Are Mayberry and Ibanez in a pla… Oh, sorry Cholly.

"BFF, NMW? Yeah, totes."

Okay, so we aren’t allowed to say that word in the presence of the great Uncle Cholly, but we all know what is going on in left field these days. Instead of saying it, do you guys remember that Vietnam war movie starring William Dafoe, Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger? Yeah, so that is whats going on in left field, and now that we have established this, lets move on and analyze it. Raul Ibanez has returned from his groin injury, and Cholly can go back to being loyal and sticking with Raul…part of the time. It is evident that even sweet ole Uncle Cholly has looked at how good Johnny May has played as of late and that in this year of World Series aspirations, he may have to go with anyone who gives them the best chance to win. Charlie is a favorite of the players because of his undying loyalty no matter how much of a slump you are in. He has confidence that with time and hard work, you can get out of any problems, and players take solace in that fact. Sometimes it gets him in trouble with hasty, impatient fans in the area, but overall it is usually the right move because every player (no matter how good they are) goes through occasional slumps and will eventually snap out of it. Here in lies the contradiction though. Charlie is also a man who has claimed in the past that he likes when a player can hit his way into the lineup, and Mayberry may be doing just that. Mayberry has been on a tear as of late, and with limited playing time compared to some other Phillies he has too many XBH and a ton of homeruns. Couple that with his increasing BA and great defense, and we got ourselves a hoedown in left field. Cholly know is left with the unwelcomed task of choosing between three choices: Stay loyal with your vet, go with the kid who has hit his way into the lineup, or… you know… that word we can’t say that is also the Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Vietnam War movie. So let’s look at the three choices.

1.     Stick with the wiley ole’ Veteran:

Raul Ibanez has been one of the most consistently streaky hitters throughout his entire career. He is a good clubhouse leader and somebody who is always working hard to get out of any slump he is in. This year, his slumps have been by month with a either a .900 BA or a .100 BA pretty much which is evident by his .161 BA in April, his .315 in May, .211 in June, .284 in July, and .210 in August. If this continues, we can expect an amazing September and then maybe, a not so good October (which obviously won’t work down the stretch). He is an average fielder, but does well enough that he doesn’t hurt the team. Overall though, the veteran does an above average job in hitting and when it comes to the clutch, wouldn’t it be beneficial to have a guy with this much experience at the plate when he is needed most?

2.     Go with Johnny Blueberry

Okay, so we hope you like his new nickname. Again, its not very clever, but it might bring you a chuckle. Johnny has done nothing but great things since coming back from assignment on July 5th. In his short amount of playing time with the club, he has still managed 27 XBH which is made up of 14 doubles, a triple, and 12 HRs (9 of which have come in the past two months) Along with that, he has hit about .297 in those two months as well. Those are obviously numbers that show he is ready to break out in a big way onto this Phillies team, and it wouldn’t be an awful thing to add another true right-handed bat with power to the lineup. Mayberry is an above average outfielder too with great speed, range, and a strong arm in the outfield. Overall, he brings a lot to the table on a daily basis, but as opposed to Ibanez, can a kid with a small amount of playoff experience delivery in the clutch when the game is on the line?

3.     That which we do not speak of…

This is the third choice, which, even if it is not called that, is probably where Uncle Cholly will go anyway. It makes a lot of sense to get a great look at these two players and keep them both fresh until the playoffs by using them on and off based on if there is a right handed or left handed pitcher going that night. Then, as we get closer to the playoffs, start mixing in the hotter bat a little more frequently to see if that is going to be the best choice in October. Lets look at those numbers closely as well: Ibanez is hitting .257 vs. righties with 13 HRs and 20 doubles and a dismal .200 vs. lefties with 5 doubles and 4 HRs. On the other hand, Mayberry is hitting .288 versus lefties with 6 doubles and 6 HRs and a less potent .248 versus righties with 8 doubles and 6 HRs. As the numbers indicate, the team is better off with Mayberry hitting off of left-handed pitchers and Ibanez hitting off of right-handed pitchers.

BELIEVE IN UNCLE CHOLLY

This is not an easy decision for Charlie Manuel, but no matter what he decides, we will be behind the World Series winning manager and have faith that he will make the right decision for the club. He has done it before, and he’ll do it again. No matter what you think, believe in this team, believe in our manager, and believe in PLATOONS, because they do exist no matter what Charlie Manuel says. (Yeah, we said it.)