SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis, who will start the club's Cactus League opener against the D-backs at 1:10 p.m. MT on Saturday at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, showed last season that one doesn’t always have to be front and center to be a leader.

Bettis received high marks for being an example and a sounding board for a less-experienced group of pitchers -- even after chronic blistering on his right middle finger curtailed his availability, affected his production and eventually pushed him from the rotation to the bullpen.

”Same -- that’s who he is as a person,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “That’s what sticks out about Chad as a person and a character. He’s not an excuse-maker. Realist. Good self-evaluator. The day-to-day consistency of who he is on and off the field, the baseball aptitude, he can share that with players.”

Now Bettis, in competition with Antonio Senzatela and Jeff Hoffman for the fifth rotation spot, is trying to be better than his old self.

Last April, Bettis’ 2.43 ERA for the month was 12th lowest in the National League. But blisters flared twice, and although he went 5-2 in 27 games (20 starts), his strikeouts (80) and walks (47) took a hit.

But lefty Kyle Freeland, who finished fourth in National League Cy Young Award voting last year, said Bettis was a behind-the-scenes force for him. Freeland had games when his changeup, a pitch that is still at the development stage, was especially effective. Freeland said he and Bettis would review outings last season, and they’ve even spent time this spring honing his changeup -- a pitch Bettis uses well when healthy and effective.

”After a start, before a start, I’d go and talk to him at his locker or in the video room: ‘Hey, Chad, what do you see here with this changeup, location or count-wise?’” Freeland said. “With a changeup, it’s having trust and confidence in it, and he helps instill trust and confidence in it. Don’t be afraid to throw it here. He helps to give you a different way of thinking about that pitch.”

Bettis said, “There’s never a dull moment in learning and trying to grow as a starting staff, and just pitching in general. Collectively, as a group, that’s what we do. That’s who we are. Whatever I can do to help us win, shed some light on experiences that I’ve faced, and helping someone cut that curve a little shorter, then I’m all for it.”

Bettis can hit both sides of the plate with his four-seam and two-seam fastballs. Last year, his cutter morphed into a slider, and he spent part of the offseason trying to make a true slider a part of his mix. Saturday will be part of the process.

”There are things I’ve been working on that I’d like to incorporate,” Bettis said. “I’ll get a feel for it and see what some hitters tell me, then go from there.”

Roster situations to watch

As spring develops, it’s good to keep in mind roster situations that could affect decisions. While competition for the Opening Day roster makes a good daily story in the spring, baseball teams have to manage their rosters so they can use their Minor League systems.

So keep in mind three players -- right-handed pitcher Carlos Estevez, catcher Tom Murphy and outfielder Raimel Tapia. All three are out of Minor League options, meaning they’ll have to be exposed to other clubs via waivers to be sent to the Minors.

Barring other injuries, the left-handed-hitting Tapia figures to be available at all three outfield positions behind left fielder David Dahl, center fielder Ian Desmond and right fielder Charlie Blackmon. But left-handed-hitting Mike Tauchman, who won a spot last spring; right-handed-hitting Noel Cuevas, who had his moments as a pinch-hitter last season; and left-handed-hitting non-roster veteran Michael Saunders will be competing.

At catcher, Chris Iannetta and Tony Wolters held the job much of last year, so Murphy will have to beat out at least one of them.

Estevez, a hard-throwing right-hander who didn’t appear in the Majors last season because of oblique and elbow injuries, will compete with a large group of relievers who saw Major League playing time. Also, starters who don’t make the rotation could land in the bullpen, if the Rockies would rather keep them in the Majors than send them to Triple-A Albuquerque.