Raimel Tapia has the fielding and hitting ability to be an MLB player. The Rockies’ outfielder is currently playing with the team in spring training, but because of the team’s depth at the outfield position, he will probably end up in minors this season. MLB.com writer Thomas Harding joined Gil Whiteley on Mile High Sports Radio on Monday to discuss why this is a good thing for Tapia.
“He has such a good bat, he hits for such high average and gets on base so well that you don’t want to waste him in the major leagues when he could be getting regular at-bats in Triple-A and could be the first guy you call on when an injury happens,” Harding said.
Harding went on to elaborate on why the 23-year-old Tapia, who has a career batting average of .317 in his five-year minor league career, would have a hard time usurping an outfield position from the current starters.
“He’s done some things, has a good hitting stroke, runs pretty well,” Harding said. “The issue with him is, the way the roster is set up right now, I don’t see him breaking with the big club.”
Charlie Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra are currently listed as the starters on the Rockies’ depth chart, and David Dahl is there to snatch up a spot if someone starts underperforming. Because of this, Tapia would have very sporadic appearances if he stayed up in the majors with the Rockies. The only way he would see major playing time is if there were multiple injuries in the outfield. Even in that situation, it would be just as easy to call him up after the injuries, and he’ll already be in playing shape since he’s played consistently in the minors.
Listen to the full interview with Thomas Harding, including his thoughts on the big money signing of Ian Desmond, in the podcast below.
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