Mayberry’s eight home runs and 25 runs batted in led the Lehigh Valley IronPigs coming into Sunday. Called up to the majors, Mayberry impacted the Philadelphia Phillies lineup right away by showing his power to the nation.
His first major league home run, a three run shot, gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead on Saturday. He also doubled.
In his second game, he was 0-for-5 with a strikeout.
Charlie Manuel said Mayberry will stick around for awhile, but the Phillies do not need a designated hitter until June 23 when they play the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. After their series in Tampa, they head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays.
Mayberry won’t recieve much playing time with a starting outfield that consists of Jasyon Werth, Shane Victorino and the red hot Raul Ibanez.
Despite their need for a right handed bat off the bench, the Phillies would benefit if Mayberry is sent back down to Triple-A. Being able to play on a daily basis, he’ll get extra at-bats so he won’t be rusty if he gets playing time in the majors at the end of June.
He does not have enough experience, and strikes out too much to serve as a temporary pinch hitter. Just 25 years old, his future is an everyday player, not a utility man.
While Mayberry is a much needed right handed power bat, the Phillies should look elsewhere for the sake of benefiting the team in the future.
