The Colorado Rockies organization is stacked from top to bottom with depth at just about every position; however, one top prospect who is continuously overlooked is outfielder Raimel Tapia.

Tapia, 23, recently rejoined the Rockies this season in correspondence with Alexi Amarista being placed on paternity leave. In three call-ups this season, Tapia has not really been given a real chance to show his worth. Entering Friday’s afternoon game in Chicago, he’s 0-for-14 with one RBI and a walk in 22 games this year.

However, in the time since his latest call-up, outfielder Gerardo Parra suffered an injury to his quadriceps, forcing him to make a move to the 10-day DL. With Parra hurt, the door has now opened for Tapia to get more playing time at the Major League level.

The Rockies some how, some way have to figure out a way to get him in the lineup due to his enormous production during his time with Triple-A Albuquerque this year. So far this season, Tapia has hit a whopping .359 with 23 RBIs with the Isotopes.

“We’ll see if we can get him a couple starts,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “I know he hasn’t got a hit yet, but this guy is going to hit. You don’t do what he’s done in Triple-A and not have it translate. That’s my belief. We’ll get him some starts, and I think he’ll contribute to some Rockies wins.”

While his hitting is impressive, Tapia’s biggest value lies in his quickness. Already Tapia has stolen 11 bases for Albuquerque this season, which is just three shy of the 14 bags the Rockies as team have swiped  all season. Those 14 stolen bases rank dead last in the major leagues.

With the offense Colorado boasts, the element of speed would be a lethal addition. The Rockies have some speed on their roster in Charlie Blackmon, but nobody that boasts the base-stealing skills that Tapia possesses.

Right now, the Rockies have one of the best one-two combos at the top of their lineup in Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu. Blackmon currently ranks third in RBIs and first in hits among all major-league hitters. This, in addition to LeMahieu coming off a season in which he won the National League batting crown with a .348 batting average, make Colorado’s top two in the lineup one of the best duos in baseball. Add Tapia to the bottom of the lineup, and that’s quite the table setting for the big guns at the top.

The art of the speed has become a lost commodity in the sport today. True speedsters are few and far between in the game. With Tapia the Rockies have a player that boasts quality hitting and superb base-running ability, traits they need to incorporate more into their style of play.

Time and time again in sports we see teams reinvent certain aspects of their respective game. Whether it be the West Coast offense in football or playing small ball in basketball, teams, at one point another, figure out ways to win and gain a competitive edge over their opponents in unconventional ways for the time of the sport.

The Rockies have that opportunity to get ahead of the curve and need to take advantage of it. As it stands, stolen bases are at a low point in baseball. 2,537 bases were stolen in 2016 which was up from the 2,505 in the previous season; however, those are both the fewest number of stolen bases in a season since the shortened lockout seasons of 1981 and 1994, according to Michael Florio of The New York Daily News.

Tapia has proved all season long that he is ready to play in the Major Leagues. Unfortunately for him, the Rockies surplus of talent in the outfield has prevented him from reaching the next level. Now, with Parra out, Tapia has the chance to earn his stripes and leave his lasting mark on the coaching staff and front office.

“We don’t know when he’s going to play,” Black said. “But what we do like, he’s got speed; I think he can come off the bench, I think he can hit, play defense. He’s a talented player.”

Tapia gives the Rockies options in all phases of the game, but most importantly speed. If he produces and proves he worth during his potentially extend stay with the club he could force the hand of the Rockies similar to other youngsters this season.