Phil Sheridan: Phillies' slugging Mayberry gets his chance

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The clubhouse wall beyond the left-field fence will not miss John Mayberry Jr. After pelting it with baseballs for 10 days of batting practice, Mayberry will begin the real work of trying to win a spot on the Phillies' roster today.

Yes, we can take a break from talking about steroids and investigations and financial misdeeds and start watching baseball games. The Phillies travel to Bradenton for their Grapefruit League opener, against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mayberry, the 6-foot-6 outfielder with the sweet power swing, is not the first player who comes to mind as the defending World Series champions take the field for the first time. But he's a perfect example of what spring-training baseball is all about - a prospect who could force his way into the Phillies' conversation about that much-discussed righthanded bat.

His name is probably familiar to some fans because his father, John Sr., was a two-time all-star with the Kansas City Royals in the 1970s. If it rings a more recent bell, it's because Mayberry was acquired in Ruben Amaro Jr.'s first trade after being named general manager. Amaro sent speedy Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for Mayberry, giving two stalled prospects the proverbial change of scenery.

"He has talent," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who recognizes and prizes that quality in a hitter. "He's a real interesting guy. I'm looking forward to seeing him play."

Mayberry hasn't been talked about much as a potential bench player. There has been more discussion about the intrigue in the infield. With Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz recovering from off-season surgery, Amaro contacted an infield temp agency. Veterans Marcus Giles, Miguel Cairo, Pablo Ozuna and Jorge Velandia are competing with prospect Jason Donald for one or two or three jobs.

And then there is speculation about names such as Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Grudzielanek - two more veteran righthanded infielders.

But all the infield intrigue changes if Utley (likely) and Feliz (very possibly) are ready by opening day. Manuel would still like more flexibility there than he had much of last season, but there remains some chance the righthanded bat on the bench could be an outfielder.

For now, the outfield is overwhelmingly lefthanded - starter Raul Ibanez, Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs are all lefties. To get a righthanded bat out there for late defense or pinch-hitting, Manuel has to use Eric Bruntlett.

Mayberry is not exactly a favorite for a roster spot, but it's easy to see how the dominoes could fall his way, especially when you listen to Manuel describe what he wants in that righthanded-hitting bench guy.

"He's got to be able to do some things," Manuel said. "He has to be a good defensive player. He has to be able to run the bases. There is a job there."

Mayberry is a fine defensive outfielder (he can also play first base) with a strong arm and good speed. He was drafted in the first round twice. He chose to attend Stanford University the first time, then was taken 19th overall by the Rangers in 2005.

Now 25, he is right about where prospects either bloom into big leaguers or fade away.

"I try to always look at things positively," Mayberry said. "The obvious positive is that I just got traded to a team that won the World Series. . . . The Rangers had a lot of outfielders. The position was kind of clogged at the top, whereas here, there's maybe more of an opportunity to break in, maybe pinch-hitting or something of that nature."

Mayberry said he didn't wonder where his career would be if he had signed with Seattle the first time he was drafted. That was in 2002, when the Mariners' general manager was none other than Pat Gillick. Three years at Stanford, Mayberry said, helped him mature and prepare for a big-league career.

The question is whether he's ready for it to start. His batting-practice shots have been one of the highlights of the otherwise mundane daily drills. They were pretty, but it will take a good showing over the five weeks of exhibition games to make his case.

"There comes a time to take a shot on a guy at the major-league level," Manuel said. "If a guy is 25 or 26 and you think he's a prospect, then his time is coming. If you like him, you've got to put him in there."

Manuel brought Utley along slowly at age 25. Ryan Howard won his rookie of the year award at 25. So there's something to the manager's thinking.

It would take a strong performance for Mayberry to write his name on the roster of the defending champions. But then, that is what spring training has always been about.