Shane Victorino Injury Gives John Mayberry Jr. Shot with Philadelphia Phillies?

As Shane Victorino hit the DL recently, Philadelphia Phillies fans have been left to wonder how the team will fill that new gap in center field.

Obviously, this is a more significant question than simply who will play in the field and take up a spot in the batting order.

Victorino has been incredibly productive this season, and according to FanGraphs, he is the ninth-most valuable position player in all of baseball in terms of wins above replacement.

He is hitting .303 and has been bounced around the batting order to fill different roles

He has nine home runs and 13 stolen bases, which is pretty good production. He isn't quite on a 20-20 pace, but these numbers still indicate that he is one of the more important players in the Phillies lineup.

In the field, he is the winner of three consecutive Gold Gloves and showcases his remarkable speed in that role as well.

So how will the Phillies replace him while he is injured?

It seems that the plan for right now is with John Mayberry Jr.

Actually, I'm not that upset by this replacement.

I am definitely not saying that Mayberry is as good as Victorino, but what I am saying is that he has been appearing to be a more capable replacement over these past few games.

Mayberry has been hitting the ball very hard lately, and on July 6, he sent out two home runs while driving in three runs.

Last night, he crushed a ball that was knocked down by the wind near the warning track.

In the field, while he may not be Victorino by any means, he has shown that he is a capable defender. Using his giant 6'6" frame, he covers quite a bit of ground and seems to be a pretty smart player.

Again, he may not be Victorino on the basepaths, either, but he can run very well and he is definitely not a liability.

While I will be as happy as anyone to see the Phillies' final All-Star (who won't play) return to the lineup when his time on the DL is done, I think that if Mayberry is able to continue hitting the ball hard and playing solid defense, he will have done what the Phillies expected of him.