ROCKIES GET LOOK AT THEIR 60-GAME SLATE
Outfielders Tapia, Hilliard eye bigger roles with Desmond opting out and DH arriving
With Ian Desmond opting out of the 2020 season and the designated hitter coming to the National League, opportunity is knocking for 26-year-old outfielders Raimel Tapia and Sam Hilliard.
Rockies manager Black believes the duo is up to the task.
“Those two fellas are poised to do some good things,” Black said. “(And) those two guys are going to get opportunities to help us win.”
For Tapia, baseball’s 60-game sprint means a chance to grab the starting left field job. That may have been the case even if Desmond hadn’t opted out, but now the job is his to lose. Since debuting in September 2016, Tapia has dazzled at times and showed frustrating inattention to detail at others, but his talent and speed make him a projectable every-day player.
“With Tapia, he’s had enough time in and around the big leagues to know what big-league competition is all about, and how he needs to play his game to be a contributor,” Black said. “He’s ready for that and he’s ready for production. His expectation is that, as is ours.”
For Hilliard, the absence of Desmond and the institution of the DH will inevitably lead to more playing time. Black has said the DH will be a rotating duty, but will probably feature the unit’s most senior members in right fielder Charlie Blackmon, 34, and minor league signee Matt Kemp, 35, if he makes the team.
A former 15th-round pick in 2015, Hilliard’s improbable rise through the minors culminated with a strong debut last fall, including a home run in his first game Aug. 27 against the Red Sox. Hilliard finished the season slashing .273/.356/.649 with a 1.006 OPS and seven home runs in 27 games. He also struck out 23 times in 87 plate appearances (26%). While his K rate must improve, there will be ample chances for the rookie in right in and left.
“Coming up last year, Sam had some really bright moments with some really big swings that built his confidence,” Black said. “There’s still a little bit left for him to learn at this level, but he’s eager, he’s a great listener and he’s a tremendous worker. He’s got all the attributes to be a really good player… And because of some of the things we saw last year, we have expectations for him to be a really good big-leaguer.”
If the Rockies can get any sort of consistency from Tapia and/or Hilliard, their outfield will be above league average, with all-stars in Blackmon and Dahl anchoring the unit. Dahl is the team’s projected starting center fielder, while Blackmon will again anchor right field, where he made 134 starts in 2019. Utilityman Garrett Hampson is also likely to see time as a backup outfielder.
Footnotes: The Nationals, Astros and Cardinals all canceled their workouts for Monday as those clubs awaited results of their COVID-19 testing from Friday. Black and reliever Carlos Estevez expressed confidence in the Rockies’ testing logistics. The righthander said “the process is really good” and that he’s been tested six times since reporting back to the club. Estevez said the results of each test have been available to him within 48 hours…. Black said that every player within the team’s 52-man pool has reported to Denver, minus Blackmon, and that everyone will be through testing and ready to play by Tuesday. Blackmon, who tested positive for coronavirus a few weeks ago, is in Georgia and the club doesn’t yet have a timetable for his arrival… Colorado scheduled right-handers Jon Gray and Chi Chi Gonzalez to throw live at-bats to Rockies players Monday afternoon, along with relievers Yency Almonte and Jake McGee. Southpaw Ryan Rolison, the team’s top pitching prospect, threw a bullpen in the morning.