KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) – The moment Roy Oswalt walked into the Houston Astros’ clubhouse at spring training, things seemed different.

The past three seasons, Oswalt shared the “ace” label with Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. But with Pettitte back in New York and Clemens still mulling his future, Oswalt is alone in the spotlight and missing two influential mentors.

Now, he’s the guy younger pitchers are emulating and turning to for guidance and leadership.

“I feel like, all of a sudden, I’m the old guy,” Oswalt said. “I’m not that old, but I feel like the old guy.”

Only 29, Oswalt also feels as though he’s entering the prime of his career, a tantalizing notion considering he had the NL’s lowest ERA in 2006 and won 20 games each of the previous two seasons.

The Astros apparently think so, too. They signed him to a five-year, $73 million contract last August.

Oswalt went 14-3 as a rookie in 2001 and 19-9 in 2002. He’s a better pitcher now, he said, because he’s smarter, more patient and he’s learned to value innings more than strikeouts – something he gleaned from Clemens and Pettitte.

Early in his career, Oswalt set a goal to strike out at least 200 batters each season. Now, he’d rather have 200 innings.

“That’s the biggest thing for a starting pitcher,” Oswalt said. “It’s not ERA, it’s not the number of strikeouts, it’s not even wins. If you’re out there 240 innings, you’re saving a huge workload for the guys in the bullpen, and that will make the team better.”

Oswalt has averaged 233 innings pitched the last three seasons and thrown a total of eight complete games. When he wasn’t on the mound, he observed Pettitte and Clemens closely, studying how they manufactured quality starts even when they weren’t pitching their best.

“The difference between a good pitcher and a great pitcher is a good pitcher goes out there and on the days he feels good, he pitches good. But when he doesn’t, he doesn’t,” Oswalt said. “A great pitcher goes out there, like Andy or Roger, even if he feels bad, even if he feels like he doesn’t have his best stuff, he can still find a way to keep you in the game.”

Oswalt also watched how Clemens economized pitches, getting hitters to swing early in counts so he could conserve his energy.

“Roger usually figured out a way to save himself early and get deep into the ballgame,” Oswalt said. “A young guy may throw 100 pitches through five innings and he may have to come out of the game because of his pitch count.”

The Astros’ young, impressionable pitchers have already started studying Oswalt just as closely.

“If you want an example of somebody who is successful, who conducts himself like a professional and who’s one of the top pitchers in the game, there’s no better guy to watch than Roy,” said 23-year-old Matt Albers.

Oswalt’s first mentor was his father, Billy, who had Roy throwing by age 4.

Immediately, Roy showed a knack for pitching and held his own throughout his childhood with older boys, including his brother, Brian.

“I was always playing with teams on his level,” Oswalt said. “When I was 10, I played with the 12-year-olds. Even though I was two years younger, I could throw harder than anybody, so that kind of got demanded that I was the pitcher.”

By the time the Astros drafted him in 1996, Oswalt had supreme confidence in his fastball and that has never faded. Often when he’s on the mound ready to throw it, he remembers the best piece of baseball advice his father gave him.

“The main thing he told me was never give in to a hitter,” Oswalt said. “That’s why I go after guys so aggressively with the fastball. I don’t believe they can hit it and I keep throwing it until they can prove they can. And I believe that if I throw it in the right spot, they’re not going to hit it.”

Oswalt said he’ll throw more changeups this season, mostly to right-handed hitters. But that’s about the only thing he’ll change. He’ll still be soft-spoken and will never be the kind of clubhouse presence who leads with a loud voice.

“I’ve always believed in leading by doing it on the field and having others follow,” he said. “I’ve never thought that you have to be too outspoken in the clubhouse, as long as you set an example for guys to follow. People watch that more than they listen to some guy talking, no matter who he is.”

Notes: Brisk winds forced the Astros inside for batting practice on Sunday. … Bench coach Cecil Cooper ran the workout so manager Phil Garner could attend his daughter’s wedding at nearby Disney World. … After the workout, Oswalt, Woody Williams, Brandon Backe and Chad Qualls drove to see the Daytona 500, about 60 miles away.

AP-ES-02-18-07 1757EST