Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Scottsdale, Ariz., is the jewel of Cactus League baseball. Modern, sleek and spacious, it has everything a major-league team could want. Last spring, former Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki infamously remarked that "the place was like a country club."

But there was no country club vibe at Salt River this winter when, on a given day, 25 to 30 players were working out.

"It was so great, you could just feel everybody working together," second-year shortstop Trevor Story said. "I know the guys are really excited about this season. We think we can do something special."

But it will take more than zesty winter workouts and the feverish optimism of spring for the Rockies to win the National League West. After all, the Rockies are entering their 25th season but have never won the West.

This year's team has fresh faces at key spots, starting with manager Bud Black, a former San Diego Padres manager who took over for Walt Weiss. General manager Jeff Bridich, given a green light by Rockies owner Dick Monfort, made some aggressive offseason moves, signing free agent Ian Desmond (with a plan to convert him into a first baseman) and snagging two high-profile relievers, right-hander Greg Holland and left-hander Mike Dunn.

"This is a team that gets it, and I think they are poised to make a run at the Dodgers and Giants," Black said. "Am I going to guarantee how many wins? No. I don't think any manager will do that. But I'll tell you this: We've got a good team, and our guys know it."

Now put-up or shut-up time has arrived.

Here is a position-by-position look at the Rockies' roster as spring training opens this week:

Catcher

The Rockies are banking on youth. Converted infielder Tony Wolters, 24, has started only 58 major-league games behind the plate. Power hitter Tom Murphy, 25, has started 19 games. Dustin Garneau, 29, likely to be the emergency backup stationed at Triple-A Albuquerque, has only 37 starts under his belt.

Wolters emerged as the best defensive catcher among the group a season ago. His soft hands, nimbleness and game-calling ability drew praise from the pitching staff.

"I found my home at catcher," Wolters said.

Offensively, none of the three have proven themselves at the big-league level over the long haul. Wolters, a left-handed hitter, batted .215 with a .296 on-base percentage before the all-star break. After the break, however, he hit .321 with a .374 OBP, showing that he can adapt. But can he produce for a full season?

In 21 games last season (his second September call-up), Murphy hit .273 (12-for-44) with five home runs, 13 RBIs and a 1.006 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). He still needs work as a receiver, especially when it comes to blocking pitches in the dirt.

There is a good chance Wolters and Murphy will get equal playing time behind the plate.

16: Errors by Colorado catchers last season, second-most in the major leagues.

First base

Desmond has played 1,083 games in the majors, but none at first base. Nonetheless, Bridich rolled the dice, signing the athletic Desmond to a five-year, $70 million contract — the largest free-agent contract the Rockies have ever given a position player. Also, because Desmond declined a qualifying offer from Texas after the 2016 season, the Rockies forfeited their 11th overall pick in the June draft.

Bridich was quick to defend the out-of-box move, touting Desmond's versatility, baseball smarts and clubhouse presence. Still, it's a gamble.

At the plate, Desmond, a shortstop turned outfielder, had a rebound season with the Rangers last year, hitting .285/.335/.446 with 22 home runs and 21 stolen bases while earning his second All-Star Game appearance.

As for depth, Colorado brought back Mark Reynolds, last year's starter, signing him to a minor-league contract with an invitation to camp. Reynolds hit .282 with 14 home runs in 118 games last season and is likely the primary backup. Others in the mix are left-hander Jordan Patterson and Stephen Cardullo, who made his big-league debut at age 29 last season.

18: Home runs hit by Rockies first basemen last season, tied for last in the National League.

Second base

Without fanfare, DJ LeMahieu has become a star, albeit a quiet one. His teammates will tell you he is indispensable and vastly underrated. He hit .348 to win the National League batting title last season. He hit the ball with far more authority than in past seasons, with his .495 slugging percentage by far the highest of his five-year career. A Gold Glove winner in 2014, LeMahieu made just six errors in 704 total chances last season. He hit .391 at Coors Field and .303 on the road.

If the Rockies need to to rest LeMahieu, speedy former Padre Alexi Amarista, signed to a one-year deal as utility player, will likely be the top backup. The light-hitting Amarista has played nearly 1,000 innings at second base.

.495: LeMahieu's slugging percentage in 2016, a steep rise from the .388 he posted in 2015.

Third base

An old adage — "He's worth the price of admission" — applies when it comes to Nolan Arenado. On any given day, he is likely to do something special at the plate or in the field. A Gold Glove winner in each of his first four seasons in the big leagues, he keeps getting better at the plate. Arenado, 25, had his best season offensively in 2016, hitting .294/.362/.570 with 41 home runs and 133 runs batted in, leading the National League in both categories for the second consecutive season. What's more, Arenado drew a career-high 68 walks, (up from 34 in 2015) and increased his on-base percentage from .323 to .362.

Arenado played in 160 games last season, so having a backup is not a big deal — unless Arenado gets injured. If the unthinkable happened, Cristhian Adames and Amarista are the understudies at third.

20: Defensive runs saved by Arenado last season, according to Fangraphs. That made him the runaway leader in the National League and paved the way for his fourth consecutive Gold Glove.

Shortstop

This will be a big season for Story. Pitchers are bound to have studied the book on the 24-year-old phenom, so it will be interesting to see how he counterpunches. In just 97 games as a rookie, he swatted 27 home runs, setting the National League shortstop rookie record. He also drove in 72 runs, batted .272 and slugged .567. There were some holes in his swing — he struck out in 31.3 percent of his at-bats, second-most among NL players with 400 or more plate appearances. Also, his home-road splits were dramatic. He hit .313 with a .393 on-base percentage at Coors Field and .235/.292 on the road. Of his 27 home runs, 16 were hit at home.

Story shows decent range for a big shortstop (6-foot-1 and 185 pounds), and his .977 fielding percentage was better than fellow shortstop and 2016 NL rookie of the year Corey Seager (.968).

Adames and Amarista enter spring training as Story's primary backups.

10: Home runs swatted by Story last April, the most ever in one month by a National League rookie.

Outfield

Predictions and rumors that Colorado would trade center fielder Charlie Blackmon or right fielder Carlos Gonzalez failed to materialize, leaving a logjam of talent in the outfield.

Spring training will open with Blackmon in center, Gonzalez in right and David Dahl in left. There is a possibility that Black could switch Dahl to center and move Blackmon to left. Gerardo Parra, who missed much of last season because of an ankle injury, lines up as the fourth outfielder.

The fate of athletic and talented prospect Raimel Tapia could be decided during camp, but he's likely to begin the season at Triple-A.

The case could be made that the Rockies boast one of the best outfields in baseball. These statistics tell the story:

• Blackmon: .324 average, 29 homers, 82 RBIs, 3.9 WAR.

• Gonzalez: .298 average, 25 homers, 100 RBIs, 1.9 WAR

• Dahl: .315 average, seven homers, 24 RBIs, 1.2 WAR (in 63 games)

Parra, who walked just nine times in 368 at bats, posted a meager .271 on-base percentage and did not impress as a defender. This will be an important camp for the veteran, who's entering the second year of a three-year, $27.5 million contract.

186: Hits for Blackmon last year, the most in the National League among outfielders.

Starting rotation

The core four look to be in place: Right-handers Jon Gray, Chad Bettis and Tyler Chatwood, along with left-hander Tyler Anderson. The fifth starter probably will be right-hander Jeff Hoffman or right-hander German Marquez. An intriguing dark horse is left-hander Kyle Freeland, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft who played at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Gray, Bettis and Anderson, all homegrown products, showed the toughness that's required to succeed at Coors Field. They had a combined 15-6 record at Coors Field last year, and the Rockies were 28-12 in games they started at Coors.

Chatwood has to be more competitive at home. He set a franchise record with 1.69 ERA over 13 road starts, but in 14 home starts his ERA soared to 6.12.

Bottom line: There is reason for optimism that Colorado starters will make a great leap forward. But they must stay healthy, because there isn't a lot of tested depth.

4.28: Combined ERA for the four starters — Gray, Bettis, Chatwood and Anderson — who will form the core of the 2017 rotation.

Bullpen

The relief corps let the Rockies down last season, crippling any chance for them to stay in the wild-card playoff hunt. Bridich was intent on doing something about it, signing Dunn to a three-year, $19 million contract, the most the Rockies have ever spent on a free-agent reliever. Then the Rockies signed Holland, a former Royals closer, to a contract that guarantees Holland $7 million this season (plus incentives).

Holland, coming back from Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2016 season, must regain his fastball velocity. If he does, he could end up as the Rockies' closer.

As camp opens, right-hander Adam Ottavino is the incumbent to pitch the ninth, with Holland and lefty Jake McGee competing for that job.The Rockies need a rebound season from McGee. Through his first 21 appearances, he was 15-for-17 on save chances, but he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with left knee inflammation June 11, then struggled upon his return. He finished with a 4.73 ERA and a disconcerting 1.58 WHIP.

There is hope for some young guns to help, especially hard-throwing right-hander Jairo Diaz, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, and right-hander Carlos Estevez, who notched 11 saves but also blew seven saves and had a 5.24 ERA.

Black has said he would consider using one of Colorado's young starting pitcher candidates in a bullpen role to begin the season.

"Don't discount some of the younger pitchers who might come into the mix, whether it's Freeland, (German) Marquez or Hoffman as potential bullpen guys, if they don't make the rotation," Black said.

Miguel Castro, Scott Oberg and Rayan Gonzalez could compete for a spot on the opening-day roster, depending on who's healthy and who has the strongest spring. Left-hander Chris Rusin thrived as Colorado's long reliever last season, posting a 2.58 ERA with 41 strikeouts and just eight walks in 45⅓ innings over 22 relief appearances. He's a leading contender to repeat that role.

5.13: Rockies' bullpen ERA in 2016, the highest since 2004 and sixth-worst in franchise history.

Bench

Signing Reynolds could turn out to be a very big deal, because he can play first base as well as third base, if needed. Beyond Reynolds, the Rockies won't have much power off the bench. Outfielders Chris Denorfia and Tapia, along with Amarista and Adames in the infield, give the Rockies fielding versatility but not much firepower.

It will be interesting to see whether the Rockies add a catcher before the season starts.

.840: OPS of Rockies pinch hitters last year, second in the NL behind the Cardinals' 1.011.

Key arrivals: IF Alexi Amarista, 1B Ian Desmond, OF Chris Denorfia, LHP Mike Dunn, RHP Greg Holland

Key departures: LHP Jorge De La Rosa, IF Daniel Descalso, C Nick Hundley, LHP Boone Logan, OF Ryan Raburn

Key dates

Tuesday: First workout for pitchers and catchers

Feb: 20: First full-squad workout

Feb. 25: Cactus League opener, vs. Arizona at Salt River Fields

April 1: Final Cactus League game, vs. Seattle at Salt River Fields

April 3: 2017 season opener, at Milwaukee

April 7: 2017 home opener, vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

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