| John Mayberry Jr. | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Mayberry in 2015 with the Mets | |||||||||||||||
| Outfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Born: December 21, 1983 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| May 23, 2009, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||||||||||||||
| Last MLB appearance | |||||||||||||||
| July 24, 2015, for the New York Mets | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .235 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 56 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 180 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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John Claiborn Mayberry Jr. (born December 21, 1983), is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets.
Mayberry played high school baseball in Kansas City, and USA Today named him a first-team 2002 All-USA player. In the 2002 Major League Baseball draft, the Seattle Mariners drafted him out of high school in the first round (28th overall). Mayberry chose not to sign, however, instead attending Stanford University, and also playing for the United States national baseball team at the World University Baseball Championship in 2004, winning a gold medal. After he played three years at Stanford, Mayberry was drafted again. The Texas Rangers selected him in the first round (19th overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft.
In 2005, Mayberry was rated by Baseball America as the Best Athlete and Best Outfield Arm among all Texas Rangers minor leaguers. In 2006 he was rated by Baseball America as the Best Power Hitter, Best Athlete, and Best Outfield Arm among all Texas Rangers minor leaguers, and was named a Hawaii Winter Baseball league post-season All Star. In 2007, Mayberry hit 30 home runs (tied for 11th among all minor leaguers), was named a California League mid-season All Star, and was named an Arizona Fall League Rising Star. On November 20, 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies traded for him. With the Phillies, Mayberry started in Triple-A, and was called up to the major league team in May. He hit a home run in his major league debut, but was sent back to the minors a few weeks later, and spent the majority of the 2009 and 2010 seasons there. Mayberry was named an MiLB.com 2010 Phillies Organization All Star. He returned to the major league squad in 2010 as a September callup, and remained there, with the exception of a short stint in Triple-A in 2011. In 2011, Mayberry played over 100 games, splitting time between outfield and first base, as well as pinch hitting. Statistically, 2011 was his best major league season. He remained with the big-league club in 2012, and played predominantly in left field early in the season, and subsequently as the team's everyday center fielder. In 2012 and 2013 Mayberry‘s batting average declined.
Mayberry was used predominantly as a starting outfielder, despite some suggesting he was better suited as a platoon player. He hit for power, but struck out frequently. Mayberry was a good athlete, with good speed, but seldom stole any bases. Defensively, he was adequate, and possessed a strong and accurate arm. Mayberry has a degree in political science from Stanford. His father, John Mayberry Sr., a first round draft pick, himself (1967, 6th overall), played in MLB for over a decade, hitting over 20 home runs in eight separate seasons, and was a two-time American League (AL) All Star.