Week 15: John Mayberry, Jr. and Wes Chamberlain

Surely, Saturday was the death of all hope for the 2012 season.  The lineup was complete with both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard batting in their familiar third and fourth spots.  Both players homered, contributing to the team's five run output.

That should have been enough to win.  After all, Cole Hamels was on the mound, and he has been the team's best pitcher all season.  But Hamels faltered.  He gave up three home runs, including one to the opposing pitcher.

With the game tied in the ninth, closer Jonathan Papelbon - another player the team has largely been able to depend on this season - was brought into the game.  He pitched one successful inning, but when forced to go back out in the tenth, he too faltered.

When even Hamels and Papelbon fail, what chance does the team truly have?

On the bright side, the team did rebound on Sunday, thanks in part to a very surprising source.

Featured Phillie of the Week: John Mayberry, Jr.

John Mayberry's two homers on Sunday were very surprising, mostly due to how horrible Mayberry has been for most of the season.

The team was hoping Mayberry could adequately replace Raul Ibanez in left field.  At the very least, he was expected to provide some right handed power as part of a platoon to help compensate for the absence of Howard.

Based on last year, this was not an unrealistic expectation.  After a demotion to the minors, Mayberry had a strong second half.  He hit 12 home runs, and looked like he had finally put it all together after a inconsistent start to his career.

Instead, Mayberry showed that inconsistency might be the best the team can ever expect to get.  He disappointed the team with a .237 batting average, six home runs, and 23 home runs.  In addition, he managed to walk only 11 times against 67 strikeouts. 

Instead of helping to compensate for the loss of the team's power hitting stars, Mayberry turned out to be another disappointment in a season full of them.

Ghost of Phillies Past: Wes Chamberlain

Wes Chamberlain was another young outfielder who the Phillies had high hopes for.  The Phillies received him in a trade from the Pirates, and in 1991 he showed great flashes of potential.  He hit 13 home runs, and the Phillies were counting on big things from him in 1992.

Much like the entire team, Chamberlain disappointed during the 1992 season.  Instead of developing into a star, he struggled so much that he was demoted to the minors in the middle of the season.  The team was hoping he could become a power threat, but he only hit nine homers that year.

Chamberlain did rebound somewhat in 1993.  He was the right handed component of a successful right field platoon with Jim Eisenreich.  But he never lived up to the future star billing that was once placed on him.

Pennant Year Song of the Week

Saturday's loss pretty much eliminated any hope anyone could have for the 2012 Phillies making the playoffs.  In addition, it might have been Cole Hamels' last appearance as a Phillie.

For Phillies fans, this song sums up how we're feeling:  Hurt So Bad by Linda Ronstadt

Phillies Related Tweet of the Week

From Todd Zolecki @Toddzolecki:

Today was the Phillies' first win at home since June 26 vs. PIT. Snapped a 7-game losing streak.

Yes, the Phillies have been truly awful at home this season.  Is there a reason why they can't seem to win at home?

Final Analysis

Much like Chamberlain, John Mayberry looks like he is never going to develop into a true star.  His best case scenario is for his to become a valuable bench player who can provide some right handed pop.