After five days in the warm Florida sun (while it was very cold in Philadelphia!), I am more convinced than ever that the Phillies are gearing up for another title run.

Now, the final scores of the four games I saw, which I just had to look up because I had no idea what they were, are not important because these games took place in March. Apparently, the Phillies lost three of the four games I attended.

However, what is important is how the youngsters are developing, how healthy the veterans are, and who will fill out the starting rotation.

Let’s start with the most important two events of the week. Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz, who are both rebounding from offseason surgeries, made their Grapefruit League debuts.While both looked quite rusty at the plate, they both moved fluidly in the field, and were able to run hard out of the batter’s box, which is a good sign that they will be on the field for the season opener.

Staying in the infield, before my trip, I was convinced that Jason Donald could easily make the switch from a middle infield prospect to a Major League third baseman, but after seeing him taking ground balls at the hot corner, I’ll admit that I was dead wrong.

Donald was eaten alive on multiple grounders during batting practice, and didn’t display the arm strength necessary to make quick and accurate throws across the diamond.This means that Donald will probably start the season in Lehigh Valley, with the Triple-A Iron Pigs, instead of pushing Pedro Feliz for a starting job with the big club. With this information, it also means that Donald becomes the Phillies’ top trading chip at midseason, because he won’t be the third baseman of the future, and Utley and Jimmy Rollins aren’t going anywhere.

The final spot in the infield belongs to the big fella, Ryan Howard, and he looks like a man who is tired of hearing about his slow starts each spring. Against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Howard squared off against some random righty who only has a chance to play in the majors because the Pirates are so terrible. Down 3-1 in the game, Howard tied the game with a massive two-run homer—his fifth since spring training began.

In the last two seasons, Howard has batted just .192 in April with a homer every 21 at bats, but this spring, he’s batting .273, and hitting a homer every 6.6 at bats (as of Monday). Howard is hitting for a higher average and crushing the ball more, which combined with the fact that he is actually in playing shape before May for the first time since his MVP season in 2006, means that Howard could be in for the best season of his career.

Moving to pitching, the only battle that hasn’t gotten any clearer this spring is the fight for the fifth spot in the starting rotation. While Kyle Kendrick has cried his way to a double-digit ERA, all but eliminating himself from the contest, Chan Ho Park and J.A. Happ are in a real duel. Unlike most years, in which one scrub pitcher is rewarded for not being as awful as the guys he is competing against, this year, the Phillies actually have two guys who deserve the spot! Park and Happ have combined to allow just five runs in 22 2/3 innings this spring, while striking out 20 batters and walking just two.

I don’t know who is going to win this battle, but I would rather see Happ in the rotation and Park in the bullpen, because Park’s history as a starter is filled with high ERAs, but he was able to revive his career last year with the Dodgers as a middle reliever. We know Happ can be a starter, but no one knows how he would perform in 60 or 70 appearances out of the bullpen.

As great as it was to see how the Phillies’ roster is shaping up, above all, Spring Training is about having fun, and there was no cooler moment than when Darren Daulton stopped mid-stride to gush with honor over my friend Rogo’s retro Daulton jersey. And because we were sitting between Daulton’s seat and the concessions during the final game of our trip, Daulton stopped to comment on the jersey every time he walked passed us.

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Like the “On the Edge” Blog? Hear more of my opinions about Philadelphia sports every Friday at 3:30 p.m. on WBCB 1490 AM during the Coffee with Kahuna show, when, this week, we will talk about the Phillies spring training, as well as the start of the NCAA Tournament.