Mar. 2 -- THE NEXT KENDRICK

In his first three minor-league seasons after being drafted in the seventh round in 2003, Kyle Kendrick went 10-28 and was going in reverse in the Phillies' farm system, winding up back at short-season Batavia by the end of 2005.

Nobody, not even Miss Cleo, thought he'd win 10 games in the majors last year.

But his out-of-the-blue success has prompted a valid question around Phillies' camp this spring: Who will be the next Kendrick? Last Monday, after the Phillies' morning workout at the Carpenter Complex, I thought I'd try to find an answer.

Considering Kendrick wasn't even in major-league spring training last year, the next Kendrick can't be found inside the Phillies' clubhouse in Bright House Field, where top prospects Joe Savery, Carlos Carrasco and Josh Outman already are catching the eye of Charlie Manuel and his staff. So, I walked over to the minor-league side of the complex, where I chatted with farm director Steve Noworyta and pitching coordinator Gorman Heimueller.

Then, I spotted Drew Carpenter playing long-toss on a back field.

Carpenter is 22, just like Kendrick when he got called up last June. He will start the season at double-A Reading, just like Kendrick last year. He's right-handed, with a fastball that doesn't set radar guns ablaze, just like Kendrick. And, like Kendrick, he wasn't invited to big-league camp, even though he won 19 games last year, including the clincher in the Florida State League championship series, for single-A Clearwater.

Kendrick never did that.

So, behold the top candidate to be the next Kendrick. My profile of Carpenter is the latest in what we in the newspaper business call "Sunday enterprise features." In case you missed the others since spring training began, we've looked at the consequences of overusing relief pitchers and Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan's plan to reduce injuries in 2008.

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Lots of stuff in our Sunday MLB notes: Base coaches speak out about wearing helmets, Michael Bourn asks himself, "What would Chase Utley do?," and Mike Costanzo learns to be a catcher.

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Within this notebook, there's news of Brad Lidge's progress in his recovery from knee surgery.

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Check out another of Jennifer Corbett's photo galleries, and enjoy your Sunday!