Mayberry for Golson

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 20, 2008 6:21 PM EST Comment 27 comments

The Rangers just traded John Mayberry Jr. to the Philles for Greg Golson:

The Rangers traded John Mayberry Jr. to Philadelphia for outfielder Greg Golson. It's a swap of first-round picks. Mayberry was drafted in the first round in 2005 and Golson in 2004. Golson was added to the 40-man roster.

Thoughts on the trade?

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Rangers

Golston is younger, better performance, and better tools.

by cwhitman412 on Nov 20, 2008 6:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

interesting

I’m still a closet Mayberry fan… he has a bat much like the Philly team… big-time power… very interesting to see if he can refine it and find a home there

by daveh33 on Nov 20, 2008 6:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i love this trade

at the best, mayberry becomes a TTO LFer for the next 6 years.
at the worst, he’s a 5th OFer with some power for the next three years caddying for burrell as a better overall player than so taguchi.

either way, he’s better than any alternatives at LF, and should be a reasonable platoon partner for geoff jenkins or matt stairs.

golson is a toolshed, but he’s still really raw skill wise, and since his instincts in the outfield are kinda bad, and he’s not a terribly good hitter, he would have topped out as a 5th OFer/pinch runner. this deal should allow him to continue refining his tools, and he should be able to break in at a better pace.

When they should be sacrifice bunting, they are buying effeminate designer jeans. When they should be fouling off pitches, they are masturbating. Always, they are masturbating.

by variablesdont on Nov 20, 2008 6:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

also of note:

i believe mayberry played at stanford at the same time as phillies LF prospect michael taylor.

it’s kinda interesting that both of these players, along with another former stanford OFer, carlos quentin, have shown tremendous power as professionals. i thought that the stanford cardinals were known for their preaching of a proprietary batting stance that limits power potential and enhances contact skills.

if that’s the case, it’d be interesting for these three players to break out in the way they have as professionals.

When they should be sacrifice bunting, they are buying effeminate designer jeans. When they should be fouling off pitches, they are masturbating. Always, they are masturbating.

by variablesdont on Nov 20, 2008 6:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Really? I think of Stanford players as fairly stereotypical slugger-types

Other guys from that era: Ryan Garko, Danny Putnam, Jed Lowrie

Last year’s CWS team was led by Jason Castro and Sean Ratliff. Ratliff has big power but some of his swings couldn’t make contact with a beach ball.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Nov 20, 2008 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Jed Lowrie

Slugger at large?

by GuyinNY on Nov 20, 2008 7:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

For a shortstop? Yes...

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Nov 20, 2008 7:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

look at what you said, we all think of garko as a slugger type, so why doesn’t he SLUG? he has the tools, but none of those guys hit to their power potential, they are perfect cases of how the “Stanford” swing has become an MLB cuss word

by IHateMitchMustain on Nov 20, 2008 7:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

but that's the thing

mayberry, quentin, and taylor all appear to have overcome that to hit for tremendous power. i know taylor had a big dustup at stanford because he didn’t want to change his swing, but the other two have shown massive power in MLB and the upper minors, and taylor himself broke out in a pretty big way, though only in low A.

did they change their swing mechanics as professionals, did they not adopt the stanford swing in college, or are they still using it, but just progressing naturally as they get older?

When they should be sacrifice bunting, they are buying effeminate designer jeans. When they should be fouling off pitches, they are masturbating. Always, they are masturbating.

by variablesdont on Nov 20, 2008 7:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

tremendous power?

when has mayberry ever hit for “tremendous power”?

by Wheelhouse on Nov 20, 2008 9:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Has had an ISO of at least .200 in every year of full season ball

He has also hit 20+ HRs every year since his first full season also. His K% has even dropped below 20% for the first time in his career this year at AAA.

by tdot mariner fan on Nov 20, 2008 10:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

To the extent that Garko does anything as a hitter, it's slug

He doesn’t hit for average or run the bases well…

I’m just saying, Stanford’s teams of recent vintage have not been comprised of slappy singles hitters. Their super-regional matchup this year against Fullerton was like an old-school homers/walks/OBP vs. BA/speed/defense duel… and Stanford was playing the quote-Moneyball-unquote side of that equation.

It makes sense— they can’t recruit a team full of top tier athletes, because of the severe academic restrictions on who they can sign. You see it with the basketball and football teams too— they tend to emphasize development and size rather than athleticism.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Nov 21, 2008 12:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

TTO without the walks, maybe

looks like a lefty masher to me. which is fine.

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on Nov 20, 2008 7:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Amaro's first...

move as GM and it was a pretty dumb one. I guess it makes sense if you think Mayberry could play left field for them next year His bat would not look too bad at that tiny Citizens Bank park.

by joegonzo on Nov 20, 2008 8:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

a poster on another board summed up golson quite adequately:

“he’s a homeless man’s corey patterson”

golson is still a toolshed, so he could very well make good and hit .300 with 15-20 HRs, but right now, he looks like someone whose plate discipline will absolutely not hold up at a higher level leading him to hit .240 with no walks and 150 Ks. his defense is pretty horrid in spite of his speed, his route running needs a lot of work, and he needs to better be able to catch the ball once he gets to it. to compare him to another phillie OFer, his arm is nowhere near as good as michael bourn’s, nor is it as good as shane victorino’s.

When they should be sacrifice bunting, they are buying effeminate designer jeans. When they should be fouling off pitches, they are masturbating. Always, they are masturbating.

by variablesdont on Nov 20, 2008 8:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So...

he looks like someone whose plate discipline will absolutely not hold up at a higher level leading him to hit .240 with no walks and 150 Ks.

Doesn’t this sum up Jeff Francoeur?

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by Andy Seiler on Nov 20, 2008 8:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Golson makes Francoeur . . .

look like Jason Kendall.

Literally tools out of his mind, but he still has a long ways to go if he is going to become a big league player.

2005 Walks 26, K’s 106 (A) – 375 at bats
2006 Walks 30, K’s 160 (A/A+) – 546 at bats
2007 Walks 23, K’s 173 (A+/AA) – 571 at bats
2008 Walks 34, K’s 130 (AA) – 426 at bats

From what I’ve seen granted it’s not a ton, but 5 or 6 games in AA and his few at bats with the Phils this year he has no pitch recognition and can’t lay off any breaking stuff out of the zone.

He has a long ways to go, but if it ever clicks for him he has a chance to be a super star.

by Southwest on Nov 21, 2008 1:25 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree

Golson’s tools are off the charts. If his hitting improves he could be a great outfielder at the MLB level for a long time; his defense is MLB ready right now.

I saw him play 10-20 times between 07-08. I noticed a big change in his approach at the plate from 07 to 08. At times during the 08 season he still had problems with breaking stuff but he looked much more comfortable then in 07.

by Senatorsfansunite on Nov 21, 2008 9:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Or...

JP Arencibia?

by DrunkIrish on Nov 21, 2008 5:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mayberry

He doesn’t really adjust too well. He’ll see early success at a level and then fade as pitchers figure out his holes. There’s a lot of work left there.

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by Andy Seiler on Nov 20, 2008 8:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Id be

really suprised if JMJ ever held down consistent playing time in the ML. I really just see it as two semi-bust 1st round picks being dealt. I dont mind it as a Ranger fan b/c at least we got the younger guy who at least has some room and time to grow. JMJ is already at 25 and facing at least 4

by blalock84 on Nov 20, 2008 9:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Nice trade for both sides

Neither guy has been amazing, but both have made solid progress. The Rangers have enough OF depth to leave Golson stay in the minors for the next couple of years and refine his skills. The Phillies will probably love Mayberry – his big power will play up in their park and he should ready to contribute next year in at least a platoon role.

I think Golson remains very intriguing. For a guy who was so raw coming out of high school, he’s done pretty well for himself thus far.

by mrkupe on Nov 20, 2008 9:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

This is a balanced trade. The Phillies, with the departure of Pat Burrell, get a power prospect ready for the big leagues. The Rangers alliviate a logjam of outfielders, and have a year to see what they really have in Brandon Boggs. What is really encouraging about the trade is both players are prototypes of their original organizations. It’s a good sign for both teams to be able to deal from the strength of their respective farm systems.

by StickRat on Nov 21, 2008 12:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs