John Mayberry is blossoming into the player the Phillies thought he could be in 2012.
It’s no secret. Charlie Manuel likes to go with the hot hand. The Phillies manager talks about it and he proves it when writing out his lineup card. It was no surprise that John Mayberry Jr. has been seeing his name pop up almost every day.
Mayberry single-handedly beat the Marlins last Tuesday by tying the game in the ninth with a pinch-hit home run. Mayberry followed by drilling a walk-off grand slam, the first for the Phillies.
“The second one, I was trying to be aggressive within a certain zone and put a good swing on it,” he said.
Manuel likes to talk about how Jayson Werth went from part-time player to a starting outfielder.
Even after a disappointing 2012 season when the starting job was his to lose, Manuel never closed the door on Mayberry.
“If Charlie were to stick with John Mayberry night after night, I really believe he could become a starter and a very good one,” MLB analyst Mitch Williams said. “Just give the guy a chance.”
