MEDIA CLIPS – September 16, 2016 Young standout: Tapia brings flair to Rockies Club's No. 4 prospect making 'a good impression' in Majors with speed, style By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | @harding_at_mlb | September 15th, 2016 DENVER -- Outfielder Raimel Tapia captured Rockies fans' imaginations long before he arrived in the Majors on Sept. 2 and caught their eye. It wasn't just his .328 combined batting average at Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque this year, or his .317 batting average since signing with the organization just shy of his 17th birthday. The praise from club officials and eyewitness accounts along his Minor League journey previewed a treat. Tapia, 22, has hit .276 with a .313 on-base percentage in 32 plate appearances over 12 games with the Rockies. In his six starts, mostly when center fielder Charlie Blackmon was nursing back soreness, he has hit .292 with a .333 OBP and flashed a signature look and style. He wears a baggy jersey, and at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds, his No. 68 engulfs his back. Without a cap or helmet, he reveals plaited hair, dyed blond. Loose, active hands produce a quick swing that comes from different stances -- somewhat conventional until there are two strikes, when he crouches almost as low as the catcher. In Spring Training, before the rigors of the season, Tapia was lacing balls to the gaps for extra bases against Major League pitchers, the way he did throughout the Minor League year. 1 "He's a bit unconventional, but he's got great bat-to-ball skills, great hand-eye coordination," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "There is some power there that's going to continue to improve. He's a dynamic player, runs well. He's made a good impression up here." Let's get to know the Rockies' No. 4 prospect -- as ranked by MLBPipeline.com -- who spoke in Spanish through an interpreter but is gaining confidence in English: • Growing up in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Tapia had no shortage of baseball influences. "I had three brothers that signed and played baseball as well: Rafael Tapia, Antonio Linares and Jose Linares," Tapia said. "They didn't play in the Majors, but they helped me a lot. One of them, Antonio, has a Little League in the Dominican, and all of my brothers helped me. "Alfonso Soriano [a .270 hitter in the Majors from 1999-2014] helped me a lot. He's very close with my brother, and he lives close to my house in the Dominican, and when I'm at home, he works with me." • The crouch with two strikes is unusual, although it's based on solid principles -- short at the beginning, long through the zone. And to his relief and the credit of the Rockies, no one tried to change him when he started using it in the Dominican Summer League in 2011. "They would always give me little tips of just things I could do differently but never told me to change my approach," he said. "I keep my approach the same, just use little tips here and there to adjust." • Even with all his pro baseball influences from his brothers and Soriano, Tapia struggled with proper nutrition when he came to the U.S. for Rookie ball in 2013 -- when he was named TOPPS Pioneer League Player of the Year after hitting .357 at Grand Junction. "They taught me to always play hard and follow what you want to do," Tapia said. "But they didn't teach me to cook. I didn't know when I came over. I learned recently -- rice and meat. And I eat salads and vegetables sometimes." 2 • Tapia played more center field (284 appearances) than the corners (148 in left, 124 in right) in the Minors. With his defense behind his hitting, he saw time in left in Spring Training. But throughout the season he made center his home. Blackmon's injury gave him the opportunity to flash the speed that helps his offense and could give him above-average range once comfortable in the Majors. "I worked very hard in the Dominican, with the coaches in Arizona, in Double-A and in Triple-A," he said. "I worked a lot with everyone just to better my defense and hopefully get up to the big leagues and be able to showcase that -- just seeing the angles better, being ready and seeing the ball." Tapia's trip along the bases • With left-handed-hitting outfielders Blackmon, Carlos Gonzalez, David Dahl(another rookie) and Gerardo Parra already with the Rockies, it's uncertain where Tapia fits. No doubt other teams would want to pry him away. But that's not his worry. "I know I have a good chance, because when you have a right-handed pitcher, you want a left-handed batter, so there are better chances. But other than that, I don't think about it very much." • Don't order those No. 68 TAPIA jerseys. If he has his way, he won't wear it long. "I like the number 15. It's my favorite," Tapia said. "I wore No. 15 when I was younger, through the Dominican when I was younger." 3 Rockies Mailbag: Bullpen struggles, CarGo at first, Walt Weiss update and more By PATRICK SAUNDERS | [email protected] | UPDATED: September 15, 2016 at 7:18 am Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders posts his Rockies Mailbag every other week on Tuesdays during the season. Pose a Rockies- or MLB-related question for the Rockies Mailbag. The Rockies’ bullpen has been a train wreck all season. It seems as though starters aren’t going deep enough into games. Do you see general manager Jeff Bridich fixing this issue, or just patching it with another Band-Aid? — Chris, Aurora Chris, that’s one of the biggest issues facing the Rockies. I contend that if the Rockies’ bullpen had been decent, the Rockies would still be in the playoff hunt. I wrote as much in a column last week. As I’ve noted a few times, the bullpen’s cumulative ERA (5.05) is the second-worst in the National League and the Rockies’ worst since 2004. I disagree with you regarding the starter. I think they have done a much better job pitching later into games and I expect that trend to continue. Some of the solutions to the bullpen are in-house. I think Adam Ottavino is good enough to be a quality late-game reliever, and possibly the team’s closer. And though you might laugh when I say this, I still think Carlos Estevez will harness his power and become an effective reliever, perhaps as soon as next season. The Rockies also have Jairo Diaz returning from Tommy John surgery next year, and the hard-throwing right-hander has a chance to be special. Please note that I wrote “has a chance.” 4 However, I would hope that Bridich will look at the situation and realize that he can’t simply sign aging, injured relievers like 34-year-old Jason Motte (two year, $10 million) and 38-year-old Chad Qualls (two years, $6 million) and hope things work out. Will Bridich make a bold move and go after a high-impact, free-agent reliever such as Mark Melancon (from Golden High School)? Will he trade for a veteran reliever in the wake of the Jake McGee disappointment? honestly don’t know, and I don’t know if owner Dick Monfort will be willing to spend the necessary money and or take a risk. I do think the window is open for the Rockies to win in 2017-18, but that window will close in a hurry if the Rockies attempt to patch the bullpen with a Band-Aid. What’s up with the Rockies and Ben Paulsen? Called up in September but barely used and now he has been designated for assignment. Doesn’t appear he is in their plans for 2017. — Gale Massey, Aurora Gale, you are right, I do not think Paulsen is in the Rockies’ long-range plans. He simply didn’t have much of an impact when given a chance. It can be argued that he wasn’t given much of a chance this season, but it’s become very clear that he is not Colorado’s first baseman of the future. What’s your take on the Dodgers giving Yasiel Puig another chance? His first game back and he goes 2-for-4 and made a couple of good plays in the outfield. — Jack Liggitt, Denver Jack, I think Puig is an exceptionally gifted athlete and a charismatic player. He’s also immature and has an attitude problem. He rubbed former Dodgers manager Don Mattingly the wrong way and he’s managed to tick off current manager Dave Roberts, too. 5 His demotion to the minors was about sending Puig a message. I still think the Dodgers will trade him during the offseason if they can swing a deal. Monday, Roberts told Los Angeles reporters that Puig, “Has continued to grow as a baseball player, as a teammate, as a man,” but that talk could be hollow as L.A. attempts to deal Puig. As USA Today national baseball writer Bob Nightengale wrote Tuesday, the Dodgers and Brewers came within an eyelash of making a trade on Aug. 1 that would have sent Puig to Milwaukee in exchange for Ryan Braun. The Rockies blew another large lead in the late innings against Los Angeles. Considering they were playing the NL West leading Dodgers, I view this as perhaps the most devastating loss of the season.