Colorado Rockies prospect Mike Tauchman had quite a year of life-changing moments — from his first call-up to his first major league at-bat, 2017 was a year to remember. The Palatine, Ill. native has improved with every stop in the minors, but he knows that a taste of the majors is not enough — and it has him hungry for more.

In an interview with Gil Whiteley and Mark Jackson on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7, Tauchman talked about his rise through the ranks and his excitement about the possibility of being part of something special in 2018 and beyond.

“Last year was kind of a life-changing year for me,” Tauchman said. “It leaves you feeling hungry for more … An opportunity to be on this team, which I think is a team that is looking to compete for a World Series in the next couple years, it’s just exciting to hopefully be a part of that.”

Tauchman’s 2017 had him slotted in Triple-A for a majority of the year with the Albuquerque Isotopes — where he batted .331 with 16 home runs — but also saw him in a short stint with the Rockies, where he earned 32 plate appearances. Tauchman explained the challenges he faced as he progressed through baseball’s minor-league levels.

“The game just became a lot cleaner [as a professional]. Things that used to be hits stopped being hits, especially up the middle, with shortstops that could really cover some ground and make plays, and center fielders that could really make plays,” Tauchman said.

“Then, around Double-A was when the pitching really started becoming more polished. Definitely started to see some guys with really serious stuff, but could also locate it a little more. Triple-A is the most polished of all; there’s a lot of guys who have had Major League time. The game becomes just a lot cleaner, a lot more polished. Pitchers just become a lot better at exploiting weaknesses.”

Sorry – this audio content is no longer available., including what he had to say about rising up in the ranks, his time in the low minors, his experience in the Rockies’ wild-card game and more, or listen to the podcast below.

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