Jimmy Rollins Official Website

The Big Piece arrived at camp Sunday, looking trim and perfectly color coordinated.

"This was all for you," Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard joked about his matching blue T-shirt and cap. "This wasn't an accident."

Howard arrived at the Phillies' Spring Training facility at Bright House Field in good spirits. Position players must report by Monday for physicals before Tuesday's first full-squad workout. But Howard actually has been in Florida since early December, working out at the Athletes Compound in Tampa. He weighs about 245 pounds, which he said is exactly where he wants to be as Spring Training begins.

"I'll drop a little bit more before we head up north," he said.

Howard hit .279 with 45 home runs and a Major League-leading 141 RBIs last season. He hit .375 with six RBIs in the National League Division Series against the Colorado Rockies, and earned NL Championship Series MVP honors when he hit .333 with two homers and eight RBIs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But he struggled in the World Series against the Yankees, hitting .174 with one homer and three RBIs and setting a World Series record with 13 strikeouts.

"Last year didn't go the way we wanted it to," Howard said. "Hopefully everybody comes in here with the mind-set of unfinished business. We all get locked in, have a good Spring Training and carry it out through the season."

Howard again has been working on improving his defense with Phillies third-base coach Sam Perlozzo. Howard made 14 errors last season, five fewer than he made in 2008. He was quicker around the bag, but still had trouble making throws.

"Sometimes I just got rushed," he said. "Just rushed a throw. It was just small things. I talked to Sam and I already knew what it was that I didn't do. The key is being able to know what you're doing and being able to make the adjustment so the next time you don't do it."

Howard also sees himself hitting .300 again. He hit .313 in 2006, but .268 in '07, .251 in '08 and .279 last season.

How does he do that?

"Find grass," he said. "Hit the ball where they're not."

Howard sounded like a motivated man Sunday. He should be. These Phillies will not be together forever. Jayson Werth will be a free agent after this season. Howard, Jimmy Rollins and others will be free agents after 2011.

The window of opportunity seems to be closing.

"You want to try to make as many runs as you have opportunities to do so," Howard said. "With the nucleus of this team, we want to try to just continue to go out and bang if you will."