John Mayberry Jr. has been having a down year: hitting .237 with only 25 RBIs. Recently, I wrote about what would happen if Victorino was traded before the July 31 deadline. I made a strong case for JMJ and his potential. Yesterday, in the Phillies 4-3 extra inning win over SanFran, he did not dissapoint. The 6'6" left fielder rang the Liberty Bell with two solo dingers. Many PhilsPhans have given up on JMJ because of his lackluster performance thus far. JMJ was never surrounded with excitement as much as other prospects were, mostly because of his age. He debuted in 2009, as a 25 year old, and still hasn't "bloomed" yet. His slow prgression is due to always sharing LF with another player (Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre). With a Victorino trade looming, JMJ will have a perfect opportunity to showcase his ablility on an everyday basis. Alot of hitting experts have commented on JMJ's struggles, saying "His stance always changes. Sometimes he's straight up and sometimes he's bent over. He needs to find his comfort zone." Well, the only way to be consistently comfortable is to play everyday. Assuming Victorino is traded, look at August and Septemeber as an audition for JMJ. If he shows his 5-tool ability, he may have a starting spot next year. If his struggles continue, he'll go down the path of a career backup outfielder. Don't give up on JMJ too quickly. Wether you like it or not, he may be our starting center fielder for August, Septemeber,
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