Morning Links: Rockies News 2/15

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Today is the day. It is the day we have been waiting for. Colorado Rockies pitchers and catchers reported this morning.

With this day comes actual Rockies news. Now we can speculate with actual practice/game action to digest. Now we can consider which players should play a prominent role. Now we can prepare to be surprised by unexpected developments and the players we did not see coming.

Here’s what else is happening with the Rockies, and let’s also check in with teams around the NL West:

From Greg Stanwood: The five biggest questions going into Spring Training 2014 (Purple Row):

"(Jordan) Pacheco’s most likely displacer is Michael McKenry, a former Rockies draft pick who was traded to Boston after a September callup for Colorado. McKenry was then flipped to Pittsburgh in the mid-2011 season, where he eventually secured the role of their backup catcher, through being non-tendered at the end of last year. Though McKenry doesn’t have any tools superior to Pacheco’s hit tool, some think he might offer a better overall package, though some others feel that spending too much effort worrying about one of the least relevant players on the team to be a wasted effort. I would disagree; I want the best player for the job, and hope the team keeps an open mind about moving on from Pacheco this year.”"

From Dan Zinski: Matt Kemp Doesn’t Want to Hear That He’s a “Fourth Outfielder” (Call to the Pen):

"Right now you have Carl Crawford, Yasiel Puig, Andre Either and Matt Kemp on the roster. And Kemp is the one guy coming back with question marks about his physical condition. So logic says that Kemp is the odd man out at least to start, the fourth outfielder in that mix.Just don’t tell Matt Kemp that, because he will snap your head off.”"

From Bernie D’Amato: Q&A with San Diego Padres Outfielder Will Venable (Friars on Base):

"You had a .315/.357/.549 slash after the All-Star break in 2013.  I noticed you spoke about having rhythm at the plate, were there other reasons for your post All-Star break success?Rhythm was a key for me this season, but even going back to the minor leagues, I always seem to have much stronger second halves. I’m not sure why that is.”Rockies tickets are available for Spring Training so grab some now if you’re looking to go! Rhythm was a key for me this season, but even going back to the minor leagues, I always seem to have much stronger second halves. I’m not sure why that is.”"