Who will bat cleanup for the Phillies?

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The first thing Jim Thome noticed were the grunts coming from the batting cage. For a slugger who swings viciously, Hunter Pence was a beautiful sight.

His weird hacks produce batting-practice bombs. Thome and the others around the cage spend each morning admiring the longest shot, which typically clears Frenchy's tiki bar beyond left field. Thome approves, typically with a smile or a fist bump.

Manager Charlie Manuel dutifully watches, too, as he contemplates life without Ryan Howard. His permanent cleanup hitter since the middle of 2006 is likely to miss most of the first half of the season. Without his big piece, Manuel's lineup will require a renovation.

Pence is the likely man to bat fourth in Howard's absence, although Manuel was unwilling to commit to that idea Saturday. It could have been the manager's bitterness after a 1-0 loss to Baltimore (even Grapefruit League shutouts infuriate Manuel), or that he simply hasn't decided.

The latter is unlikely, considering Manuel usually obsesses over his lineups. Asked if he's already thinking about it, he responded, "Yeah."

So is there a guy in mind to take Howard's spot?

"Yeah," Manuel said.

Who is it?

"Forty-one," Manuel said, referring to his uniform number.

Chances are, most of the lineups Manuel has concocted in his brain do not contain himself, but the manager does have quite the ego.

His reluctance to show his hand has something to do with the fact that Chase Utley has not played this spring. He can tinker with lineups, but he must know who is available.

"Pence could hit cleanup," Manuel said. "There are guys who could hit cleanup. We have time. We're a long ways from opening day yet."

Of the eight lineups Manuel has made this spring, Thome has batted cleanup the most (five times). If the Phillies played in the American League and could use Thome as a designated hitter, that would be a possibility.

Pence has hit cleanup twice and Ty Wigginton has batted there once. Of the 16 games Howard missed in 2011, the cleanup spot was shared by Pence, Utley, Raul Ibanez, and John Mayberry Jr.

Pence batted fourth nine times for Manuel in 2011 and it was his least productive spot in the lineup. Of course, it's difficult to make judgments on such small sample sizes. In his career, Pence has hit cleanup 30 times for a .236 batting average and only one home run in 123 at-bats.

The 28-year-old outfielder said he has no preference as to where he bats. He claims there is no difference.

"I don't know," Pence said. "I don't really know. You just go hit, whatever the situation is. The game dictates it."

Manuel has already declared Jimmy Rollins his leadoff hitter. Late in the season, he slid Utley up one spot to second and batted Pence third with Howard behind him. The manager indicated that won't happen again.

"I like Chase in the third hole when he's healthy," Manuel said. "When he's right, I like him in the third hole. He proved he can knock runs in. When he's healthy, he's an ideal three on our team. He can hit in the two hole. He can hit fourth, fifth. But when he's right, I like him in the three hole."

So that leaves flexibility for who bats second. Often, Placido Polanco has maintained that spot. But his health issues forced Manuel to push him lower in the batting order late in 2011. If Polanco is healthy, he could retain that role, mostly because team officials like his approach in a winter where "smarter at-bats" have been stressed. Shane Victorino could bat second, too.

Whatever the case, life without Howard leaves a hole. One combination in early April could be a distant memory come June. Or Manuel could just insert himself into the middle of it all.

"That's where I usually hit, third or fourth," he said. "Hell yeah."