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Sunday Rockpile Links, 3/23: Rockies competitive in 2014?

Troy Renck thinks the Rockies could be competitive in 2014. That plus more news and notes on the Rockies for Sunday, March 23rd.

As March Madness continues, the focus in Purple Row remains on the prize - the start of the regular season just eight days from now.

Renck: Rockies really could be competitve, with the right moves - The Denver Post

Troy Renck of the Denver Post believes that the Rockies could be competitive this year...if the right strings are pulled. I disagree with his suggestion about Butler, but the rest are solid. I still think that the result will be in the 75-83 win range this year, close enough to sniff the playoffs but not enough to be serious about them.

Rockies pitcher Brett Anderson proud to be a "baseball nerd" - The Denver Post

Patrick Saunders has a profile on potential rotation savior and self-proclaimed baseball nerd Brett Anderson. He's the son of a college baseball coach, like Matt Holliday was, and he's always working to improve. I really hope that Anderson can stay healthy this year, because when he's on the mound he's really fun to watch.

Colorado Rockies Nolan Arenado OK after getting hit in left hand

Per Saunders, the Rockies said that Nolan Arenado suffered a bone bruise after being hit by a pitch in yesterday afternoon's game, but X-rays showed no broken bones. As such, Nolan is listed as day-to-day.

Chad Bettis strengthening his place on 25-man roster - The Denver Post

With another impressive outing yesterday (1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts) adding to a total of eight scoreless innings in which he's allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out nine, it's getting harder and harder to keep Chad Bettis off of the 25-man roster. Bettis has the dominant fastball-slider combo to thrive in the back end of a major league bullpen, which makes it difficult for the Rockies to keep him out of an already stuffed relief corps. It will be interesting to see how the situation shakes out.

Hochman: Jorge De La Rosa turning the table on tacos - The Denver Post

Benjamin Hochman writes about how De La Rosa has laid off of the tacos this off-season. It's not exactly a best shape of his life story, but it's certainly a reminder that De La Rosa is one Rockies pitcher who has solved Coors Field.

Offseason In Review: Colorado Rockies: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Jeff Todd of MLB Trade Rumors wrote a very nuanced and well thought out critique of Colorado's busy off-season. He, like I, believes that the Rockies spent their limited resources sub-optimally this winter and as a result could end up in the same spot they were in last year with a higher budget.