Phillies Notes: New Phillies signee has prime locker room location

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Robb Quinlan sat at his locker, looked to his right, then his left, and smiled.

"Who are these guys?" he asked.

There was facetiousness because Quinlan, a non-roster invitee with the Phillies, might have the best seat in the house to the Four Aces. In a seven-locker span in the back corner of the team's clubhouse at Bright House Field, Quinlan is the lone position player. Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Kyle Kendrick are to Quinlan's right. On his left is Roy Oswalt.

Quinlan said that when he first stepped into the room, a clubhouse attendant told him he was in the corner. He looked at the other name plates over there and figured he was lost.

"I'm like, 'I'm not over here,' " Quinlan, 33, said.

But after a few minutes of unpacking, Quinlan began to appreciate his territory.

"It's obviously pretty cool," he said.

Quinlan is sitting with the aces because he's wearing No. 39. It's the number he wore for parts of eight major-league seasons with the Angels. Frank Coppenbarger, the Phillies' director of team travel and clubhouse services, said he issued that number to Quinlan because of his veteran status.

"I'm used to hanging out with all of the pitchers," said Quinlan, who plays the corner infield and outfield positions.

He had faced Halladay (2 for 4) and Lee (3 for 21). He had never met Hamels or Oswalt, but already he had struck up a conversation with Hamels about golf.

Beyond that, Quinlan is hoping for a spot on the Phillies' bench. He is a career .276 hitter in the majors, but he hit just .121 in 33 at-bats with Los Angeles in 2010. The Phillies were the first team to call this off-season, and Quinlan signed immediately. (His older brother Tom played in 24 games for the Phillies in 1994.)

He just so happens to be privy to some conversations among the game's best pitchers.

"Just take it all in," Quinlan said.

Hitters will face live pitching for the first time Monday. Most of the batters will not take swings during live batting practice, and the pitchers will throw about 40 pitches each. . . . Pitching coach Rich Dubee declined to announce a starter for Thursday's exhibition opener against Florida State. Typically, a younger pitcher makes the start. The team's first Grapefruit League game is Saturday in Tampa against the Yankees. . . . Righthander Andrew Carpenter cleared waivers and was assigned to triple-A Lehigh Valley. He will return to big-league camp as a non-roster player.