Clearwater Countdown: The Fight for the 5th Spot

There might be snow on the ground but the smell of spring is in the air.

That's right Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater in just eight days and in honor of the start of Spring Training NBCPhiladelphia.com is be doing our top-10 countdown of issues to be settled before Opening Day.

No. 8:

Who is going to be the fifth starter for the Phils?

In these tough times, this is like many jobs out there -- plenty of applicants but only one position available.

One guy who isn't in the running is the favorite punching bag of Phillies fans, the one (an luckily only) Adam Eaton. Eaton isn't in the running for a spot in the rotation, said Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. -- Phils fans thank you for that Ruben.

The list of guys who will be battling it out in Clearwater can be whittled down to four guys, according to Amaro:

• Chan Ho Park
• Kyle Kendrick
• Carlos Carrasco
• J.A. Happ

Whoever impresses the most this spring will earn a spot in the rotation behind the formidable starting four of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer.

Park came to Philly thinking that he had a chance to start for the Phils -- he might be kidding himself. It isn't because he can't start but that his recent success has been out of the bullpen, not the dugout.

He was a successful reliever for the L.A. Dodger last season appearing in 55 games (only five starts) posting a 3.40 ERA in 95.1 innings with 79 strikeouts to 36 walks.

Park makes sense as a long reliever or seventh inning guy (especially with J.C. Romero suspended) more than anything else. If the Phillies limit his innings it seems that he still has something left in the tank after 15 seasons in the Majors.

Kendrick won himself a spot in the rotation last season after putting a nice finish together in 2007.

The 2008 season wasn't as kind as 2007 was to Kendrick. He still had a winning record (11-9) but was knocked around for the most part (5.49 ERA, 23 homers, 1.612 WHIP in 155.2 innings pitched) as hitters caught up to him the second and third times through the order.

He lost his starting job by the end of the season and was not-surprisingly left off the 2008 playoff roster.

So what should the Phightins expect from Kendrick? No one is sure but Kendrick seems dedicated. He has been at Bright House Field all week trying to get not only his arm into shape but also his mind focused on winning, according to an article on Philly.com.

The biggest wild card of the possible fifth starters has to be top minor-league prospect Carrasco.

The 21-year-old righty dazzled at AAA-affiliate Lehigh Valley late last season. In six starts he was only 2-2 but posted a minuscule 1.72 ERA in 36.2 innings with an amazing 46 to 13 strikeouts to walks ratio.

If Carrasco is ready to go it will be difficult for the Phils to keep him off the Opening Day roster. But, he is young and could use some more seasoning in the minors.

The best bet is that Carrasco will be handled just like Cole Hamels was -- he will spend some time in the minors to start the season and come up if one of the starters gets injured.

The guy who just might be the front runner for the fifth starter spot is Happ.

The 26-year-old southpaw might only be No. 95 on USA Today's list of baseball names to watch but he should be No. 1 for Phils fans.

He showed great promise in a few spot starts last season and also out of the bullpen. Overall for the Phils Happ went 1-0 in eight appearances (four starts) with a 3.69 ERA, 1.326 WHIP, 26 strikeouts and 14 walks in 31.2 innings.

Phans shouldn't forget that Happ showed so much last season that he bumped Kendrick off the postseason roster and even got a chance to pitch three innings against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

The battle for the fifth starter could play out for a good month plus before any decision is made. The Phils are lucky to have the luxury that few teams have -- too many guys for too few spots on the roster.

Enjoy the ride Phils phans -- and share your thoughts below.

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