Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Reasons Why John Mayberry Jr. Should Start

John Mayberry has shown great potential in his limited AB's and now with the entire Phillies lineup struggling to get hits.

Mayberry should be able to hit and steal his way into being an everyday player. He continues to get big hits in big games, and he deserves to play every day.

Raul Ibanez and Ben Francisco have struggled more than any corner outfielder in all of baseball. It is clearly time for a change.

The answers are right under their noses.

Domonic Brown and John Mayberry are the future and it's time to see what they can bring to the table before making any trades.

5. Ben Francisco

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ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 10: Alex Gonzalez #2 of the Atlanta Braves tags out Ben Francisco #10 of the Philadelphia Phillies after he was caught stealing at Turner Field on April 10, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Phillies won 3-0. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Im

In 133 AB's Ben Francisco has three doubles and four home runs.

He is batting a pathetic .218 with a .346 slugging percentage and has struck out 23 times. John has three doubles and two home runs in 52 AB's. Mayberry is also batting .269 with a .442 slugging percentage.

Not only has Ben became an automatic out at the plate, he plays below average defense and has a bellow average arm, with two errors.

Another detriment to the Phillies is Francisco's lack of ability to steal bases. In 40 games, Ben has just two stolen bases and has been caught stealing three times.

Mayberry had four steals in five attempts, in about one-third the number of plate appearances.

4. Raul Ibanez

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PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 16: Raul Ibanez #29 of the Philadelphia Phillies is unable to make a catch of a ball hit by Pat Burrell #9 of the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning to score a run in Game One of the NLCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Citi

Raul Ibanez will be turning 39 in June and had one of the worst Aprils in the history of Major League Baseball.  

His numbers continue to decrease; after hitting 34 home runs and driving in 93 runs in 2009, Ibanez hit a measly 16 home runs with a mediocre 83 runs driven in in 2010. Ibanez is on pace to have even less production in 2011.

So far this year Ibanez is batting .223 with three home runs in 139 AB's. Yikes.

The Phillies need to develop young players, and since Ibanez will no longer be with the team after the 2011 season, it is time to get younger. Much, much younger.

In addition, Ibanez is slow and has a below average arm. Mayberry is 6'6'', twice as fast and has a much stronger arm.  

Begining to see a pattern?

3. Numbers Alone

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PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 27: Ryan Howard #6 of the Philadelphia Phillies high fives teammate John Mayberry #15 after scoring against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on April 27, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Phil

After an average of about 155 AB's for an everyday player, if you multiply all Mayberry's numbers by three this what his line would be if his stats stayed consistent at his current rate of play:

• 156 AB's
• 18 runs (fifth on Phillies, more than Ibanez and Francisco)
• 42 hits (fifth on Phillies, more than Ibanez and Francisco)
• Six home runs (Tied for second on Phillies, more than Ibanez and Francisco)
• Nine doubles (Tied with Ryan Howard for team lead)
• 21 RBI's (Tied for third on Phillies)
• 12 stolen bases (Team lead)

2. Phillies Need to Get Younger

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PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Right fielder Domonic Brown #9 of the Philadelphia Phillies bats during a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on September 25, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Mets won 5-2. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Gett

After this season, Ibanez will be 39 and Francisco will turn 30 in October. A combined 69 years.

Dominic Brown is only 23 and Mayberry only 27. If Brown continues to stay healthy and Mayberry continues to hit, the Phillies can shed almost 15 years off their corner outfielders.

1. Optimizing Potential

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 01: John Mayberry Jr. #14 of the Philadelphia Phillies smiles after getting hit with a cream pie after driving in the game winning run to defeat the Houston Astros 5-4 on opening day at Citizens Bank Park on April 1, 2011 in Phil

John Mayberry is 6'6'' with power, speed and a great arm.  He has the potential to be a 20 SB/20 HR guy, and actually I think he could steal 30 bags.

He is similar to Jayson Werth in almost every aspect of the game. Your time in now Mr. Mayberry, take what is yours.

Make all of us in Philadelphia proud.