Five things to contemplate heading into Phillies spring training

ONCE YOU MOVE beyond the poetic notions of freshly cut grass and rawhide-meeting-wood, spring training can leave a lot to be desired for the casual baseball fan. Starting pitchers are working on various aspects of their game, veterans are just trying to get their timing down, and the majority of Grapefruit League games are won and lost by players destined for the minor leagues.

In the narrative that is a baseball season, spring training is mostly about character development, a chance to familiarize oneself with the players and plot lines that will weave their way into the fabric of a 162-game schedule. Even a season with such anticipation and high expectations as this one holds for the Phillies needs to start somewhere.

Here are five such story lines that should begin to develop in Clearwater:

1. HEALTH. Asked his No. 1 question heading into spring training, Ruben Amaro Jr. did not hesitate. "Health," the Phillies general manager said. Aside from a few spots in the bullpen and on the bench, the only pressing question the Phillies face is who will replace Jayson Werth's righthanded power and rightfield prowess. Otherwise, things line up very nicely on paper. Seven of eight regulars are back. The three main back-of-the-bullpen arms are back. And the rotation needs no introduction. But in baseball, perhaps more than in any other sport, a general manager's best-laid plans are helplessly intertwined with the fickle fate of physical health. (Let's see a baseball team lose five starters for the entire season and win a title like the Packers did.) In 2008, Brad Lidge missed the first week of the season after suffering a knee injury in spring training. Last year, Joe Blanton missed the first month after straining an oblique in one of his final bullpen sessions in Clearwater. One of the big reasons the Phillies were able to withstand injuries to Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard last year was the production of Werth, who hit .296 with a .921 OPS, 27 home runs, 106 runs and 85 RBI. Werth won't be there this year, putting more pressure on the Phillies' core group of stars to remain healthy. Spring training is the first step.