One is company, three a crowd

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Spring training always seems to bring out the best competition in players. Some more than others, especially when they know they are fighting for their future.

That's the position Randall Simon, Karim Garcia and Greg Dobbs find themselves in as the focus of spring training moves from calisthenics and cutoff drills to game situations and observations of who will be the Phillies' left-handed hitter off the bench.

Dobbs has gotten the jump in catching the eyes of observers. He homered to right-centerfield in the sixth inning of the Phillies' exhibition win against Florida State Wednesday night, then went 3-for-4 yesterday in a 9-7 loss to Detroit. That included another homer and had his prospective teammates teasing him with movie references.

"Go talk to 'Hobbs,' '' Jimmy Rollins said after the game, equating Dobbs' start with the Roy Hobbs character played by Robert Redford in "The Natural.''

Dobbs, a former Mariners farmhand who was claimed off waivers in January, accepted the ribbing graciously.

"Any time you come into the spring not guaranteed a spot, you want to have that back-against- the-wall mentality no matter what and put you best foot forward,'' said Dobbs, who drove in two runs and scored twice.

With slightly more than a year of major league experience, Dobbs has spent most of his 6-year career in the minors, where he has hit .307. In his mind, the fact that the 28-year-old can play first base, third base, left and rightfield doesn't necessarily give him the edge over the other two candidates. Yesterday, he was at first base.

"It is an audition for me because I'm a fresh face. They have to see me and see what I can do,'' Dobbs said. "Obviously, they have scouts who have seen that I can play and liked me for whatever I was doing, but [the coaches] have to take a look at me with their own eyes and see how I go about taking at-bats and see how I play defensively at all the positions I can play. So, yes, this spring is definitely going to be a whole audition for me."

Simon, the designated hitter, went 1-for-3, an RBI double in the top of the sixth inning.

Simon joined the Phillies in September after spending the 2005 season playing in Mexico. In 23 games with the Phils, he batted .238 with all of his plate appearances coming as a pinch-hitter.

Simon, 31, has a .283 career batting average but admits he never has been much of a pinch-hitter. He expects his role to be the same this year, assuming he makes the team.

"I think it's a great opportunity for me to show that I am still a good hitter and that I can help teams win,'' Simon said. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity for me to stay focused and try to get out there, get some good at-bats and keep hitting the ball like I have done early on in my career.''

Unless the Phillies elect to keep 11 pitchers rather than 12, the chances of more than one of the three making the team are unlikely. With Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz and switch-hitting Abraham Nunez all slated for backup roles, and Chris Coste expected to earn a fourth spot, the Phillies have no pure lefthanded hitters to come off the bench.

Manager Charlie Manuel said Simon, Garcia and Dobbs will see a lot of playing time the rest of the month.

"Yeah, all three can play, and they're going to play a lot here in the spring so we'll see what happens from there,'' Manuel said.

Last season, the Phillies relied on David Dellucci for the lefthanded pinch-hitting role. Before signing a 3-year deal with the Indians in November, Dellucci batted .292 with 13 homers and 39 RBI in 132 games.

Garcia, 31, was signed to a minor league contract in January. He played rightfield yesterday and was 2-for-5, including a double and two RBI. He seemed early in camp to be the front-runner for the job. He already has received endorsements from Manuel.

"What I like about him is he might be a better all-around player than Dellucci. He might run better, be better in the outfield, have a better arm,'' Manuel said.

While Garcia, who played under Manuel before in Cleveland, may be comfortable with Manuel and appreciate his praise, he still understands he has to prove himself, even though he broke into the majors back in 1995.

"Like everything, we look at it as a competition,'' said Garcia, who spent the past two seasons playing in Japan. His last major league stint came in 2004, when he appeared in 85 games with the Mets and Orioles. "There are only a couple of spots open for about six or seven guys, so you have to go about your business and concentrate a little bit more.''

Garica and Dobbs both said they try not to get into the hype of the battle for the last roster spot.

"I wish everyone the best every at-bat,'' Garcia said. "Right now, for me it's important because I played last year in Japan, played winter ball [Mexico] and played in the Caribbean Series. Of course, I want to make this team, but there are another 29 teams looking at you during spring training."

Let the competition continue. *