On the off chance that you’ve been living under a Philadelphia rock for the past year, you may need an introduction to one of the best minor league call-ups the Phils have recently seen. Coming from the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, 25 year old, right-handed outfielder John Mayberry Jr. was born in Kansas City, MO, and made his major league debut for the Phillies, May 23rd at Yankee Stadium. Instantly making his name known, Mayberry blasted a 3 run homer in the 5th to bring the lead while batting 2-3 in the game. At 6’ 6’’ he’s only 1 inch taller than Jayson Werth, making this Stanford alumni (yes really) the new tallest player on the 2009 Phillies. Having baseball in his DNA, Mayberry’s father (John Mayberry Sr.) also had a habit of hitting, especially while on the roster for the Royal’s in the mid-70s.
Fast forward to the beauty and fun of interleague play, and we see more of the same. Last night, June 23rd was a reminder as to the Mayberry power. Batting a three run homerun in the fourth (his seventh of the season), it was hard to not be excited. The game was thrown by the incredible error count on the shoulders of the Rays, but the strong Phillies offense proved to be too much for the Tampa team. This incredible 10-1 victory brought to an end the 6 game-losing streak created after being swept by both the Blue Jays and Orioles. All of you that are up to speed on the powerhouse that is John Mayberry Jr. are well aware that we are in for a heck of a season if he stays healthy.
By: Andy Troutman
ur right about the possibility of lots of excitement from Mayberry..and not just this year. I hate to think about it with the great season he is having, but Ibanez is nearing 40...Mayberry may be our future in the outfield for years to come. Lastly, he kinda brings to mind another Phil who homered in his first major league game,,one Chase Utley
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