SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — David Dahl sure looks the part.

He’s muscled up to 200 pounds, runs like the wind and has the sweetest swing on the club, according to his teammates.

In 77 games last season, the Rockies’ 24-year-old left fielder hit .273 with 16 home runs and 11 doubles in 249 at-bats. Last September, with the team’s postseason hopes on the line, he started 21 games, slashing .287/.330/.655 with nine home runs in 87 at bats. Colorado went 16-5 in Dahl’s September starts.

That might have been a preview of coming attractions.

“The potential is endless. He can be a great player,” said veteran Ian Desmond, Colorado’s center fielder. “He’s a five-tool player. He’s got power, he can hit for average, he’s got speed, he’s got a good arm, he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He seems hungry. I think this is going to be a breakout year for him.”

Shortstop Trevor Story’s endorsement is enthusiastic, if a bit more tempered.

“David’s had some injuries in the past that have hindered him a little bit, but last year when he got healthy he showed what he can do,” Story said. “He’s put in the work, that’s for sure. He’s taking the ‘every-little-step-is-important thing’ personally. That bodes well for him.”

It almost seems as if Dahl, quiet by nature, would rather take a fastball to the ribs than talk about himself, especially when the subject is the injuries that threatened to snuff out his career. Yet he knows that staying healthy, and keeping weight on his 6-foot-2 frame throughout the season, will be key.

His climb up the minor-league ladder was slowed by a severe hamstring injury in 2013 and a lacerated spleen sustained in an on-field collision in 2015. A rib-and-back injury wiped out his entire 2017 big-league season and a broken right foot cost him July and August last summer.

“I feel really strong right now, but I don’t like to talk about it,” Dahl said Monday. “I just want to go out and do it. I want to play every day.”

When Dahl made his major-league debut in July 2016 — recording a hit in each of his first 17 games to tie a major-league record — he weighed 185 pounds. He understands that in order to be a high-impact outfielder he’s got to play at around 195-200 pounds. That’s why this offseason was dedicated to a heavy lifting program and a muscle-up diet. Related Articles Rockies Mailbag: Looking forward at Nolan Arenado, hands-on owner Dick Monfort, bullpen woes and more

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“He’s put on some weight and he looks strong,” manager Bud Black said. “The trick now is to keep the weight on. We have to make sure that component stays in place without compromising his speed and his skills. He’s showing that that should not be a problem.”

Black especially likes Dahl’s demeanor.

“I love the self-confidence that he has,” Black said. “He believes in himself and he believes that he can be the guy, which is a great trait for players when they have that self-confidence.

“He’s proven it in a couple of different spurts. And I think in the organization, even before I got here (three years ago), there was a belief that David Dahl would be a major contributor. Now is the time we are probably going to find out.”