Charlie Manuel told reporters he wants John Mayberry Jr. to stick with the major league team for a little while. It’s good news for the slugging outfielder, who will attempt to prove his worth as an everyday player.
But Mayberry can’t prove anything if he stays on the bench too much. Moreover, the Phillies can’t determine whether Mayberry could be an everyday player for them – which would then allow them to explore possibly moving Jayson Werth for pitching. So if they’re going to keep Big John Stud up for a while, they need to start him as much as possible.
Tonight would be a start. It wouldn’t be a bad night to sit Raul Ibanez, who despite his hot play, is 0-for-6 lifetime against scheduled Florida starter Andrew Miller. Maybe tomorrow would be a good time to sit Jayson Werth, mired in a 2-for-27 slump, against righty Burke Badenhop.
The Phillies need to give Mayberry a chance to succeed and show his value. In the long run, it would benefit the Phils in spades.
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.
