SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Rockies’ Elehuris Montero provided a 449-foot answer on Friday to the question frequently asked: Can he bring the swing of the final weeks of last season into 2024?

Montero’s fourth-inning homer off the Diamondbacks’ Chris Rodriguez opened the scoring during the Rockies’ 3-0 victory in the Cactus League opener at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Montero began last season as the Rockies’ third baseman and struggled, bouncing between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Majors before converting to first base. But Montero found confidence in the batter’s box. From Aug. 15 to season’s end, Montero slashed .307/.374/.532 with six home runs and 19 RBIs.

Overall, Montero slashed .243/.290/.426 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs in 85 Major League games, and he doesn’t project to be in the Rockies’ lineup -- unless swings like Friday’s become common. Kris Bryant is penciled at first base, but can float to right field and designated hitter, while Montero can play first and DH.

Montero’s turning point began in mid-August, when he opened up to teammates and coaches during a hitters’ meeting about his puzzlement over his lack of Major League success.

“I wanted to show that I wanted to be a part of the team,” said Montero, with bullpen catcher Aaron Muñoz interpreting. “I wanted to ask questions, and show the team what I felt at that moment. I wanted everybody to understand what I was going through, and felt comfortable enough getting everybody’s feedback.”

Working with information cobbled from hitting coach Hensley Meulens, as well as positive reinforcement from teammates such as Charlie Blackmon, Montero made simple adjustments to keep his head from spinning away from pitches. The changes kept his eyes -- and his bat -- on the ball.

With a winter to fully adopt changes, Montero could be in for a bright future.

“Internally, I always felt I was a big leaguer, and I wanted to prove that,” Montero said.

Montero, who is out of Minor League options, has more experience than other corner offensive players, including Michael Toglia and Hunter Goodman. And manager Bud Black showed late last year that he’ll allow any of them to hit their way onto his lineup card. As long as someone is swinging well, he can earn his playing time rather than just being thrown in to see what he can do.

Montero has given a powerful preview.

“You see flashes of talent that you hope can translate to the big leagues in a sustained period of time,” Black said. “He’s shown us enough and given himself the confidence and belief that he can do it. He had a good month. He’s not a finished product by any means, but there’s the ability to hit velocity, and the hitting coaches love the impact that he brings.”

Notes

• Left-hander Carson Palmquist, who pitched at High-A Spokane and Double-A Hartford last season, lived up to a reputation for attacking the strike zone with four strikeouts in two scoreless innings during Friday’s start. Colorado’s No. 21 prospect had 24 strikes against 16 balls.

• Non-roster outfield hopeful Bradley Zimmer’s first hit of spring, a double off Brandon Hughes, was a nice omen, as the swing came left-on-left. Zimmer, a speedy and impactful defender who has played 372 games with Cleveland, the Blue Jays and the Phillies, has a career .204 average vs. lefties. If he does enough offensively, he can spell Brenton Doyle in center field.

• Non-roster righty Matt Koch, who provided often solid work (3-2, 5.12 ERA in 39 games) in the Rockies’ bullpen last year, fanned all three batters he faced to start his bid to regain a roster spot.

• Righty Jeff Criswell, vying to be part of the starter depth, posted a 7.51 ERA in 29 appearances at Triple-A Albuquerque last season. With his calling card being the strikeout, the Rockies are considering converting him to relief. While Criswell, 25 on March 10, needs more consistent fastball location, he finished third in the Pacific Coast League in strikeouts (135), and fanned three D-backs in 1 2/3 innings on Friday.

• Riley Pint, the Rockies’ 2016 top Draft pick who debuted for one game last year, gave up one hit but nothing else in his inning of work vs. Arizona. Pint retired briefly in 2021 but returned the next year. He fanned 85 while walking 57 in 57 1/3 innings with Albuquerque.

• It was a solid day for young talent. Jordan Beck (MLB Pipeline’s No. 81 prospect overall) doubled down the left-field line, while catcher Drew Romo (Colorado’s No. 9 prospect) contributed an RBI single.