Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Posted: 10 a.m.
By John R. Finger
CSNPhilly.com
WASHINGTONIn life, a man with options has uncanny power. To be able to pick and chose a course is undoubtedly a station most folks aspire to hold.
Who doesnt want options?
Baseball, however, is not like life. A player with options is one who will be maneuvered around like a pawn on a chess board. Dont think for a moment that a player who can be shipped back and forth isnt attractive to certain general managers. In fact, sometimes the skills and talent of a player with options is not as attractive.
Sometimes that comes into play if we cant get a guy through waivers, manager Charlie Manuel said before Tuesday nights game at Nationals Park.
John Mayberry Jr. is a player with options. So too are Ben Francisco and Dom Brown. Michael Martinez, on the other hand, has no optionsat least not this season. So when Shane Victorino rejoins the Phillies in time for this weekends games in Pittsburgh, it could be that the player with options is the one sent back to the minors.
MLB
The likely scenario is that Mayberry will go back to the minors by the weekend. A quick look at the teams options essentially paints it as farming out Mayberry is the only option. After all, Brown appears to be in the big leagues to stay and Francisco is the other part of the right-left outfield platoon. Obviously the Phillies would like to have Martinez spend some time in the minors to get some seasoning, but thats all but an impossibility.
Martinez is a Rule 5 selection from Washington, which means the Phillies have to keep him on the big league roster all season long or offer him back to the Nats. Needless to say its very unlikely the Nationals would allow Martinez to slip away twice, especially since he can play shortstop, second base and centerfield.
But is keeping Martinez worth all the trouble? At age 28, Martinez has played in just a handful of games above Triple A. Hes played in 27 of 55 games for the Phillies in his first big league season, batting just .184 (9 for 49). The Phillies like having Martinez around because of his speed and versatility. Not only can he play a bunch of positions and give rest to Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco or Victorino, but also can be called on as a late-game pinch runner.
Considering that Ross Gload is essentially a designated pinch hitter because of his ailing hip, the Phillies need some versatility in the field.
But Mayberry offers some versatility, too. He can play all three outfield positions and has been a solid fill-in for Victorino in centerfield, displaying solid range and gazelle-like strides reminiscent of Garry Maddox.
Hes made some super catches. He gets a good read and he can run down balls, Manuel said.
Moreover, Mayberry has not missed a game since May 7, has started 12 games in a row as well as 16 of the Phillies last 17 games. More notably, when Manuel wanted to give Ryan Howard a day off in New York last weekend against lefty Jon Niese, Mayberry got the start at first base.
Still, the Phillies have successfully slipped Rule 5 players through in the past. Victorino was plunked from the Dodgers at the winter meetings in 2004. When it was clear that he would not make the big-league team out of spring training in 2005, the Phillies offered him back to the Dodgers and they passed. As a result, Victorino spent the season at Triple A, was named the International League MVP and cracked the Phillies lineup as an everyday player in 2006.
Perhaps if Gload wasnt strictly a pinch hitter things would be different?
Gloads hip andor the clubs desire to have 12 pitchers on the roster as opposed to 11 certainly dont help Mayberry. So too does the fact that Mayberry hasnt quite been knocking the cover off the ball, either. Despite Martinezs paltry average, Mayberry batted .194 (14 for 72) with two homers, three doubles and 17 strikeouts during May. In 22 games as a starter hes only slightly better at .228 (18 for 79).
In the meantime, Mayberry homered in Tuesdays defeat to the Nationals and likely will get another start in centerfield on Wednesday afternoon. However, Victorino is ready to return by Friday and then the Phillies will have a tough decision to make.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com