Raimel Tapia
 |
|
It’s been a very slow start for Tapia in his first spin through the Eastern League, with the lefty collecting just two extra base hits in 60-plus plate appearances. Tapia is currently slashing a meager .212/.311/.250 with minimal hard contact. Though Tapia has shown good feel for the barrel in the past, he lacks a certain intimidation factor when it comes to in-game pop. Eastern League arms seem to be testing him this April, often pounding fastballs on the inner-half early and mixing-in soft stuff away when ahead in the count. Hitting is about adjustments, and Tapia’s hand-eye coordination and contact ability should give him a leg up in figuring out those adjustments as he continues to climb the developmental ladder. Still, early returns – admittedly very early returns – in Double-A have reinforced some concerns that Tapia and his unorthodox approach, combined with below-average raw power, could open the door for more advanced arms to get aggressive and force him to hit from behind and, ultimately, put bat to ball on pitcher’s pitches. –Nick J. Faleris |
