SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On a high-def TV, the cloud of dust kicked up by Raimel Tapia on a highlight reel video seemed to spill off the screen and into the Rockies spring clubhouse. Players on a black leather couch nearby flinched watching him fly around the bases and slide hands-first into third base.
The fastest player on Colorado’s big-league roster can scoot. But speed alone will not steal a base. And in that same game against Arizona, Tapia was also thrown out trying to steal second. That never made the highlight reel.
This is a quandary. The Rockies stole the second-fewest bases in the National League last season, fewer than three a week by average.