Infield Chatter is a weekly look at trends and depth chart movement that will affect your Fantasy strategy.

Before the season began, all the chatter was how the Phillies were going to demolish their opponents, much like the wrecking ball destroyed Veterans Stadium recently. Yet less a month into the season, Fantasy owners are already wondering if the Phillies' promise went down with the Vet itself.

Only the woeful Expos are worse in National League team batting than the Phillies, who have a .233 mark. Philadelphia is also next-to-last in team RBI with 35.

Part of Philadelphia's problem is that it simply isn't getting quality production from the leadoff spot. The Phillies' leadoff hitters entered play on Monday with a .150 batting average and .244 on-base percentage.

The Phillies opened the season with Marlon Byrd in the top spot, but he didn't provide the power/on-base combination the team was looking for. Byrd, who has barely kept his average above .200, was dropped to the seventh spot last week. Byrd had excelled in the leadoff spot when he was used there last year.

Jimmy Rollins, who has the speed to be a great leadoff man but simply struck out too much last season, was put back atop the order. Rollins responded with just one hit in his first 13 at-bats in the top spot before hitting a triple on Sunday. Rollins could be a top Fantasy shortstop if he would get on base regularly, but even after working on his swing more during the offseason, he still isn't getting on base regularly enough.

There has been growing opinion that Bobby Abreu would make the ideal leadoff man for the Phillies. Such a move would certainly increase Abreu's runs scored and steals, but would also hurt his RBI production. No need to speculate, though. Larry Bowa has no intentions of moving him out of the No. 3 slot in the batting order.

"He does too many things for us in the No. 3 hole," Bowa told the Trenton Times. "He's our best No. 3 hitter."

For now, it appears Bowa will stick with Rollins and apparently hope regular playing time at the top of the lineup will yield better results. Fantasy owners can only hope Bowa gets his wish, but there is no reason to believe right now that Rollins will hit well enough to see his value rise or stay in the leadoff spot.

If Byrd picks up his performance at the plate, it certainly wouldn't be surprising to see him regain the leadoff job. Doug Glanville will not play regularly, but he will hit leadoff many times when he is in the lineup. At best, Fantasy leaguers can hope for Byrd to improve and return to the No. 1 spot in the order. Otherwise, Bowa and Fantasy players might continually be frustrated by Rollins and a possibly ever-rotating cast at the top of the order.

Ways of the Winn

Randy Winn spent much of the spring as Seattle's No. 2 hitter, as manager Bob Melvin wanted him near the top of the batting order again. But Winn has started to bounce around the order, and Melvin seems to be searching for better options in the second spot.

"It's not a bad thing to be versatile enough to be moved around in the lineup," Winn told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "But I'm not swinging the way I'd like. A few of the other guys are struggling right now, too."

John Olerud has seen more at-bats in the second spot recently, and Winn went 0-for-4 when he returned to batting second last Sunday. Winn has also hit seventh and ninth, and Fantasy owners are wondering where his stroke has gone after he developed into a more reliable all-around player in recent years.

Winn has barely been able to keep his average above .220. Melvin might keep tinkering with the lineup, but he seems to like hitting Olerud ahead of Edgar Martinez and Bret Boone.

"The thing about Ole and Edgar is that they get on base a lot, working the count and drawing walks," Melvin said. "We've had trouble scoring runs."

All it might take for Winn to get back near the top of the order is a hot streak. He's certainly a run scorer, not a run producer. He maintained, though, that being moved around won't alter his focus.

"We're all looking for something that will ignite us," Winn said. "And if it means that I move around in the lineup, that's OK with me."

On deck: Frustration

Barry Bonds' owners who have been able to see him in action watched him sit idly by in the on-deck circle in weekend one-run losses to the Dodgers. While Giants fans and Fantasy players can only wonder about what might have been, there will be no changes to ease concerns. Felipe Alou told the Contra Costa Times he has no plans to move Bonds into the third spot in the batting order.

"I don't feel the third spot will help him," Alou said. "I find it difficult for me to take him out of that spot in the lineup where he's been so destructive. I don't have any thoughts or temptations to do that."

Scott Engel is the 2003 champion of the Krause Publications Experts League.