So, the Rockies are looking pretty fresh this spring, fresh to death. In my eyes, it is between this Mile High club and the Flo-rida Marlins for the NL Wild Card spot, with the Phillies, Cardinals and Dodgers winning their respective divisions, of course.

The way I see it, whether the Rocks become Rolling Stones in 2010 or get stoned (the old medieval definition, get your mind out of the gutter) will hinge on what kind of seasons Clint Hurdle’s, oops I mean Jim Tracy’s, five young players will have.

Dexter Fowler CF

First and foremost. This kid is legit. He’s a pretty good defender out there in center field, with a chance to be real good. Maybe even legen—wait for it and I hope you’re not lactose intolerant because the second part of that sentence is—DAIRY! He gets good reads off the ball most of the time and boy can he fly. It’s his speed that really helps him at the dish as well, that and a keen batting eye. The kid drew 67 walks in right around 500 plate appearances as a rookie, spending a lot of that time in the leadoff slot. What kind of rookie leadoff man has that kind of plate discipline? I don’t know, but sign me up! The recently-turned-24-year-old kid should steal 40 bags this year and could easily swipe 50-60 if he continues to get on base at a .365 clip.

Carlos Gonzalez LF

Just call him Lady Gaga, because everybody is going gaga over this kid! OK, that was terrible, but you catch my drift. This 24-year-old stud is a surefire 20-20 threat. Maybe even 30-30 depending on how well he progresses in his sophomore season. Gonzo will probably be hitting either leadoff or in the two-hole, and will score a lot of runs hitting in front of the big boppers, while swiping 30 bags and approaching 20 dingers. He’s also been a centerfielder much of his career to date, so he’s a real solid defender who gives the Rockies a blazing outfield playing alongside Fowler. However, there is that dreaded sophomore slump and if he wanted proof that that exists, he need not go any further than his own dugout where Troy Tulowitzki had maybe the worst discrepancy from his rookie year to sophomore season in recent memory. Speaking of Troy Tulowitzki…

Troy Tulowitzki SS

Which is the real Troy? The guy that showed up in 2007 (.291, 104 runs, 24 HR, 99 RBIs, 7 steals), the dude that played the 2008 season (.263, 48, 8, 46, 1 in 101 games) or the monster that roamed Colorado in the ’09 campaign (.297, 101, 32, 92, 20)? I mean, does he steal bases, does he hit .300, does he park 30 longballs, does he drive in and score 100, or does he not even approach any of those gaudy totals from last year? If Troy T. is the dude he was last year, look for the Rockies to reach the NLCS with the other tools Skip Tracy has at his disposal around Tulo.

Ubaldo Jimenez

The 26-year-old righty has really come into his own the past two years and has now made the tagline of “Future Ace”that read on the back of all of his baseball cards a reality. With veteran Jason Marquis leaving via free agency, this Rockies staff is in desperate need of an ace, a guy that can go out there and give his team a chance to win every single time he takes the mound. Jimenez has been that the past two seasons, but was never labeled the ace and thus never had any pressure fall on his shoulders. This year, the ball is in his court—almost literally, except baseball doesn’t have a court, it’s a field, duh. Jimenez has all the tools and the experience, it is just a matter of whether he fulfills his shoes as leader of the pitching staff or whether he becomes more of a goat than the goat that has essentially cursed my beloved Cubbies the past couple of years.

Ian Stewart

Tracy and Co. loved him so much, they shipped veteran third baseman Garrett Atkins right out of town. Stewart has power—mad power—but can he hit for a high enough average to keep him in the lineup everyday? He’s a lefty bat, which is good, but the Rocks already have a slew of other lefties in Todd Helton, Brad Hawpe and the aforementioned Gonzalez and Fowler (switch hitter). Stewart is kind of like a poor man’s Adam Dunn, singling about as often as he homers and drawing lots of walks and striking out a bunch. Stewart isn’t quite the on-base machine that Dunn is yet (just 56 walks in 475ish plate appearances), but at 23 (24 on opening day), his power is still developing. If he can hit for a high enough average to warrant 500 at-bats, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound third baseman could hit 35-40 bombs, which is a big boost to a Rockies club that isn’t exactly hurting for power but lacks that one true bopper that is a threat to leave the ballpark every time he steps into the plate.