Who is the Philadelphia Phillies' Fifth Starter?

Who's your ace? Cole Hamels.

Who's your workhorse, second guy? Brett Myers.

Who's your crafty veteran? Jamie Moyer.

Who's your innings eater? Joe Blanton.

Who's your fifth starter? That is where the debate starts.

The Phillies are actually in a very good position with their pitching rotation, as long as everybody stays healthy. The defending World Series champions enter with a starting four that carried them through out the 2008 playoffs on the way to a title.

But in the regular season, there will be a fifth pitcher before the rotation returns to Hamels at the front.

There appear to be four candidates for the final piece of the starting rotation, and each have their positives and negatives, which means it will be the most interesting development to watch in Spring Training. Let's take a look at each of the four likely candidates in no particular order.

Kyle Kendrick

Kyle Kendrick had an up-and-down season in 2008. He was never spectacular but got away with it for a long time. Kendrick was fortunate to have offense backing him up in many of his starts a year ago, something that must have made Hamels a little jealous at times.

If Kendrick let six runs cross the plate, the Phillies usually seemed to score seven. Eventually enough became enough and Kendrick was taken out of the starting rotation and sent to the bullpen.

Does Kendrick have what it takes to be a starter? I think he has the potential to be a reliable fourth or fifth starter, but the question remains if Kendrick's struggles last year were mental or lack of ability. Did batters figure Kendrick out or was he just not able to lock in to the game? Watch Kendrick's control this spring to see if he seems rattled or not.

Personally, I hope Kendrick can regain his control and location and make a strong case for the fifth spot. If he loses out on the fifth spot, I would be curious to see how a spot in the bullpen would work for him.

Chan Ho Park

Free-agent acquisition Chan Ho Park seems the most motivated for the fifth spot. When he signed with the Phillies, he proclaimed that he would be a starter and that is why he signed here. The Phillies were not quite as eager to make the same statement but did say he would compete for the spot in the rotation.

Many believe that Park will be better suited to fill the middle relief job in the bullpen, but Park is setting his eyes on working for the fifth spot.

Why is he seemingly the most motivated for the spot? He made a tough emotional decision to back out of pitching for his home country of South Korea in the World Baseball Classic.

Park was one of the top names for the team and his leadership will be missed, which made the decision extra tough on Park. But I applaud his dedication to working his tail off for the fifth starter job.

J.A. Happ

One name that figures to make a strong case is J.A. Happ. Happ is not flashy but his stuff was effective in a brief time with the big club last year. Making his 2008 debut with the Phillies against the rival Mets and Johan Santana, Happ made a big impression, helping them to a victory in the division race.

Happ went 1-0 with a 3.69 ERA in eight games. In 31.2 innings of work he allowed 28 hits, 13 runs, 14 walks, and struck out 26.

Happ's worst appearance came Aug. 5, when he allowed four runs to the Florida Marlins in two innings of relief work. After that, though, Happ settled down and was fairly solid, except for another game against the Marlins on Sept. 9, ironically a game in which he entered in relief of Kendrick after he gave up seven runs before the end of the second inning.

Happ got some very brief relief work in the postseason in the lone loss to the Dodgers, being used to rest the main guys for the next game. Happ is a fan favorite of sorts and seems to be favored by a number of fans and media personalities, at least for the start of the season.

Carlos Carrasco

Which brings us to Carlos Carrasco, the top pitching prospect in the farm system. He may not make the starting rotation for when the team comes north, but many people expect to see him at some point this season, whether filling in for a struggling starter like Kendrick, Happ, Park, or an injury to any of the starters.

Carrasco's name has been on the waiting list for a little bit now as he has been putting together some great stuff in the minor leagues, working his way up. It will be fun to watch him in Spring Training this year, but we may get a really good look at him in the World Baseball Classic.

Carrasco will pitch for Venezuela and may be seeing some significant time if Johan Santana stays out of the tournament, as is the rumor right now. The Classic could be a great opportunity for Carrasco, but he will have to show some brilliance in the Phillies uniform as well.

Carrasco is going to be a starter for the Phillies at some point, but it may not be at the start of 2009. Expect to see him this year, though.

If I had to take a guess as to who will win the fifth spot today, I would lean toward Happ. Kendrick would be second, Carrasco would be third. I only rank Park fourth on my initial list heading into Spring Training because I feel that he is going to be used in the bullpen.

Adam Eaton

What about Adam Eaton?

Not a chance. While Eaton is still under contract with the Phillies, the team is doing everything they can to not have him associated with the club.

General Manager Ruben Amaro is trying to use Eaton in a deal with somebody, and I would think that Eaton will be on a different team by the start of the 2009 season.

It is unfair to Eaton to not play if he wants to, but he won't be doing so in a Phillies uniform by April. The problem is finding a team that will take him.

Perhaps a team will come along during Spring Training, but I am guessing the Phillies will have to pay a large portion of his contract. Seeing as his contract is already budgeted for, that is not a major concern at this point.

Best case scenario for the Phillies is that some middle-of-the-road team or below will have an injury or two to their pitching staff and will seek out Eaton, with the disclaimer that the Phillies pay most, if not all, of his contract. I think Amaro will take any deal that comes his way. I don't think Eaton is going to draw much interest any other way.

What are your thoughts?