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Last week PhoulBallz updated you on some final numbers from the land of the Arizona Fall League. There's another offseason hot spot for baseball and it's known as the Mexican Pacific League. Phillies minor leaguers John Mayberry Jr., BJ Rosenberg, Michael Taylor and Neil Sellers are playing there for the Yaquis de Obregon. Right now, the Yaquis are 20-18, in 4th place. Sebastian Valle is also playing in the league. In 32 games in the Mexican "Winter" League, Mayberry Jr. is batting .314 with 7 homers, 23 RBI and a .910 OPS. Against lefties, Mayberry Jr. is batting .500 (14-for-28) with a 1.319 OPS. Mayberry Jr., a former first round draft pick of the Rangers, batted .211 with 4 homers in 39 Major League games with the Phillies this season. Sellers, who played third base for double A Reading this year, batted .371 with 3 homeruns, 18 RBI and a .953 OPS in 23 games with Obregon. Taylor, the Phillies' 3rd best prospect (as ranked by Baseball America), batted .308 wit...

Dave Bancroft, a Hall of Famer, played shortstop for the Phillies from 1915-1920. Veteran Phils shortstop Mickey Doolan had left to play in the Federal League in 1914, and the team was without a suitable replacement, so they summoned Bancroft from Portland of the Pacific Coast League. Critics asserted that he wouldn't be able to handle big league pitching, but Phillies manager Pat Moran felt, foremost, that he needed a solid defender. Not a big offensive threat, Bancroft's best season at the plate for the Phillies came in 1917, when he hit .243 with 4 homers and 43 RBI. Bancroft had great range and soft hands, however, which was just what Moran wanted. Bancroft led all National League shortstops in total chances for 3 straight seasons. In 1919, after four good seasons anchoring the middle of the Phillies infield, Bancroft was sent a contract to sign, calling for a pay decrease. This did not sit well, and he instead asked for a trade to another team. He got that wish a year late...

I got a lot of baseball books for holiday gifts and as I read through them, I find many remarkable stories. These have inspired me to share and teach some Phillies history. Who has heard of Eppa Rixey? I hadn't either. Eppa Rixey was a Phillies pitcher during the 19-teens into the 19-twenties. In 1916, Rixey had a break-out season, when he won 22 games for our Phillies and had an ERA of 1.85. The tables turned the following season. In 1917, Eppa Rixey's record was 16-21. His high loss total was mainly due to a lack of run support. There was one stretch when Rixey lost 5 straight starts, while the Phillies offense could only amass 3 total runs in those 5 games. Rixey even threw 4 shutouts that season. The tales of this solid pitcher not being able to shine continued. Rixey served in the military in 1918, and saw action in World War 1. He returned in mid-1919 to put up a 6-12 record. But in 1920, Eppa led the National League with 22 losses, despite completing 25 of his 33 starts!...