Blackmon: Tapia made huge strides last season

SCOTTSDA L E , A RIZ.» Charlie Blackmon doesn’t toss around cheap compliments, so when the Rockies’ veteran right-fielder goes out of his way to praise a player, you pay attention.

In this case, teammate Raimel Tapia, the starting left fielder who batted .321 last season, including .326 in 34 games from the leadoff spot.

“Raimel Tapia took a huge step forward last year,” Blackmon said Wednesday. “It was a giant leap for him and he came on in a position of need. He was a really good leadoff hitter.

“He’s super-competitive in the box and that might be his best quality. He’s hard to get out and he can really lock in every at-bat. He hit .300 last year, and we needed that and we needed his leadoff presence. Hopefully, he can build off that.”

Tapia’s .369 on-base percentage was, far and away, the best mark of his career.

RyMac’s goal. Ryan McMahon, who will likely replace Nolan Arenado at third base, has power. His 24 home runs in 2019 proved that. Indeed, Blackmon said: “I think Ryan McMahon is going to be a good third baseman. But that’s not as exciting as his power potential. He has incredible power and I think he’s going to be a big part of our lineup this year.”

The bump in McMahon’s road is too many strikeouts. He had a team-high 66 strikeouts in just 172 at-bats, a 34.2% strikeout rate that was the sixth-worst among National League players with at least 100 plate appearances.

He has a plan to get better. “Obviously, you work on your swing, right?” he said. “You want to have a short stroke so that you can see the ball longer, gain more information. But I think the really big thing is just kind of staying within your zone.”

Shortened games. Exhibition games from the start of spring training through March 13 will be scheduled as seven-inning games, though they can be shortened to five innings or lengthened to nine innings upon mutual agreement of both managers. From March 14 until the end of camp, games will be scheduled for nine innings, though managers can mutually decide to shorten to seven innings.

Although the new rules could mean reduced playing time for prospects in Cactus League games, several Rockies regulars say it won’t affect them much, if at all. In the early spring games, starting players usually only play a few innings.