Jim Thome saw a couple of highlights in person, watched a few others on TV. Most everywhere he looked this spring, something caught his eye.

Soaring home runs by Gary Sheffield and Mo Vaughn. Sharp outings by Greg Maddux and Josh Beckett. Steamed rushes by Mike Piazza and Vladimir Guerrero.

“I haven’t been in this league too long,” Thome said, “but I can see there a lot of impressive teams in our division.”

And it’s not just the NL East.

All over baseball, more clubs than ever are heading into the 2003 season thinking this is their year, boosted by big changes.

Former MVPs Jeff Kent and Ivan Rodriguez, two-time Cy Young winner Tom Glavine and 20-victory ace Bartolo Colon joined teams that missed the playoffs. Thome, Kevin Millwood and David Bell wound up in Philadelphia.

Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras came to the United States to play in pinstripes. Mike Hampton, Russ Ortiz and Robert Fick went to Atlanta.

Dusty Baker, Buck Showalter and Felipe Alou moved into new dugouts. Heck, there’s even optimism in Tampa Bay — billboards around the area are promising “It’s a Whole New Ballgame” — because Lou Piniella has taken over the bedraggled Devil Rays.

“You play so long in this game, you never know,” Thome said. “We saw the Angels early last year. Who knew they would win the World Series?”

Fact is, Colon, Thome and Cleveland blanked Anaheim 6-0 in the 2002 major-league opener. Seven months later, back at Edison Field and backed by the Rally Monkey and the ThunderStix, the hard-hitting Angels beat Barry Bonds and San Francisco in Game 7.

AP Photos Some familiar faces around baseball are with new teams this season, including Philadelphia's Jim Thome, above, San Francisco manager Felipe Alou and Chicago manager Dusty Baker and Texas manager Buck Showalter.

From Sammy Sosa’s first swing, baseball figures to get off to a flying start.

The season also is sure to be full of debate. Should Pete Rose be eligible for the Hall of Fame? And should baseball ban ephedra, which a coroner blamed for contributing to the heatstroke death of Baltimore pitching prospect Steve Bechler in spring training?

There are certain to be plenty of major milestones, too.

Slammin’ Sammy goes into opening day at Shea Stadium with 499 home runs, and could lead an unprecedented parade into the 500 club. There are only 17 members now, but that should change quickly as Rafael Palmeiro (490), Fred McGriff (478) and a healthy Ken Griffey Jr. (468) follow.

“Yes, it’s a thrill,” the 34-year-old Sosa said. “But I cannot sit back and relax and think, ‘Oh, my God.’ I’m not satisfied with that because I know my numbers are not going to stop there.”

Buck Showalter.

Roger Clemens, meanwhile, needs seven more wins to become the 21st pitcher to post 300 career victories. At 40, the Rocket also is the senior example of an increasing number of All-Stars — think Bonds, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, among them — excelling at an advanced age.

“You might see guys hanging around 25, 27 years if they can keep doing it,” Clemens said.

With the two-game series at the Tokyo Dome between Oakland and Seattle canceled because of the war with Iraq, the season will again start at Anaheim March 30 when the Angels host Showalter and the Texas Rangers at night.

The Angels are the first World Series champion since the 1987 Minnesota Twins to go into the next season with the same starting lineup and rotation. Will standing pat pay off?

“The changes on our team won’t be the big names like the Giants but it will be more than people have a sense of,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “We’ll have guys like John Lackey, Francisco Rodriguez and Brendan Donnelly all year for us, which is a change. Our club will be different than last year.”

Felipe Alou, left, and Chicago manager Dusty Baker.

Of the 24 players who appeared in the Series for San Francisco, however, 11 are gone. Edgardo Alfonzo, Ray Durham, Marquis Grissom, Jose Cruz Jr. and Damian Moss are among the newcomers now playing at Pac Bell Park.

Great American Ball Park opens in Cincinnati, where a right-field fence 325 feet from home plate makes an inviting target for Griffey. With his hamstrings feeling fine, Junior will be on the field March 31 when Pittsburgh visits the Reds.

In the argument that stirs fans like no other, Rose’s status is still in limbo. Commissioner Bud Selig has not yet ruled on Rose’s application for reinstatement, leaving the former Reds star ineligible for the Hall, and there’s no timetable for a decision.

There’s also no word on where the Montreal Expos will eventually end up. They are moving — kind of — this year by playing 22 “home” games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As it turns out, the vagabond Expos won’t play a game at Olympic Stadium in Montreal until April 22.

“It doesn’t do any good to complain about it,” Expos manager Frank Robinson said. “What would that accomplish?”

The Phillies surely won’t complain that this is their last year in crumbly Veterans Stadium, which opened in 1971. But baseball purists may not be so happy that the Boston Red Sox have put 280 seats on top of the Green Monster at Fenway Park.

All told, there are 10 new managers, including Alan Trammell in Detroit and Art Howe with the Mets. With the hiring of Bob Melvin, Ned Yost and others, 14 of the 30 current managers were catchers in either the majors or minors.