SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Earlier in the week, Rockies No. 12 prospect Michael Toglia explained that everyone needs Spring Training to prepare for a season -- even the players trying to make the team. The issue, though, is it helps to do something impressive.

Toglia checked that box on Sunday afternoon by sending the first pitch of the fourth inning 419 feet deep and halfway up the right-field seating berm for a home run in the Rockies’ 10-9 loss to the D-backs.

The fly ball, which came off D-backs No. 7 prospect Drey Jameson, stayed in the air 6.7 seconds, according to Statcast. That was enough time for D-backs right fielder Yario Muñoz to raise both hands and shrug (because he had no idea where the ball was), heed the points from others on the field, turn and watch it land.

“I knew I got it good,” Toglia said. “But I thought maybe the field crew was still on the field or something, because he [Muñoz] had his hands up. I had no idea what he was doing.”

Toglia just might be figuring himself out.

It was the switch-hitting Toglia’s first homer of the spring. Not to descend into horse racing-style coverage, but he was the first among the three prospects projected as competitors for bench jobs (Brenton Doyle, No. 16, and Nolan Jones, No. 17, are the others) to go deep. With utility men Harold Castro and Cole Tucker having positive showings so far this spring, and with the Rockies reported to be interested in free agent Jurickson Profar (indications Sunday morning were talks had not occurred recently), it’s a good time to impress.

The 24-year-old Toglia, touted as a potential Gold Glove threat at first base, added to his resume-building performance with a diving catch of Seth Beer’s liner in the bottom of the fourth. Last year, Toglia also played games in right field during his 31-game Major League debut (a .216/.275/.378 slash line with two homers and 12 RBIs), and this spring has made a start in left field to show versatility.

Manager Bud Black saw offensive progress during Toglia’s 2-for-5 performance.

“That was a good swing, for sure, but he’s capable of that,” Black said. “Jumped on a first-pitch fastball, squared it up. Looks to me that he’d been trying to do too much -- at-bat to at-bat, you could see different plans. But eventually he’ll be fine.”

Toglia said his goal is “catching the ball in front,” meaning the farther out in front his bat makes contact, the better chance at producing the launch angle that leads to home runs. Acknowledging his 6-foot-5 frame, he said, “[for] longer-lever guys, sometimes it takes longer to get that timing and rhythm.”

May Toglia be dancing to the rhythm of home runs the rest of the spring?

“They come in clusters, for sure,” he said. “Once you get one and you feel settled in, then you get more and more to go with it.”

The home run workout
Veteran Mike Moustakas, signed to a Minor League contract last Monday, popped a solo homer off Jameson in the third inning and is 3-for-6 in Cactus League play.

“He’s getting in it, for sure,” Black said. “He’s going to play tomorrow. That’ll be three days in a row. His body feels good. His legs feel good, so we’re going to keep running him out there pretty consistently. He wants to show what he can do.”

Moustakas is considered competition for Elehuris Montero at third base. But with Montero showing increased comfort in the box and making slow but steady progress defensively, the question by the end of camp could be if there is a roster structure that can accommodate both if Moustakas foreshadows that his three-time All-Star form has returned.

Arms, some hammered
It was not the desired outing for righty T.J. Zeuch, formerly with the Blue Jays (2019-21) and Reds ('22): six runs (five earned) on six hits over two innings, including two home runs. Righty Karl Kauffmann also was touched for five hits and two runs in his two innings. Both have ground-ball stuff, and are trying to forge their paths as non-roster invitees, brought in for rotation competition and depth.

It was a down day for non-roster veteran lefty reliever Fernando Abad (four hits, two runs in 1 1/3 innings) and an up day for former Red Sox righty reliever Phillips Valdez (escaped a first-and-third, one-out eighth without giving up a run).