Spring Report No. 5

BRADENTON, Fla. - Ryan Howard owners can breathe easy.

Howard, suffering through a 1-for-23 slump, broke out in a huge way Thursday by sending a Shawn Chacon offering an estimated 420 feet for a towering home run in the Phillies' 5-5 tie with the Pirates at McKechnie Field.

Howard's been struggling to find his groove this spring, and a strained thigh hasn't helped him reach his comfort level. The hefty lefty is dealing with giant expectations this year, making his disappointing March all the more discouraging.

I warned in a column earlier this year that Howard might be a bust in 2007. As I wrote a few weeks ago, I still think Howard is capable of another monster season, but those expecting him to just unleash 70 homers season might need to slow down. The league will adjust to him, he'll get walked, and he'll have his slumps, as we've seen this spring.

That being said, Thursday's homer was a reminder of Howard's tremendous power potential, and he's sure to launch his fair share of balls out of Citizen's Bank Park this season. I'm a little more concerned about the dude batting behind him, Pat Burrell, a guy Philly fans love to hate. Burrell was experimenting with contact lenses earlier this spring after some poor results on a vision test, and his career average .258 average isn't exactly ideal. The 30-year-old OF did homer immediately after Howard on Thursday, and despite the crappy average he's still a good bet for 30 HRs and 100 RBIs, so all hope is not lost.

Some other observations from Thursday's game:

-Ronny Paulino continues to impress. The Pittsburgh catcher stroked a double, and he's now batting .500 this spring. I know you can't read a lot into what happens in Grapefruit League games, but when you consider' Paulino's hot spring along with his breakout 2006, he's clearly a catcher on the rise. Consider him a No. 2 guy for now in mixed leagues and a very nice NL-only option; we may have to move him into the top 10 catchers for 2008 as some of the old stand-bys begin to fade away.

-It was a scary moment when Chacon took a line drive from the Phils' Michael Bourn off the chest and glove in the first inning. It's hard to understand exactly how fast the ball travels back at a pitcher on plays like that unless you see it live, and from our vantage point next to the visiting dugout, almost at field level (thanks to my pal Doug for the sweet ticket), it was an eye-opener.

-Spotted in the stands: Dallas Green, former Phillies manager and owner of one of the coolest names in baseball.