Scott Lauber is all over the place this spring, and in his blog, he provided some insight on outfield prospect John Mayberry Jr., who the Phillies picked up in a trade with the Rangers.
Big outfielder John Mayberry Jr. continues to impress. During batting practice, he crushed a ball off the thatched roof of the Frenchy’s Tiki bar beyond the left-field fence. Even his teammates were impressed. Then, in the second inning, he sprinted back toward the warning track and made a nice catch to take a hit from Travis Snider. Mayberry can run a bit, too, although he was thrown out at home plate trying to score on a throwing error in the second inning. He’s 6-foot-6, and his long running stride reminds me of Dave Winfield.
Can Mayberry — who hit .263 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI in 2008 — translate those tools into major league play? That remains to be seen; currently he’s whiffing more at the plate than delivering. But there’s hope yet in the big guy, and he’ll get some opportunities.
Tim MalcolmTim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.
