In December, Howard, the slugging first baseman, declined an invitation to play for his country. But fear of injury wasn't his main reason for saying "no thanks." After batting .192 in the past two Aprils for the Phillies -- including .168 last season -- Howard wanted to stay in camp and hone his swing in an effort to have a faster start.

"You can get hurt doing the same things here in spring training," he said. "I mean, the (WBC) games are more intense than what ours are, so it's maybe a little more risky. But still, once you get in game mode, you start going, you could just as easily get hurt here.

"I did consider it. I just had too many questions. It didn't work out for me. Who knows? Maybe in 2012, if they were to give me another shot."

Thus far, though, Howard doesn't feel like he's missing out. He left his St. Louis home on Jan. 5 and dropped 20 pounds working out at an exclusive golf and tennis resort near Tampa. Lighter and more agile, he played in 16 of the first 19 Grapefruit League games and led the Phillies with six home runs and 16 RBIs.

But Howard always has been a good spring training hitter. In 2006, he topped the Grapefruit League with 11 home runs. Even last year, he batted .313 with five homers and 12 RBIs, hardly a harbinger for his April struggles.

So, the trick will be translating his spring success into the season.

"This year, it's just been about really focusing on using spring training to get everything back the way I want," Howard said. "I think you want to end that last week (of spring training) on a good note. But there's times when you just get off to slow starts. Not to make excuses or anything, but you go from warm weather down here to cold weather up there. Sometimes, it's not easy."

Indeed, Howard's bat often parallels the weather. His career batting average warms from .230 in April to .251 in May, .264 in June, .299 in July, .283 in August and .313 in September. Last season, he batted .352 with 11 homers and a club-record 32 RBIs in September, turning himself into an NL MVP candidate.

"I hear people say, 'That guy never gets off to a good start,'" manager Charlie Manuel said. "That's a bunch of bull. Maybe he's just not hitting at that time. That's Mother Nature. April 5 is when we really want him on target."

So, Manuel is thrilled to have Howard in camp, not with Team USA.

"Howard had a couple hard winters, as far as being on the banquet circuit or whatever," he said. "He's kind of keyed down some, and that's good for him. For him to come to spring training and just work and feel free about himself, that's important for him."