SCOTTSDALE – The 2024 MLB season tipped off in March with spring training. Some may call it a “meaningless preseason,” but for the Colorado Rockies, it provided a chance for a fresh start after the team suffered through a franchise-worst 59-103 season in 2023.

Only the Los Angeles Dodgers had a better winning percentage among the Cactus League’s 15 teams than the Rockies, who finished their spring training schedule with a 17-12 record. So far, that hasn’t translated to the regular season, with the Rockies in the basement of the loaded NL West Division in the opening week of the season.

An MLB season is a rollercoaster of highs and lows, where teams experience nail-biting victories and disappointing losses, all while navigating through potential slumps and injuries.

“There will be some peaks and valleys, but progress over the season is important,” said Rockies manager Bud Black.

From a strength-of-schedule standpoint, this season will no doubt be even more challenging than the previous year because of the sheer talent that the NL West Division will showcase this year. Since 2013, the Dodgers have dominated the division, taking home 10 of the last 11 division titles. The Diamondbacks are reigning National League Champions. The Padres finished above .500, and the Giants, who last won a division title in 2021, were not far behind San Diego.

The Dodgers may have had the best offseason in the majors. Adding arguably the best player in baseball, Shohei Ohtani, The Dodgers then added Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, acquired pitcher Tyler Glasnow in a trade with the Rays, brought back Clayton Kershaw, and signed outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.

The Diamondbacks, a youthful and dynamic squad, had an incredible run to the World Series before losing in five games to the Texas Rangers. That near-miss, if anything, increased their appetite for the offseason. Then in a masterstroke, the Diamondbacks, signed left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery – who helped the Rangers to that championship – bolstering an already solid starting rotation. And with each new development for budding star Corbin Carroll, the Diamondbacks have the makings to be a contending team once again.

The Giants improved during the offseason by adding some key players to fill holes on their roster, including two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Platinum Glove Award-winning third baseman Matt Chapman.

The Padres’ pitching staff is among the best in the National League West, if not all of baseball. Even without Juan Soto, a strong lineup that includes right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. and third baseman Manny Machado should be able to generate enough offense for San Diego to challenge for the playoffs.

Throughout the years, ownership has consistently overestimated the Rockies roster, asserting that the team has the ingredients to be a competitive ballclub. But since 2018, which was the last time the team made it to the postseason, the Rockies have failed to finish above .500.

The Rockies will look to lean on their outfield, defense and young guys behind players like Ezequiel Tovar, Nolan Jones and Brenton Doyle, who won a Gold Glove last year as a rookie, while still relying on the veteran leadership of Charlie Blackmon, Ryan McMahon and Kris Bryant.

The Rockies believe they are going to surprise defensively. They’re unlikely to be a playoff team, but the Rockies hope to be better than people expect in 2024.