Colorado Rockies outfielders Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler have gotten the green light on the basepaths this spring, according to the Denver Post. Good news for both players as they start the season as Colorado’s Nos. 1 and 2 hitters, respectively.

Neither young player is established as a fantasy star, but both could realistically make the jump THIS season. The fact that manager Jim Tracy is building an offense around his two young table setters should mean that Fowler and Gonzalez offer at least one premium contribution in fantasy with their steals.

“Everyone knows that’s going to be our game,” Gonzalez told the Denver Post. “We want to get the extra bag. Whether we steal 30 or 20 or 40, we’re not going to be looking for numbers. We just want to be able to score and win ballgames.”

Let’s use the scale Gonzalez mentioned — 20 to 40 stolen bases — as a jumping point for these guys’ fantasy contributions.

Fowler has a better chance to hit the high end of the steals spectrum, but Gonzalez certainly has a better chance to be a fantasy star. He’s got good power — a skill that gets a big assist from Coors Field — and appears to have finally figured it out in the second half of ‘09, when he hit .320 and had 12 home runs in his last 44 games. There’s reasonable doubt in his second-half performance, so Gonzalez tends to stay on the board well into the middle rounds of standard drafts.

The price tag for both players is appropriate, but with nice bargain potential. According to MockDraftCentral.com’s average draft results, Gonzalez is going off the board in the 12th round in standard mixed leagues, which is in the same neighborhood as Minnesota’s Denard Span, Chicago’s Alex Rios, Detroit’s Johnny Damon and Washington’s Nyjer Morgan.

In that scenario, a hunt for upside and/or five-category contributions should almost always push fantasy owners’ toward Gonzalez.

Fowler is an afterthought in most leagues as the No. 269 player on MockDraftCentral’s board. Owners are making a mistake late in drafts, working off the assumption that Fowler will make little or no improvements to his ‘09 numbers (.266, 4 HRs, 27 SBs).

With a green light on the basepaths and a full season of Major League experience under his belt, Fowler could very well push 40 stolen bases and take a step toward 10 home runs. If that’s the case, Fowler is comparable to, say, Nyjer Morgan, but for half the price.

The Rockies are banking on big things out of these youngsters, and fantasy owners should follow their lead. The cost to obtain their services is relatively low, to point where rewards far out-weigh the risks.