Colorado Rockies: Raimel Tapia another product of underrated development

The Colorado Rockies have already made a big impact in MLB since expanding in 1993. Though postseason and personal accolades are nice, their true diamond in the rough is their development of young talent.

On Wednesday, Colorado Rockies outfielder Raimel Tapia stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the third.

He would crack a sharp double to the centerfield wall that would clear the bases. The Rockies would now lead 4-3 over the Nationals.

This was just one big at-bat in a recent string of games where Tapia has been scorching hot. In his last four games, Tapia has compiled five hits, three home runs, seven RBI and four runs.

Though he has not played in many games, this streak has helped his batting average climb to .281, his on-base percentage increase to .328 and his OPS amass to .924.

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Tapia’s road to this point in his baseball journey is not like most, but it has been with the same organization; the Colorado Rockies.

In 2011, Tapia was assigned to the Rockies’ Dominican Summer League team. This would be year one of his professional relationship with the Rockies while still being able to play near his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris in the DR.

Two years later, the Rockies promoted Tapia to their Rookie affiliate the Grand Junction Rockies. At this point, Tapia was only three years away from his Major League debut. Though he had not consistently held onto a roster spot from 2016 to 2018, 2019 was his year.

He made the Opening Day roster; a feat only cemented by his recent four-game streak. He isn’t a starter, but he is making the outfield a little more crowded for manager Bud Black.

The outfielders for the Rockies are David Dahl, another young prospect from their system, Ian Desmond, who is signed until 2021 – with an option for 2022 – and fan favorite and recently extended Charlie Blackmon.

So his time is not quite now, but he has certainly proved his worth, while simultaneously showing the value of the Rockies’ developmental system.

Currently, on Colorado’s 40-man roster are 18 players that were either drafted by or acquired in amateur free agency and developed in their system.

The most notable include Blackmon, Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story, while some of the more underrated grabs were guys like Ryan McMahon, Kyle Freeland, and Garrett Hampson.

Colorado may have a predominant showing of their own talent, but they have done well plugging the gaps with veterans and trade assets like German Marquez, Wade Davis, and Daniel Murphy.

Because the strength has been Colorado’s development, however, they have successfully been able to fully expedite the path to the big leagues for several of the team’s current competitors.

Think back to the debut of Story in 2016. He would have never even been on the roster if not for the trade of Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays, which freed up space for Story to make the team. He would end up hitting eight home runs in his first seven games of the 2016 season. Now, the former all-star looks to continue establishing himself as one the National League’s premier shortstops.

Their outfield has seen a bit of a revolving door as well. After Michael Cuddyer retired, guys like Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, and Corey Dickerson were looking to secure the open spot. Gonzalez was a lock because of his all-star status, and Blackmon ended up with the starting job in center after Spring Training.

When it became too much, Dickerson was moved to Tampa Bay for a deal headlined with Jake McGee with Marquez. This allowed an outfield of Blackmon, Gonzalez and Gerardo Parra to thrive until the arrival of Dahl.

Also, this season, letting DJ LeMahieu walk in free agency made room for McMahon to start in the infield and the opportunity for the young speedster Hampson at second base. There is even MLB Pipeline’s No. 9 prospect Brendan Rodgers waiting in the wings and could even be considered a commodity if McMahon and Hampson become to good to consider moving.

In a league where the minor league focus is drawn to teams like the Padres, Dodgers and Blue Jays, the Colorado Rockies have quietly made smart decisions for their future and have struck gold with pieces that no other team wanted to take a chance on. Tapia is just the newest member of this long list.