Rockies lefty Tyler Matzek off to concerning spring start

Matzek aims to overcome shaky spring debut - Thomas Harding / MLB.com

In the Rockies' first game of "real" baseball, there were plenty of positive performances. Unfortunately, Tyler Matzek's struggles seem to overshadow most of them as he seemingly continued down a path that started during last year's spring training.

However, I caution fans about overreacting too much. Obviously this is slightly more concerning than the usual pitcher struggles, but there is still a chance that this was just a pitcher who hasn't pitched for a while and we'll hopefully see some improvement as he progresses through spring training.

Tyler Anderson also had some struggles, but for him the bigger concern will be his health, and he looked healthy yesterday so that's a win.

Gray set on earning spot in Rockies rotation - Thomas Harding / MLB.com

At this point, I think it's safe to assume that barring injury Jon Gray will be in the Rockies' Opening Day rotation. The bigger question at this point is whether he draws one of the two headliner starts of the season, Opening Day or the home opener.

Gray flashed a nice curveball yesterday that should really keep hitters off balance. The velocity disparity between his fastball and curve is almost 20 mph. If he can finish developing it this offseason, adding the fourth pitch to his already impressive repertoire could make him the true ace that the Rockies have been looking for.

Who are these Rockies pitchers with promise? The 15 arms on the brink - Nick Groke / The Denver Post

If you want a reason to have hope for the Rockies' future, this is a good place to start. It might seem weird that the the club's hopes lie in the arms rather than the bats, but the depth and quality of pitching prospects that the Rockies now have is unprecedented in franchise history.

The depth aspect of that is hugely important, because some if not most of them will bust at some point, but the sheer depth that is now established in the system should allow for enough to develop to their potential to have a massive impact on the Rockies future chance of contending.