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A look at the Phillies triple-A rotation

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The five young Phillies pitchers that will start the season at triple A spent the early part of the offseason with the expectations that they would come to spring training to compete for the final spot in the major-league rotation.

That competition ended just before Christmas when the Phillies traded for Clay Buchholz and the young arms race will now take place in Lehigh Valley with a starting rotation of the righthanders that were all acquired in trades.

Here's a look at the IronPigs rotation:

Jake Thompson -  The righthander was optioned to minor-league camp on Friday morning. He started camp with a right wrist injury but returned last week. Thompson pitched 51/3 scoreless innings over two games in major-league camp. He made 10 starts last season in the majors and seemed to find himself as the season went on. Thompson was acquired as part of the trade that sent Cole Hamels to Texas.

Nick Pivetta - Pivetta, acquired from Washington for Jonathan Papelbon, impressed in major-league camp before leaving to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. He or Thompson will likely pitch on opening day for the IronPigs. He made five starts last season in triple A after spending most of the season in double A, where he had a 3.63 ERA in 22 starts.

Zach Eflin - Eflin is still recovering from surgery on both of his knees. He has pitched this spring in minor-league games and is still in major-league camp. He may have to start the season on the disabled list, which could push Alec Asher or Mark Leiter Jr. into the IronPigs rotation. Eflin reached the majors in June and made 11 starts with the Phillies. He pitched brilliantly at times, but now he has to prove that his knees are healthy. Eflin came from San Diego in the trade that sent Jimmy Rollins to the Dodgers.

Ben Lively - Lively had a 2.69 ERA last season in 28 starts between double A and triple A. The Phillies acquired him from Cincinnati for Marlon Byrd. He struck out 139 batters last season and walked 42 in 170 2/3 innings.

Mark Appel - Appel, the first overall pick in 2013, missed the final three months of last season after undergoing elbow surgery. He is the most intriguing of the five IronPigs starters just because of his No. 1 pick status. This season will determine if Appel - who turns 26 in July - can find what made him a surefire pick. He has yet to do that as he has a 5.04 ERA in his first four seasons. Appel was acquired from Houston as part of the Ken Giles trade.