Monday Rockpile: Chris Iannetta to return today

Now that the United States has been eliminated from the World Baseball Classic we can all look forward to the Korea-Japan championship. Oh, and Chris Iannetta's return to Tucson. Here's a suggestion from our very own catcher on the WBC:

"The schedule needs to be condensed," said Team USA catcher Chris Iannetta, who will rejoin the Rockies today.

And Team USA needs a new manager in 2013. But changes to Team USA can wait. We're more concerned with how far behind Chris Iannetta will be with the pitchers, since, as we remember, he might not start opening day as a result of playing in the WBC.

On Saturday, Casey Weathers updated us on his MRI--everything's going right. Here's a glass of milk for Casey:

via moneyandhealthblog.com

Jim Callis of Baseball America offers his NL predictions (subscription required) for the upcoming season. He sees  the Dodgers winning the West, followed by the D'Backs, the Giants, and the Rockies. On the Rockies, Callis sees Troy Tulowitzki as the guy everyone will train their eyes on, and he sees Chris Iannetta as an All-Star this season. Since we don't mention the Padres enough here, Callis has them picking first in the 2010 draft.

Over at Baseball Prospectus, Kevin Goldstein's ranking the organizations (subscription required). The Rockies take the 11th spot, mainly due to the trio of Dexter Fowler, Jhoulys Chacin, and Wilin Rosario. He's not a fan of Michael McKenry's, calling him a "a product of the high-octane California League."

Coming up in a little while will be a Rockies Retro piece in which I look back at how our Opening Day starters have fared since 2000.