Feb. 17 -- DAY 4: CHASE UTLEY, TEAM LEADER?

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Chase Utley wouldn't take the bait.

With Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies' resident forecaster, still en route to camp, Utley was asked this morning if he cared to respond to Carlos Beltran's comments that the Johan Santana-bolstered Mets are the "team to beat" in the NL East this season. Making bold statements isn't exactly the norm for Utley, whose motto may as well be "bland is better." But Beltran also is a soft-spoken guy, so we figured Utley may be willing to pop off, too.

"OK, that's fine," Utley said of Beltran's comments. "He has confidence, which is good."

So much for that idea.

But, as Utley kept talking, something else occurred to me. With Aaron Rowand gone to San Francisco, the Phillies need a new vocal leader, someone to speak up in the clubhouse during the peaks and valleys of a long season. Utley leads by example, to be sure. And it has long been my contention that he says a lot more to fire up his teammates than he allows us to see. Players told me Utley was among the more vocal speakers during that tide-turning team meeting last April in Cincinnati, even though he was mum on the subject when reporters asked him about it.

So, what are the odds that Utley will replace Rowand as the team spokesman?

"50-50. 40-60?" he deadpanned. "We'll see. I'll warm up to you guys. It's a progression. It's only spring training. You want to continue to get better throughout the year."

If nothing else, Utley was funny this morning.

Seriously, though, on the subject of leadership, Utley said, "It's hard to replace Aaron, especially in the clubhouse. But we have guys that have been around for a while. We can police ourselves."

So, what do you think? How much will the Phillies miss Rowand's leadership? Who would you like to see fill that void?