CLEARWATER, Fla. -- If not for the No. 70 on his back and a locker stall in the heart of rookie row, it would be difficult to identify Jason Jaramillo as a kid experiencing his first big-league camp.

"He's a rookie in this camp, but you can't tell the difference," said Steve Noworyta, the team's director of Minor League operations. "To me, that shows a lot. He's fitting right in and looks like he should be here."

Positioned between infielder Bobby Scales and likely Double-A Reading teammate Gio Gonzalez in the clubhouse, Jaramillo has moved quickly since being drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. He dipped his toe in the professional waters at Class A Batavia that year, then came on strong at Class A Lakewood in 2005 -- hitting .304 with eight homers in 448 at-bats.

Barring a disastrous spring, Jaramillo will be the next exception to the organizational philosophy of players advancing gradually through the system. There are strong signs that Jaramillo will skip Class A Advanced (Clearwater) and start the year at Double-A.

That puts Jaramillo in the company of Chase Utley, Brett Myers, Marlon Byrd and Michael Bourn. Utley went from Class A Clearwater to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while Myers, Byrd and Bourn bypassed Clearwater on the way to Reading.

"It's a good possibility," said Noworyta. "We still want him to go through camp and make sure we're making the right decision. The progress he's made in game-calling and his ability behind the plate has been tremendous. The question was his bat, and he put up good numbers. His makeup allows him to make that jump. He's one of those players who can handle it."

A star catcher at Oklahoma State -- a longtime college baseball power -- the Racine, Wis., product grew up in a baseball family and somehow found time to root for his beloved Green Bay Packers. Older brother Lee caught and Francisco played shortstop, both professionally.

On the advice of his siblings, Jaramillo began switch-hitting in high school.

"They put in my head that it would make me better," said Jaramillo, a natural right-handed batter. "It was the best decision I made career-wise."

With a stocky, 6-foot, 220-pound frame, Jaramillo automatically draws comparisons to former Phillies backstop Johnny Estrada. They also both speak of defense first.

"I'd rather catch a guy stealing than hit a home run," Jaramillo said. "I'll take a shutout [by the starting pitcher] any day. Any catcher who puts offense first is going to have trouble. I look to have a good rapport with my pitching staff, because when they go, we go. I take pride in that. You want to contribute as much as you can offensively, but making sure the pitchers do well is the most important thing."

In today's offense-driven game, that begs the question, "Who the heck does this guy think he is?"

"He wants to be well-rounded, but he takes pride in what he does behind the plate," said Noworyta. "That's the type of guy you want."

Offensively, the Phillies feel Jaramillo will develop into a solid bottom-of-the-order contributor who could hit .270-.280 with roughly 10-15 homers.

"He's a player," adds manager Charlie Manuel. "The more you watch him, the more you see that the kid knows how to play. He knows how to catch and throw. He backs up the bases. He's a line-drive switch-hitter. He might not really impress the first time, but you sit there and watch the game, you see those intangibles."

At Reading, Jaramillo will catch three of the organization's top prospects in Gonzalez, Scott Mathieson and Cole Hamels, another sign of how highly regarded he is. The plan is for that quartet to grow together.

Jaramillo sees his dream of playing in the Majors on a realistic path. Veteran Mike Lieberthal is entering the final year of his contract and could depart after the season.

By then, the team will likely want Jaramillo to play at Triple-A, and could go with Carlos Ruiz -- another defensive gem who blossomed offensively at Triple-A -- or a short-term veteran.

If all goes according to plan, Jaramillo should be marking his calendar for April 2008.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about it, but I don't dwell on it," he said. "I can only control my output and production. I'm just fortunate to be [in camp] learning from [Lieberthal]. My goal is to become a productive Major Leaguer at some point. I want to be ready when that time comes."