchman faces perhaps the most exciting prospect of his career, what with the Rockies currently chasing a Wild Card spot in the National League.
“We’re still fighting in the playoff race, playing important games this late in the season. That’s what guys want. That’s the fun part,” he said. “I think it just makes it that much more exciting and makes each pitch that much more important. Any little thing could swing one way or the other.”
Tauchman understands that on a deep and talented Rockies squad, outfielders not named Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez or Charlie Blackmon may only have the opportunity to do little things.
“This team is a very talented team, and when they’re looking for guys to bring up, they want guys that can contribute to win it. This team is a very talented team and they have playoff and World Series aspirations, so the bottom line is what can you do to help win, and that’s little things.”
Even then, Tauchman said he’s happy to help the team in whatever way he can, whenever he can.
“I just try to be ready for really any situation, whether it’s coming in for a pinch hit or for a pinch run or playing the outfield, if any of these guys need a day off, coming in and stepping into their role.”
