Outfielder Raimel Tapia gives the Blue Jays a singles-hitting speedster, and a left-handed bat

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This article was published 24/03/2022 (1359 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The newest member of the Blue Jays couldn’t be more different from the man he’s replacing, and he could be just what they need.

Raimel Tapia is a speedy, lanky slap hitter, just about the polar opposite of Randal Grichuk, the slugger with the eye-popping hard-hit rate but plenty of swing and miss.

In a lineup full of sluggers, Tapia stands out for a distinct lack of thump. Playing in the thin air of Colorado, he has mustered just 19 home runs over parts of six seasons, the last three of which he has been a full-time player. That’s a good two months for Grichuk, who just didn’t have enough good months.

“(Tapia is) a high-contact guy, speed guy, a good defender,” Jays hitting coach Guillermo Martinez said. “It’s definitely a lot different than what we have, but I think he’s going to complement our lineup. We obviously have good hitters and (lots of) power, but it’s nice to have someone who can run the bases and slap the ball around here and there. Just a different type of hitter.”

Tapia, who stole 20 bases last season, is a year removed from a COVID-shortened season in which he hit .321, with a .369 on-base percentage. More than 75 per cent of the balls he has put in play in his career have been hit to left or centre field, away from his pull side. Despite a low walk rate of just 6.1 per cent, his career on-base percentage of .325 stands in stark contrast to Grichuk’s .293.

The 28-year-old Dominican struck out only 13.1 per cent of the time last year, a mark that would have placed him third on the 2021 Jays, behind only Alejandro Kirk and Santiago Espinal.

Right-hander Ross Stripling, who saw Tapia plenty while playing in the National League West with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is happy to have the pesky hitter on his side.

“(Tapia is) just a solid bat-to-ball guy,” Stripling said. “He brings a left-handed bat and good speed to our lineup. I always thought he was the perfect fit for that Rockies lineup because he got on base for their sluggers to drive him in. Could see it working that way for us.”

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While Tapia led off 99 times for Colorado last season, he is likely to hit closer to the bottom of the Jays’ stacked batting order, making his way on base for George Springer et al to drive in from the top.

Don’t sleep on his glove, either. “He’s coming from maybe the hardest outfield to navigate, in Colorado,” Stripling said of the vast green spaces of Coors Field, “so I’m sure he’ll be a great asset for us defensively.”

Tapia tied for second in the major leagues in defensive runs saved for left fielders last year, behind only Canadian Tyler O’Neill of the Cardinals.

He should see plenty of action, mostly in left field, allowing Springer, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to rotate through the DH spot.

Mike Wilner is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star and host of the baseball podcast “Deep Left Field.” Follow him on Twitter: @wilnerness