Feb. 23 -- PROVING HIS WERTH

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- For people who are used to getting up late and working a second- or third-shift job, the initial weeks of spring training are a shock to the system. Since I got here on Feb. 12, my alarm clock has rang at 6 a.m., and even after hitting snooze a few times, I'm still bleary-eyed.

Jayson Werth can relate.

For most of the past two weeks, Phillies players have had to be in the clubhouse, dressed in their practice uniforms, by 8:30 a.m. Werth arrived last week with a goatee that he'd been fashioning throughout the winter. But, in maybe the funniest story I've heard in a while, he dozed off a few mornings ago as he was trimming the mustache. "When I came to, I was like, 'Oh, no,'" said Werth, who had to shave the mustache completely. So, now, Werth is back to the patch of hair on his chin.

The Phillies are expecting big things from Werth this season. If he stays healthy (always a big question for Werth), GM Pat Gillick and manager Charlie Manuel believe he can hit 30 home runs. That would be impressive, especially because Werth almost had to retire in 2006 after unsuccessful surgery on his shattered left wrist.

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Cole Hamels will be arbitration-eligible next year, and the Phillies would prefer to not go to a hearing with him. It's difficult to guess how much money Hamels will make in 2009, and obviously, much will depend on how he pitches this season. But here's a potential comparison: Like Hamels, Dontrelle Willis won 24 games in his first two seasons. In his third, he went 22-10 with a 2.63 ERA, then cashed in with a $4.35 million deal in arbitration in 2006. If Hamels wins 20 games, he could be looking at $5 or $6 million next year.