Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Raimel Tapia Born: 02/04/1994 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Left
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 175
	Primary Position: CF
	Secondary Position: LF

Flagpole skinny; narrow shoulders and long legs; frame can support modest additional weight, but will take the form of wiry strength, not bulk muscle; should age well, potential for longer-than-average post-prime productivity.

Evaluator	Wilson Karaman
Report Date	06/01/2015
Dates Seen	4/23, 4/25, 5/9, 5/10, 5/28, 5/29
Affiliate	Modesto Nuts (High A, Rockies)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2017	High	55	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	60	Raw bat-to-ball pushes double-plus, approach significantly limits utility; wide crouch, exceptional body control in the box, manipulates barrel delivery and swing plane pitch to pitch; loose hands, hitch to migrating load; sets front side early, generates outstanding torque and plus bat speed; elite hand-eye, pole to pole hitter; approach is unrefined; wants to hit; will expand the zone and attack pitcher's pitches in-zone; can tie him up inside and beat him soft below the zone.
Power	40	45 raw, 40 game; will look to separate and pull when ahead, mostly content to work middle-away; top-spin line drive approach to most swings, limited carry; present approach limits utility; chance to creep up to 50/45 with additional weight.
Baserunning/Speed	60	Long legs and athleticism push raw foot speed to plus; slow start-up and raw instincts limit utility on base and in field; long finish, slow out of the box, will check up early down the line; two clocks at 4.17 and 4.18; takes active leads, solid feel for first move but unrefined timing; sets lead with extremely wide base, long cross-over; leads off second drift thin, takes poor angle to attack third; will get over-aggressive and make poor decisions trying to take the extra base.
Glove	50	40 present; extremely wide pre-pitch crouch limits first-step explosiveness and adds to long start-up; raw feel for opposing contact, gets choppy starts and late breaks from both CF and LF; lacks natural feel for reading spin and trajectory; plus foot speed underway, closing speed limited by routes; natural athleticism can carry him to average in LF with requisite reps and dedication.
Arm	45	Fringe-average arm strength limits him to left if he can't stick in center; solid glove-and-transfer, struggles to consistently get his feet under him.

Tapia is young for the level and it shows in a multitude of rough edges to his game. The base-running and defense are both below-average at present, and while the raw tools suggest potential for improvement he hasn't shown it in either area in my looks. He can certainly hit, but the present approach is exceedingly aggressive, limiting the overall offensive profile and with it the OFP.

There's a ton of mental and physical projection remaining here and a high degree of variance in his potential outcomes. I can't forecast a ceiling of more than a good second-division regular, but you don't have to squint too hard to see an actualized version of Tapia where he eventually hones his approach, the hit tool carries the day, and he develops into a consistent first-division player in his peak years.