Colorado Rockies: The 4 biggest takeaways from time at spring training

Salt Rivers Fields, home of the Colorado Rockies in the spring and fall — SCOTTSDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 25: Archie Bradley #25 of the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers a pitch during the fourth inning of the spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 25, 2017 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

I just returned from a week at the Colorado Rockies spring training facility. During that time, I not only caught up with several players, manager Bud Black and many members of the Rockies organization, but also took in practices and games.

One of the common misnomers about spring training is that it’s a time when players take it easy. On the contrary, the clubhouse opens to media at 7:30 each morning and games aren’t over until around 5. In between, there are plenty of meetings and workouts, both on the field and in the weight room.

There is a sign at the Rockies facility in Scottsdale that says, “The road to Rocktober begins here.” There is also little question that spring training is where the building blocks for a successful season are placed and built upon.

Now that I am back in the Denver area, I wanted to share with you some of the impressions I took away from my time in Arizona. Sure, it’s early in spring training and a lot can happen between now and Opening Day (March 29 at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks) but there are still patterns that can be seen and thoughts that can be interpreted.

Here are my four biggest takeaways from my time at Rockies camp in Scottsdale…

I just returned from a week at the Colorado Rockies spring training facility. During that time, I not only caught up with several players, manager Bud Black and many members of the Rockies organization, but also took in practices and games.

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