Joe Posnanski at SI.com believes he has come up with a good prediction system for the coming season. He has the Colorado Rockies finishing second in the National League West at 87-75 and lists Troy Tulowitzki as the division’s best overall player.

Who’s the team to be beat in the National League West? That question will be easier to answer at the end of spring training, but it’s worth asking now as the Colorado Rockies and their division rivals prepare to open the spring after a mostly quiet winter in the division.

The Colorado Rockies enter 2010 with a bullpen that, like the team’s starting rotation, could be the most stable in franchise history. The late-innings trio returns intact while the rest of the bullpen will be comprised of 2009 holdovers, veterans returning from injuries and a pack of young arms trying to find a way to stick in the major leagues.

Five starting pitchers accounted for 155 of the Colorado Rockies’ 162 starts in 2009, unheard of stability for a franchise whose pitching staff at times has been one of baseball’s most tired jokes. The Rockies likely will see one change in their starting rotation in 2010, and that to welcome back an old friend.

To talk about any outfield position for the Colorado Rockies is to talk about all outfield positions. The Rockies have three clear starters, but a deep bench of outfielders who can play multiple positions will mean plenty of mixing and matching to create the best possible matchups this season.

The Colorado Rockies decided about 10 years ago to build around their slugging first baseman. Now, while the team is no longer built around a single player, Troy Tulowitzki anchors the middle of the lineup and the middle of the diamond, making shortstop the one position where the Rockies have no questions.

The Colorado Rockies once had such a glut of young third basemen that they tried to shift a couple to a new position and then had a glut of backup second basemen. Now, all but one of those third base prospects are gone and the one still standing owns the job the Rockies have waited years for him to claim.

Offseason rumors linked the Colorado Rockies to many free agent infielders, any of whom would have impacted this position in some way if they had signed. Yet, after all the shopping, the Rockies likely end up with the same second baseman to start 2010 as they finished 2009.

First base has been by far the most stable position in Colorado Rockies history — the franchise has had just two regular first basemen in 17 seasons. While no change at the position is likely this year or even next, the Rockies should be beginning to wonder what will happen beyond 2011.

One of the few positions that created some drama for the Colorado Rockies this offseason has been talked about at length here on the site. But it’s as good a place to start daily discussions about what the Rockies are going to look like when spring training opens later this month.

We talked Rockies for a few minutes on a live webcast at HotStove.com Tuesday.