John Mayberry Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Mayberry Jr. |
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Mayberry in 2015 with the Mets
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| Outfielder | ||||||||||||||
| Born: December 21, 1983 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
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| debut | ||||||||||||||
| May 23, 2009, for the Philadelphia Phillies | ||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | ||||||||||||||
| July 24, 2015, for the New York Mets | ||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .235 | |||||||||||||
| Home runs | 56 | |||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 180 | |||||||||||||
| Teams | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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John Claiborn Mayberry Jr. (born December 21, 1983) is a former professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). His teams included the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets.
Mayberry played high school baseball in Kansas City. USA Today named him a top player in 2002. The Seattle Mariners drafted him in 2002, but he chose to go to Stanford University instead. He also played for the United States national baseball team in 2004. With Team USA, he won a gold medal at the World University Baseball Championship. After three years at Stanford, the Texas Rangers drafted him again in 2005.
Baseball America magazine recognized Mayberry as a top athlete. They also noted his strong outfield arm among Texas Rangers minor league players in 2005. In 2006, he was named the best power hitter and athlete in the Rangers' minor league system. He was also an All-Star in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. In 2007, Mayberry hit 30 home runs. He was named an All-Star in the California League and a Rising Star in the Arizona Fall League.
The Philadelphia Phillies traded for Mayberry in 2008. He started in Triple-A, a high level of minor league baseball. He was called up to the major league team in May 2009. Mayberry hit a home run in his very first MLB game. However, he spent most of 2009 and 2010 in the minor leagues. He was named a Phillies Organization All-Star in 2010. He returned to the Phillies in 2010 and stayed with the team, except for a short time in Triple-A in 2011.
In 2011, Mayberry played over 100 games. He played in the outfield and at first base. He also came in as a pinch hitter. This was his best season in the major leagues. He continued with the Phillies in 2012, playing mostly in left field and then center field. His batting average went down in 2012 and 2013.
Mayberry was often a starting outfielder. He was known for hitting with power, but he also struck out a lot. He was a good athlete with speed, but he did not steal many bases. He was a decent defensive player with a strong and accurate arm. Mayberry earned a degree in political science from Stanford. His father, John Mayberry Sr., also played in MLB for over ten years. His dad hit more than 20 home runs in eight different seasons. He was also a two-time American League All-Star.
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Early Life and High School Baseball
Mayberry was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His parents are John Sr. and Janice Mayberry. His father, John Sr., was a two-time All-Star first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for 15 seasons. His father played for teams like the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals.
John Jr. went to Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. He graduated in 2002. In 2001, he was named First Team All-State. He hit .480 with eight home runs that year. USA Today named him a first-team All-USA player in 2002. He was also named the Missouri Gatorade High School Baseball Player of the Year. He played basketball too, averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds in his senior year.
The Seattle Mariners drafted Mayberry in the first round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft. He was the 28th player chosen overall. However, he decided not to sign with them. Instead, he chose to attend Stanford University. He was the highest-drafted player in 2002 who went to a four-year college.
College Baseball Career
Mayberry played baseball for three years at Stanford University. He was a key player in Stanford's batting lineup. As a freshman in 2003, he had a 16-game hitting streak. He batted .299 and hit four home runs. He also had 33 runs batted in (RBIs). Collegiate Baseball named him a Freshman All-American. Baseball America called him the best college athlete among top prospects.
In 2004, as a sophomore, he batted .333. He hit 16 home runs and had 62 RBIs. He also stole 9 bases. He was named a first-team All-Pac-10 player. That year, he played with Team USA in Taiwan. They won a gold medal at the FISU World University Baseball Championship.
Mayberry's junior year was his last at Stanford. He had 22 games where he got multiple hits. His batting average was .303, and he had 63 RBIs. He made only 2 errors in 501 chances, showing great defense. After his junior season, the Texas Rangers drafted him. He was the 19th player chosen in the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. He later graduated from Stanford in 2006 with a degree in political science.
Professional Baseball Journey
Minor League Development
After being drafted, Mayberry signed with the Rangers for $1.525 million. He started with the Spokane Indians in 2005. There, he changed from playing first base to playing in the outfield. In 2005, he hit 11 home runs and had a .253 batting average. Baseball America called him the best athlete among all Texas Rangers minor league players.
In 2006, Mayberry moved up to the A-level Clinton LumberKings. He was named Midwest League Player of the Week in August. He batted .268 and hit 21 home runs. He also had 77 RBIs and stole nine bases. Baseball America again rated him as the best power hitter and athlete. He also played in the Hawaii Winter Baseball league. There, he batted .318 and was named an All-Star.
In 2007, he played for the Bakersfield Blaze and Frisco RoughRiders. He hit 30 home runs between these two teams. He also drove in 83 runs and stole 16 bases. He was named a California League mid-season All-Star. Baseball America ranked him as the fifth-best prospect in the Rangers' system. He also played in the Arizona Fall League and was named a Rising Star.
Mayberry continued to show promise in 2008. He hit 20 home runs for Frisco and the Oklahoma RedHawks. On November 20, 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies traded for him. The Phillies' general manager, Rubén Amaro, Jr., called it a "speed for power swap."
He started the 2009 season with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He hit 8 home runs and had 25 RBIs with a .277 batting average. The Phillies called him up to the major leagues on May 22. In 2009-10, he played in the Mexican Pacific Winter League.
In 2010, he was back with the IronPigs. He batted .267 with 15 home runs and stole a career-high 20 bases. He was named International League Player of the Week. He was also named an MiLB.com Phillies Organization All-Star.
Time with the Philadelphia Phillies
2009 Season
The Phillies called Mayberry up to the major leagues on May 22, 2009. The next day, in his first MLB game, he got his first hit. It was a three-run home run off Andy Pettitte of the New York Yankees. After a short time back in the minor leagues, he returned to the Phillies. He hit another home run in his return, this time off Dirk Hayhurst.
2010 Season
Mayberry played only 11 games with the Phillies in 2010. He batted .333 with two home runs. He spent most of the season (128 games) at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He hit .267 with 15 home runs there. He was called up in September and hoped to make the Phillies' postseason team. However, he was sent to the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League instead. He left after one game due to a leg injury.
2011 Season
Mayberry made the Phillies' opening day roster for the first time in 2011. He got the game-winning RBI with a pinch-hit single in the first game. He was sent back to the minors in June but returned later. He did not have a set role on the team. He often came in as a pinch hitter. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel seemed to trust Mayberry. Manuel compared him to former Phillie Jayson Werth. Mayberry finished the season batting .273 with 15 home runs in 104 games. He made his postseason debut in the 2011 National League Division Series.
2012 Season
After a good 2011 season, Mayberry's performance dropped in 2012. His batting average fell to .245. He hit 14 home runs and had 46 RBIs. He started the season sharing time in left field with Juan Pierre. Mayberry struggled early in the season. Pierre played so well that he became the everyday starter. Mayberry was on the bench until July. Then, the Phillies traded Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence. This meant Mayberry played more, mostly in center field. He played well in August but struggled in September.
2013 Season
Mayberry looked to improve in 2013. He was seen as a good bench player who could start sometimes. He was the Phillies' opening day right fielder. This was because Delmon Young, who was supposed to start, was injured. On June 4, 2013, Mayberry hit a walk-off grand slam in the 11th inning. This won the game against the Miami Marlins. In the inning before, he hit a solo home run to tie the game. He was the first player in MLB history to hit two extra-inning home runs, with the second being a grand slam. It was the first walk-off grand slam at Citizens Bank Park. He played in 134 games, batting .227 with 11 home runs. The Phillies kept him for the next season.
2014 Season
Before the 2014 season, the Phillies signed Mayberry for $1.5875 million. He was a member of the Phillies bench. He did well early in the season, especially as a pinch hitter. By June 13, he was hitting well with three home runs. He also started some games at first base. This success made some people think he could be traded. However, others believed his success was because he was used in the right role.
Toronto Blue Jays
On August 31, 2014, Mayberry was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He made his debut for Toronto on September 4. He played in 15 games for the Blue Jays in 2014. He batted .208 with 1 home run. On December 2, the Blue Jays did not offer him a new contract, making him a free agent.
New York Mets
On December 11, 2014, Mayberry signed a one-year contract with the New York Mets. He had a great spring training, batting .415. However, he struggled during the regular season. He batted .164 over 119 times at bat. He was released by the Mets on July 30, 2015.
Chicago White Sox
On August 7, 2015, Mayberry signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox. He was released by the White Sox on August 26.
Detroit Tigers
On January 13, 2016, the Detroit Tigers signed Mayberry to a minor-league contract. He was invited to spring training. He was released by the Tigers on April 1.
Player Skills
Offensive Play
The Phillies first got Mayberry for his power hitting. He hit many home runs in the minor leagues. However, his plate discipline was not always strong. He struck out in over 20% of his times at bat. Mayberry was considered a good athlete with speed. He stole many bases in the minor leagues, but only 14 in the major leagues. From 2011 to 2013, Mayberry hit much better against left-handed pitchers.
Defensive Play
Mayberry's defense was often described as "adequate." He played a lot of time at all three outfield positions. Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel preferred him as a corner outfielder. However, when the Phillies traded Shane Victorino, Mayberry became the main center fielder in 2012. In 2013, he played in right field, center field, left field, and first base. He had a strong and accurate throwing arm from the outfield.
Personal Life
Mayberry finished his degree in political science from Stanford in 2006. His father, John Mayberry, Sr., played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball. His dad played mostly for the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays.
See also
- List of second-generation Major League Baseball players
