In the early going, athletic Mayberry coming up big for Phillies

CLEARWATER, Fla. - At first glance, John Mayberry Jr. looks like an NBA small forward, tall and long with arms and legs that seem to stretch forever.

"He's like 7-foot-3," Ryan Howard said yesterday.

But while his size - Mayberry is actually listed at 6-6, regardless of the first baseman's hyperbole - might suggest prototypical power hitter, the athlete that Howard saw during an offseason training camp was one that broke the stereotypical slugger mold.

"He's just a pure athlete," said Howard, who shares an agent with Mayberry in Casey Close. "When we were doing our baserunning drills, we'd say, 'Mayberry's going to get to the bag in three steps.' His stride is so long that it does make it look like he's not moving as fast, but being a tall guy, you are going to have longer strides."

In short, the righthanded-hitting outfielder might not be the one-tool player casual observers envisioned when they heard that the Phillies had traded for a player who hit .263 with 16 home runs in 437 at-bats for the Rangers' Triple A club in Oklahoma last season.

"He has the total package," hitting coach Milt Thompson said. "Great arm, power, speed - and I think he's going to hit for average."

That last category is the one to which Mayberry is devoting most of his time.

Hitting is an art that is best explained kinesthetically, but in layman's terms, the Phillies have tried to get Mayberry to get out in front of the ball, striking it closer to the pitcher rather than deeper on the plate. They also have opened up his stance, making his feet more parallel than they once were.

Although it is too early to tell how seriously he will factor into the Phillies' plans for this season, Mayberry has proven to be a quick study. In the Phillies' 12-7 win over the Blue Jays yesterday that evened their spring record at 3-3, he hit an RBI double down the leftfield line off lefthander Brian Burres in the eighth inning. Earlier, he collected an RBI on a groundout, improving his spring total to a team-high five.

"He has a good approach," manager Charlie Manuel said. "This is a real good learning process for him. The kid's got a lot of tools. He has a chance to be a big hitter."

Mayberry, drafted 19th overall out of Stanford by the Rangers in 2005, has never lacked for potential. Former Phillies general manager Pat Gillick, now a senior adviser with the club, drafted him in the first round out of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City back in 2002 while the Mariners' GM. But the sides could never agree on a bonus figure, and Mayberry instead enrolled at Stanford. So when current Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had the opportunity to acquire Mayberry for prospect Greg Golson, Gillick nodded in approval.

"Mainly," Gillick said, "because we have a lack of power in the organization below the major leagues."

But Mayberry is a different player from his father, former big-league slugger - and first-round pick of the Astros when Gillick worked for Houston in 1967 - John Sr. And getting him to hit consistently will play a big role in his path to the majors.

"I'm not one of those guys who has always had the exact same batting stance," Mayberry said. "I think it's just a matter of practicing it so it becomes second nature and you don't have to think about it."

Outfielder Jayson Werth saw his first action of the spring in a "B'' game at the Carpenter Complex, going 0-for-2 with two strikeouts . . . Veterans Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton combined to throw seven scoreless innings in the "B'' game. Blanton has allowed one run in five innings this spring, allowing seven hits and no walks while striking out six. Moyer has pitched five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six . . . Ace lefthander Cole Hamels felt good after throwing a live batting practice Sunday and is scheduled to make his first appearance of the season tomorrow in an exhibition against Team Canada . . . Righthander Kyle Kendrick is scheduled to start Thursday against Team USA. Lefthander Antonio Bastardo and righthanders Clay Condrey and Ryan Madson also will see action against Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Co. . . . The Phillies have signed five players from a tryout held last week: righthanders Dustin Cameron and Jonathan Velasquez, lefthander Sean Thompson, catcher Brendan Akashian and infielder Corby Mintken. *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.