Raimel Tapia remains in a juggled Rockies lineup — his rookie rise is difficult to stop | Denver Post
We all know how it works with prospect hype. It comes and goes, and it only leads to the best case scenario in the rarest of cases. Every now and then, however, there is a prospect with years of hype, and you know everybody will be watching when he arrives.
Raimel Tapia has had a big week, and the reason it feels bigger than just a week is because we have been looking forward to it for years, dating back to when former Baseball Prospectus writer Ryan Parker had “Raimel Tapia enthusiast” in his Twitter bio.
The Rockies are enjoying the recent hot streak from their long-hyped prospect, as are we all. Nick Groke writes that Tapia is already forcing the team’s hand by looking more comfortable at the plate.
Raimel Tapia has the same electricity of a young Carlos Gonzalez | BSN Rockies
Jake Shapiro opines that he sees some similarities in Tapia to when CarGo arrived on the scene with authority as a young player. He then had the chance to ask CarGo himself about it. That would be interesting no matter what, but especially at a moment when Tapia’s emergence coincided with Gonzalez sitting the bench for a couple days because of a massive slump.
Also, the hair. We all love the hair.
Colorado Rockies morning after: A thought for Friday’s every inning | Rox Pile
There were a lot of ups and downs once again in Friday night’s win, including a Rockies comeback and then another shaky night from the bullpen. Greg Holland even made us sweat again before he put away the save. Edison Hatter goes from beginning to end with some of the key moments.
The effort to honor a 94-year-old Negro Leagues umpire with a bronze statue | Yahoo
Jeff Passan tells the fascinating story of Bob Motley, the last surviving umpire from the Negro Leagues. He also argues that Motley deserves a statue, and I think you’ll agree.
The fall and rise of Matt Barker, Denver’s gay baseball player | Purple Row
If you haven’t read Ted’s feature from yesterday, make sure to set some time aside and do so.