The Colorado Rockies starting rotation is pretty well set, but the team has plenty of options if someone gets hurt or falters in spring training. How do you rank the alternatives the Rockies have for the rotation?

Jason Hammel, Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jimenez draw starting assignments for first three spring training games later this week.

The Colorado Rockies farm system placed three prospects — all pitchers — on Baseball America’s annual Top 100 prospects list including last year’s No. 1 pick Tyler Matzek, who has yet to throw a regular-season pitch in the organization.

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.

Family matter forces Chuck Kniffin to leave convenient job he coveted with Colorado Springs.

Eight-game winning streak ends and Rockies fall three games behind Dodgers as Morales walks home the winning run and suffers first loss this season

Colorado Rockies manager Jim Tracy in his postgame news conference said Ubaldo Jimenez will have his next scheduled start pushed back from Saturday to Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. Prospect Esmil Rogers, who has been with the team but not on the roster, will be activated and make the start Saturday against the San Diego Padres.

Baseball America publishes its annual Best Tools issue

The Rockies picked up ground on both the Dodgers and the Giants behind a sometimes dominant performance from Ubaldo Jimenez and timely hitting from the bottom of the order.

Former Rockies pitcher loses spot in the Sky Sox’s rotation

Baseball America’s Daily Dish blog takes a closer look at Rockies’ top pitching prospects.