JUPITER, Fla. -- About an hour before Marlins players filtered into their clubhouse on Thursday morning, a growing group of autograph seekers lined the gates of the Roger Dean Stadium complex.

Officially, the Marlins welcomed pitchers and catchers on Thursday. In actuality, what took place on Thursday morning has been in the works for days.

A number of players have been working out in the mornings, passing many of the same autograph hounds who station themselves behind the bars encasing the players' parking lot.

Manager Jack McKeon pulled into the parking lot at 6:30 a.m. and was greeted by two autograph seekers.

"They told me, 'I know you get here early,'" McKeon said. "They came out there. They are waiting out there at the gate."

In all, the Marlins have 36 pitchers and six catchers in Spring Training camp. A seventh catcher participating in the early workouts is minor league infielder Derek Wathan, who is expected to work with the other backstops.

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On Wednesday, approximately two dozen pitchers worked out at the complex, including starter Dontrelle Willis. Josh Beckett stopped by Roger Dean Stadium on Wednesday and did some conditioning in the weight room.

Pitchers and catchers will take their physicals on Friday, and the first workouts are scheduled for Saturday morning. Position players report on Sunday and take their physicals on Monday, and full-squad workouts are set for Tuesday.

Though position players are slated to be at camp on Sunday, several already have gotten in some work in Jupiter, with Juan Pierre and Damion Easley among those taking batting practice.

Aside from a few everyday players, these next few days are designated for pitchers and catchers to get in their work. New pitching coach Mark Wiley, who lives in Palm Beach County, has been a regular at Roger Dean Stadium for weeks.

Because of the high volume of pitchers, the Marlins are considering using different warmup routines from those used in the past.

"We're going to try to make it so we are getting all of our work done but we're not out here forever," said Wiley. "Because of the number of pitchers, we're probably going to use a few more fields, and we'll do a little creative stuff. We want them all to get their work in, not just pitching, but baserunning, fielding, hitting, all that stuff."

There has been a good bit of turnover in the Marlins' pitching department since last year's Spring Training. Gone are All-Stars Carl Pavano and Armando Benitez. Last year at this time, Brad Penny was still with the club and lefty Darren Oliver was slotted as the fifth starter, while A.J. Burnett was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Now the rotation features returnees Beckett, Burnett and Willis. Free agent veteran Al Leiter rejoins the Marlins after spending seven seasons with the Mets, and Ismael Valdez, obtained in a July 31, 2004, trade with San Diego, is back.

The bullpen has also added four veteran free agent right-handers: Todd Jones, Jim Mecir, Antonio Alfonseca and John Riedling.

Mecir, who turns 35 in May, is embarking on his 12th Major League season, but his first in the National League.

"It's a little strange," said Mecir of his new surroundings. "I almost feel like a rookie."

How the Marlins fare this season will largely depend on how the bullpen holds up. The four relief signings have put pressure on some of the younger relievers who made the club in recent years. Tim Spooneybarger, who missed all of last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, is on the bubble to make the club out of Spring Training. Nate Bump and Ben Howard also will be tested.

Spooneybarger, who threw off the mound on Wednesday, isn't being rushed back. But since he hasn't pitched since the first half of 2003, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he will open the year in Triple-A Albuquerque.

"We're going to see how he does the first couple of days, just like everybody else," said Wiley of Spooneybarger. "We're going to start off with the perception that [everyone in camp is] ready to go to compete for a job."

Left-hander Luke Hagerty, a Rule 5 Draft pickup, also is rebounding from Tommy John surgery. At 6-foot-8, Hagerty is an imposing figure on the mound, and he has regained his 94-mph fastball.

The Marlins begin Spring Training games on March 1 against the University of Miami at Roger Dean Stadium. Their Grapefruit League schedule opens on March 2 against the Dodgers at Vero Beach.

Tickets sales for Marlins' Spring Training games are up 17 percent over a year ago, and the March 9 game against the Red Sox is already sold out. However, fans interested in purchasing Spring Training season tickets would have that game included in their package.

Spring Training tickets are available on floridamarlins.com.