SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In the season after avant-garde pitching structures were the MLB rage, the Rockies are happy to do things the old-fashioned way.

Lefty Kyle Freeland and righty German Marquez lead a rotation that in 2018 led the National League in starter innings pitched at 932. At the end is closer Wade Davis, who led the NL in saves last year with a club-record 43. The starter tries to pitch as many as possible. A group of relievers is used flexibly depending on role, matchup and usage. Finally, Davis is called to hold the lead in the ninth.

Last season, the Rays won 90 games while at times using an “opener,” and the Brewers made the National League Championship Series by introducing “bullpen days” and “initial out-getters” to the daily lexicon. Such successful innovation can make a team feel behind the times.

But the necktie never went out of style. The Rockies feel the same about the conventional structure for trying to achieve at least 27 outs in victory.

The reason is simple. The Rockies believe they have the best rotation in club history, and they feel there is enough depth to prevent a situation where they are forced into another plan. It has worked well enough for consecutive postseason appearances.

“If you have five, that’s the best way to do it,” said Freeland, who went 17-7 with a 2.85 ERA to finish fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting. “That’s been baseball for such a long period of time. You’ve got five starters who you trust to go out and do their job to the best of their ability, get into games as deep as they can, to where you preserve a bullpen for the rest of the series. Then you can play matchups. You don’t have to worry about burning long guys.”

Behind Freeland and Marquez are lefty Tyler Anderson, and righties Jon Gray and Chad Bettis. It’s the same five pitchers who formed last year’s season-opening rotation.

Last season the Rockies became the first team in the Majors since the 2011 Rays whose entire starter group had never thrown a pitch for another team, and this year could be more of the same. Righties Antonio Senzatela (who likely will begin the season on the injured list, after having his spring delayed by an infected right heel blister) and Jeff Hoffman are again part of the depth picture. And Rockies No. 4 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) Peter Lambert, 22 in April, is ticketed for Triple-A.

It’s not as if the Rockies are casting aspersions on others who see things differently. Manager Bud Black notes that teams that don’t have starter quality and depth are being creative.

“For me, not really digging deep into it, it’s probably more personnel-based than some strategic component,” he said.

The Rockies, who pitch in an extreme hitter-friendly environment, know what it’s like to break convention. In 2012, the Rockies went to a four-man rotation, where each starter had a 75-pitch limit and a designated reliever behind him. It became known as the “piggyback,” before the lack of success made it a derisive term.

And Black was creative in 2017, when, at times, four rookies were in the rotation. Marquez and Senzatela each spent time in Triple-A, and the Rockies made it through the season using nine different starters.

Last Sept. 25, when Anderson had a start pushed back because of left shoulder soreness, Bettis pitched 2 2/3 solid innings to begin a “bullpen day” that resulted in an important 10-3 victory over the Phillies.

But the Rockies set a durable five-man rotation as an ideal.

“We have, in our opinion, the best five pitchers in the Rockies organization,” Black said. “So it makes perfect sense to have those guys go out there every time so you’re not going into a lesser starting pitcher.”

Black expects his starter to pitch deep -- especially early in a homestand, to keep innings from piling up on the bullpen. He likes a dedicated eighth-inning pitcher.

Righty Adam Ottavino handled that role before signing with the Yankees during the offseason, but righties Seunghwan Oh and Scott Oberg are capable. Beyond that, it’s a combination of matchups and score-dictated moves.

Oberg said he believes some of the different paths to 27 outs intrigue him, especially in a postseason series, but may not be sustainable.

“This game has been played for over 100 years and you’ve always had guys take the ball to start, go as long as they can,” Oberg said. “That does seem to work -- so far. Until we really come up with something that’s significantly better than the current model, the other ways are interesting ideas.”