Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich was a catcher at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee, and later at Harvard, where he was a tri-captain his senior season. He has cited St. Louis veteran Yadier Molina as one of his favorite players.

No wonder Bridich believes that the men behind the plate are the heart of a winning baseball team.

“As a catcher, you are the one who sees the entire field,” Bridich said shortly after he became Colorado’s general manager in October 2014. “It’s a cerebral position. You are in charge, and I like that.”

So his view of the Rockies’ current situation carries a lot of weight, and also raises a major offseason question: Do the Rockies believe the inexperienced duo of Tony Wolters and Tom Murphy, along with Dustin Garneau as their likely backup, can get the job done in 2017?

“At this point, yes we do,” Bridich said last week. “We are certainly monitoring the catching market, but we are extremely high and positive on the group that we have and we feel like there is a good, young core there.”

The 24-year-old Wolters, a converted infielder, has started only 58 major-league games behind the plate; Murphy, 25, has started 19 games; Garneau, 29, just 37.

“There is still growth to be had,” Bridich said. “I mean, they are young and there is some inexperience there. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t talented, because they are extremely talented.”

The Rockies, who did not attempt to re-sign veteran catcher Nick Hundley, still could invite a journeyman catcher to spring training next month, but Wolters and Murphy enter camp as the club’s main catchers. And right now it appears they will share duties.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity and I know that we are all excited,” Wolters said. “My job is to go into spring training and work my tail off. I know Tom and Dustin will do the same. It’s all about winning — this year — that’s the name of the game. I honestly don’t think anybody is thinking about who will be starting.”

Wolters was a feel-good story last season. The former utility infielder with the Cleveland Indians organization arrived at spring training as a dark-horse candidate to make Colorado’s 25-man roster. By the end of the season he was drawing praise from pitchers for his game-calling ability and solid receiving skills. According to StatCorner, Wolters ranked ninth in the majors in pitch-framing metrics.

“I found my home at catcher,” said Wolters, adding that he believes he can handle the load of catching 100-plus games this season if called upon.

Offensively, Wolters still has a lot to prove. The left-handed hitter was a nonfactor at the plate in the first half of last season, batting .215 with a .296 on-base percentage. After the all-star break, however, he hit .321 with a .374 OBP, showing that he can adapt and adjust. But can Wolters contribute at the plate as his workload behind the plate increases?

Murphy does not have the same soft hands and nimble footwork behind the plate as Wolters does, but he’s working to get better. What he does possess is raw power from the right side of the plate. After a bad spring training and early struggles at Triple-A Albuquerque, Murphy caught fire and earned his second September call-up to the majors. In 21 games, Murphy hit .273 (12-for-44) with five homers, 13 RBIs and a 1.006 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage).

Despite the optimism and promise surrounding Murphy and Wolters, they must lead a relatively young pitching staff, something that makes their task even tougher.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants, once again favorites to win the National League West, have no such issues. They not only have solid starting rotations and beefed-up bullpens, they also have have two of the best catchers in baseball.

Manning the plate for the Giants is Buster Posey. He’s a four-time all-star, been named NL rookie of the year and MVP, and owns three championship rings. The Dodgers have Yasmani Grandal, a switch-hitter who slugged 27 home runs last season. Both catchers take good care of their pitchers. According to Statcorner.com, Posey ranked No. 1 in the majors in pitch framing last season, with Grandal coming in second.

So, while the Dodgers and Giants are set behind the plate, the Rockies will enter the 2017 season counting on a gamble paying off.

“It can be done with two young guys, but they’ll have to learn on the job,” former Rockies manager Walt Weiss said at the end of last season. “I think Tony got a lot of valuable experience this year and he’s a talented kid. Murphy, obviously, has all the makings of a good (catcher), but they’re going to need some on-the-job training.

“They will need to learn some things on the fly — managing a game from behind the plate, managing a pitching staff, being able to slow the game down. Those types of things are next-level stuff, and that will take some time. But it can be done.”