Dec. 12 -- MEET J.A. HAPP

Back in high school in Peru, Ill., J.A. Happ became the all-time leading scorer for the basketball program at St. Bede Academy.

And he could pitch a little, too.

Happ, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, chose baseball over basketball and has become one of the fastest rising prospects in the Phillies' farm system since being drafted in the third round in 2004 out of Northwestern University. With the Phils poised to trade a starting pitcher, most likely right-hander Jon Lieber, in the coming weeks, Happ is among the top choices to get a spot start during the season if there's an injury in the starting rotation, a topic we explore in Tuesday's News Journal.

"Realistically, over the course of the year, I think we'll get Happ some innings at Triple-A, and I think he might be a viable candidate to come up [to Philadelphia] at some point," assistant GM Mike Arbuckle said last week.

Happ, 24, opened last season at Class A Clearwater and posted a 2.81 ERA in 13 starts. He was promoted to Class AA Reading, where he went 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA in 12 starts, before allowing one run in six innings and getting a victory in his lone Class AAA start.

According to a Baseball America scouting report, Happ has a deceptive delivery that keeps hitters from getting a good look at the ball as it leaves his hand and causes right-handers to swing late at his upper-80s fastball. He also throws a slider and changeup.