Jayson’s Final Days
Posted by Corey Seidman, Tue, August 24, 2010 02:43 PM | Comments: 47
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When Jayson Werth signed with the Phillies in December of 2006, I remember telling my brother, Eric, that this was a winning move. I did not yet know Werth in the intimate way a 162-game watcher gets to know his city’s players, but I knew of his tools, potential, and plate discipline.
The first memory I conjured up when hearing of Werth’s signing was of Scott Graham, the play-by-play announcer at my former employer, the now defunct CN8. Somewhere around 2003-04, when I was doing graphics for Minor League Baseball on CN8, Graham (also a former Phillies broadcaster) used Werth’s name as a basis of comparison for a Double-A player. The quote went something like, “Player X reminds me a lot of Jayson Werth, who seemingly always found himself in a 3-2 count at this level.”
That was what I knew about Werth: tools, potential, plate discipline. And, well, injuries. There was the well-documented wrist surgery he suffered after being hit by an A.J. Burnett pitch in Spring Training 2005, which cut down his playing time but more importantly, vastly decreased his effectiveness at the plate.
Pat Gillick took a flyer on Werth in December of ’06 because Gillick had drafted him 22nd overall in 1997, and, simply put, Gillick never gives up on guys he has a feeling about. At every stop – Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle, Philadelphia – Gillick put his stamp on his team by infusing it with players he knew. And he knew Werth, he knew what Werth was capable of.
First Impressions
The moment Werth set foot on the grass of Citizens Bank Park, I knew he would be a major part of the Phillies for years to come. I remember thinking, “you just don’t see guys like him often…guys with that body type, with those athletic gifts, with that kind of patience.”
A fondness for Werth developed. It was the kind that develops when you first hear of an obscure musician that few others know about. We’ve all had one of those – where we feel like it’s “our” band, “our” artist. We take pride in supporting them, and when they turn out to be the real deal, we feel accomplished, even though we had pretty much nothing to do with it.
Splits
The next several seasons saw Werth go from platoon outfielder to everyday player. At first, he demolished lefties but bailed out against every righthanded pitcher. Then, in ’09, his splits began normalizing. Finally, by 2010, he was pretty much even against both types of pitcher, with better numbers (in a small sample) actually coming against righties.
Coming of Age
We’ve watched J-Dub evolve as a player, so it hurt when reality set in during the 2009 season (and more so in 2010) that keeping him around long-term was far-fetched.
It hurt when he began the 2010 season by reaching base safely in 26 consecutive games, or when he sat at .359/.420/.689 in mid-May.
It hurt less when he went 3-for-41 with 19 strikeouts in the worst stretch of the Phillies season (think Citi Field, round one).
He’s a streaky player. We should expect his numbers to soar during some two-week periods and plummet during others.
- From May 23-to-June 10, his average dropped from .327 to .274 and his OPS fell 120 points.
- And then from July 22-to-August 12 his average rose from .279 to .304 and his OPS gained 57 points.
Vitriol
Every honeymoon ends. Werth is currently in the midst of his best professional season, but you wouldn’t know it from reading most of the words written about him in 2010. Sure, out-of-city writers recognize his value, as do mostly all logical analytical minds in Philadelphia.
But there is some kind of over-arching factor that is preventing us from feeling the same level of fondness we once did for Werth. If I’m not speaking on behalf of you, I guess I’m speaking on behalf of myself.
Big Spots
Maybe it’s the poor performance in pressure-packed situations.
Werth is 6-for-56 with runners in scoring position and two outs (this includes a 1-for-35 stretch that recently ended), and he’s walked a bit, but not hit at all in both late & close situations (.219/.351/.328, 22 Ks in 64 ABs) and during high leverage at-bats (.218/.369/.386).
This is not to say “Jayson Werth isn’t clutch.” In past years, he has performed well in such situations. But this year, he hasn’t. And when you don’t perform in big spots enough times, the tide of admiration begins to turn.
Lack of Focus
It could also be Werth’s perceived laziness or lack of focus. This was never more evident than Monday night, when he put his head down and didn’t notice as Astros catcher Humberto Quintero threw behind him to pick him off at second following an intentional walk. Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen that before.
If you want to go back a bit further, there was the ridiculous second base pickoff that took place during the Gaby Sanchez Foul Ball Game. Werth was on 2nd with one out, with Marlins closer Leo Nunez on the ropes after giving up two runs to tie the game. He was picked off and looked about as foolish as one possibly can on the basepaths.
When you think about these important baserunning blunders and all of the strikeouts in key spots, it is possible to draw two conclusions: he either doesn’t care, or he’s trying TOO hard.
Smugness
Then comes Werth’s personality, another key factor to his reputational demise in Philadelphia. He carries this aura of superiority and aloofness that reached the point of no return in an interview with Sports Illustrated that made him look like a prima donna and a prick.
The interview – one of the featured articles in last week’s SI – was a rare opportunity for a non-superstar to humanize himself and make an impression on an enormous amount of readers.
Either Werth’s publicist is non-existent or he lacks common sense, because his series of ground rules and refusals made him out to be an extremely unlikable person. It was reminiscent of this season’s Mad Men episode in which Don Draper pissed on the opportunity to give himself and his agency good publicity by cooperating or giving actual answers to a newspaper reporter.
Werth refused to answer any questions about his personal life – which is understandable – but it doesn’t end there.
On top of not commenting on his stepfather (baseball player), mother (track star, softball player), uncle (baseball player), grandfather (baseball player), great grandfather (baseball player), and biological father (college wide receiver), Werth denied his interviewer the opportunity to speak with them directly.
It wasn’t as if author Franz Lidz wanted to speak with these people for the sake of gossip, he was just looking for a story about the Schofields and Werths. Lidz wanted to paint a picture of an unbelievably physically gifted family. He wanted quotes about Jayson, quotes about influences, quotes about an amazing family tree.
But Werth gave him nothing, and appeared delighted to do so. Here’s a snippet:
[Werth] agreed to an interview only if no questions involved his wife, his two kids or any aspect of his private life. The rest of his relatives are off limits too. Asked—gingerly—if he would pass along the number of his mother, the former track star Kim Schofield Werth, he snaps, “My mom is unavailable. She just got her phone number unlisted and moved from Illinois to the Ozarks.” Ditto his stepfather, the former big leaguer Dennis Werth: “I’ve got his number in my cell, but I’m not giving it out.”
How come?
“I don’t see why he has to share his thoughts about me with the rest of the world.”
There are a few other examples where Werth answers as if he’s being interrogated, but I’ll let you read the article for yourself if you want to see.
When I first read the interview, I tweeted that it deservedly portrayed Werth in a negative light. A few hours later, I was glad to see I wasn’t on my own. Among many other anonymous tweeters, here were the two best from local writers:
J.R. Finger: “Read the SI story on Werth this afternoon… I don’t know, he kind of comes off as a jerk.”
Les Bowen: “I’m thinking Jayson didn’t want that Sports Illustrated guy talking to his mom because she might admit she dropped him on his head a few times.”
His Last Hurrah
Werth’s gone after this year. Like it or not, he’ll get himself a five-year deal worth at least $90 million. He’s one of the only impact bats on the free agent market, he’ll be coming off of his best year, and general managers seeking to create a “winning culture” will drive up the market by lauding his postseason experience.
Even if the Phillies had enough money to re-sign him, one wonders whether giving a 36-year-old Werth $18M in 2015 is worth stunting the development of Dom Brown, especially when there is no guarantee the Phillies will be an elite team four or five years from now.
It’s been an incredibly strange journey with Jayson Werth. He went from player with unrealized potential-to-platoon outfielder-to-underrated everyday player-to-star-to-scapegoat.
Whether or not the criticism was deserved, Werth’s personality sure didn’t help.
Posts: 0 Manny
Wow. Just read that SI article –thanks for the link. He just lost some “cool points” on my book (not that he would care about it, clearly!).
Or maybe he just has a dry sense of humor… per Charlie Manuel: “Jayson and Clint [Eastwood] are both intense and have dry senses of humor.”
BUT I still want him in red pinstripes if he accepts reasonable deal (for both him and the club). He’s said how much he wants to stay in Philly and how he envisions staying with the Phillies throughout his career. Oh, and he’s a superb baseball player who just happens to balance our lineup considerably.
He just seems somewhat introspective and hesitant to share his opinion with the world. Which is totally fine with me… especially when you compare it to the the polar opposite: those who share their opinions a little tooooo much and end up being US Senators (ie. Jim Bunning, the unemployment-benefits denier).
Posted: 03:13 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 sportsphan
Werth lost me in May or so when he said that he had been playing for this season for his entire career. Obviously, even though he’s hitting again, his head isn’t totally in the present moment–he’s wandering off second base, dreaming about his imminent riches.
Posted: 03:16 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Lefty
Good piece Corey, thanks for the link to the SI article. I also like your brother’s postings.
Despite his shortcomings, there will always be a part of me that is glad Jayson Werth was (is-but apparently not for long) a player for the Phillies and helped the team to a World Championship.
Posted: 03:20 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Jayson’s Final Days « Acrylic Sports
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Posted: 03:21 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Barb
I’ve read the article. In fact, I ran out to purchase this copy of SI because I very much wanted to read it. I agree that he comes off as a jerk. As a matter of fact, there have been instances of his cockiness and aloffness throughout this whole season. I’m going to say this though. He’s very much misunderstood. Why? I think he values his privacy so much that one can not get to really know the true person that he is. All that you have to do though is look deeply into his mannerisms and attitude at the plate as well as on the field. You can not overlook the comittment that he possesses to the game and to his team. Who knows what’s going on in his private world? We’ll never know because he’ll never tell. Don’t dare think you could figure out what he’s thinking and feeling because he’s unreadable yet watch him celebrate another team member’s good hit or play. He’s usually the first to show his appreciation. Watch as he affectionately touches the back of other team member heads at the end of win. He’s thrilled to be part of this team and his affection shows. I was a little turned off by that article but when I really thought about it and pondered it I think it was telling and helped me to understand him a little bit better where he was coming from. It helped me accept the person that he is and respect his wishes for privacy. He has that right. I will always remain a fan of his and appreciate the unorthodox player that he is. He does it his way!
Posted: 03:22 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Barb
I agree with what Manny said 200%. Well said, Manny!
Posted: 03:27 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 ray
On what planet is jayson werth getting 90 million dollars?
Posted: 03:27 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 The Second John
I don’t care what kind of person he is, or if he’s thinking about next season or not, as long as he’s hitting well. To me, the door is all but shut on Werth coming back. I think that with the Ryan Howard deal, and Oswalt staying for more than one season, I don’t think that they have enough money to resign Werth.
Posted: 03:28 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 305 Corey Seidman
On the planet we live on, Ray. $90M over 5 years is $18M per year. Jason Bay’s AAS is $16.5M, and Werth will CERTAINLY exceed that.
He wants Matt Holliday money, which he won’t get…but he’ll certainly get $18M/yr for 5 years.
Posted: 03:32 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 ray
We’ll see about that
Posted: 03:35 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Wait….So the fact that Werth doesn’t want the interviewer to bring his family into the discussion….he’s now a “jerk”????
Sorry, but I defend Jayson on that one.
Posted: 03:36 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Don M
No chance that Werth gets at $18 M a year contract… none.
He’s not as good a hitter as Matt Holliday.. and has proven that he’s very streaky. He has ONE season of being a legit power hitter (lots of doubles are nice this year, but teams pay for HRs, not doubles)
I think he’ll get $17 M, only to surpass Jason Bay’s contract.. but I think its a 4-year deal, max..
4 years, $68 Million . . .Boston Red Sox
Posted: 03:37 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 305 Corey Seidman
Agrees to do a nat’l interview, answers very few questions, gives smug responses and “snaps” after innocent questions about athletic family.
Yeah, perfectly normal.
Posted: 03:39 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 RE
I think he is a really good player, but his laziness and lack of focus drives me nuts.
The incident on Monday night is something that happens to a player once every couple years, but he has made a mistake like that or another boneheaded error on the basepaths mutliple times overh the past couple years.
Posted: 03:40 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Maybe he just a really private person. Why or how is that bad??
Posted: 03:41 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 ray
When werth cursed the fan out in front of his kid and then gave a half assed apology that told me all I needed to know about him. JERK
Posted: 03:43 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 305 Corey Seidman
It’s not bad, Chuck, and maybe he is.
But there are better ways to handle public situations in which you agree to something, fully expect certain things to be asked, and then “snap” to “ginger” inquiries about key parts of the story set to be written.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an athlete so purposely and unnecessarily blow an opportunity to make himself look good. If you read the rest of the SI article, you’ll see that he was aloof toward pretty much every question asked.
Posted: 03:45 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 bfo_33
Imagine walking into work every day, with 45,000 people focused on you (or when in FLA, 7 or 8). Not only that, over 1 million more watching on tv. Many just waiting for you to do something wrong (this is Philadelphia). Now, they want to know about your family?
Maybe he should have refused the interview, but I can’t blame him for wanting to stay private. Everything I need to know about Jayson Werth, I see on the field. An exceptionally gifted athlete, capable of amazing feats, but occassionally goes Spicoli. He seems like a good teammate (although Barb, your observations made me a little uncomfortable). I’ve enjoyed watching him go from damaged goods to making Geof Jenkins obsolete, then becoming one of the better players in the game, and I’ll route for him as long as he is a Phil. I won’t blame him for chasing the money, and will give him a golf clap in his first game back (then I’ll boo). Most importantly, I’m hoping he gets another ring in Philly.
Posted: 03:47 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 NickFromGermantown
The more and more I think about it, the more and more I am counting the days to when he leaves. Part of the appeal of the Phillies is that they are not jerks as a team. They all seem to be good guys. They feed off of the good chemistry that they have with each other. Werth’s slide attitude wise has been dramatic and he seems like he is angry at the world. Why? I don’t know. Maybe it’s the Phillies saying they want Howard instead. But given how Werth has reacted, who can blame them?
Werth’s head is becoming unscrewed and he appears to be turning into an unhinged loon. I don’t know what happened to him, but his lacksidaisical play could wind up costing us. I mean, when Werth got picked off first in the World Series, you had a feeling that things were going south.
Basically, I think if you can sign Werth, you don’t. You go try to go after Cliff Lee instead with whatever other resources that you have or just don’t bother doing anything at all with the money.
Posted: 03:48 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
One of my favorite Phillies. I’ll always be a fan.
Posted: 03:49 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 bfo_33
Brain cramps, boneheaded moves, lost in space…. Werth has his moments there. But I completely disagree that his play is lazy or lackidaisical. Just by the fact that he never gave up on baseball shows you he is a worker. Byt he way, these guys are baseball players, not CEOs. For ever Jeter or Doug Glanville, there are a bunch of Lenny Dykstras and Rickie Hendersons. They spent their time hitting baseballs, not going to charm school.
Posted: 03:58 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Richard
Huh. I read that article last week, and at no point did I think Werth came off as a prick. He came off as someone very protective of his privacy, and as someone with a reasonable attitude towards the value of his own opinions to the outer world. I also did not get the impression the author thought of him as a prick either. I think you need to read it again.
Posted: 04:01 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Richard
In fact, Corey, you have no idea of the nature of the questions asked. It seemed clear to me that the author respected Werth’s positions.
Werth is probably tired of talking about his family. I don’t blame him.
Posted: 04:04 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Gaze_NJ
Any athlete who has former professional athlete parents has had to answer a question or two about their family tree. Did Ken Griffey Jr get smug when asked about his playing with his father? Does Kyle Drabek shut down interviews when his Dad’s Cy Young season comes up? Hell, Tony Gwynn Jr has to deal with the pressure of being the son of one of the greatest hitters of all time, yet still does feel good family stories on a regular basis…
Part of earning an $18M dollar pay day is answering a few questions that make you squirm. Copping an attitude with reporters when your athletic family comes up is a move reserved for the Barry Bonds’ of the world.
Posted: 04:08 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Leo Sac
Why’d they print the article anyway? Werth added absolutely nothing to the issue. Any decent editor would have and should have either scrapped the piece or sent the writer back for more.
As for Werth’s absent mindedness, bad base running, long, really long bad streaks, one can only wonder if there are outside INFLUENCE’s involved.
Remember how much we loved Lonnie Smith but couldn’t figure out how come “skates” was always falling down? For all you to young to have seen Lonnie play, let’s just his non-baseball life destroyed his baseball one. Hope that’s not the case with Werth but it sure makes you wonder.
Posted: 04:13 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Richard
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an athlete so purposely and unnecessarily blow an opportunity to make himself look good. ”
What I’m saying is that he did make himself look good. I thought it was a nice piece.
Posted: 04:25 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 The Dipsy
The article and the first 19 posts, for me, capture perfectly what Jayson Werth is all about as a Phillie. I acknowledge that Jayson has tremendous physical tools and, at times, can play great baseball. He is also dimwitted on the field and aloof off it. He’s not a very likable guy. When he goes to get his big money, which will be not be 15m a year let alone 18m, I wouldn’t be surprised if his agent turns to him, when Jayson isn’t get his love, and tells him that he doesn’t have the “qwan” and that he doesn’t inspire people. Jayson will always be a second banana and a bit player and every team needs those. Just not for 18m per. He’s a five tool player and a tool of a person.
5y/62.5. I wouldn’t give him that much but thats my guess.
The Dipsy
Posted: 04:35 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Andrew R.
I have yet to read the article, but we don’t know his family situation. He might have had a falling out of sorts with somebody in his family. Maybe the Schofield’s and Werth’s don’t get along at all. We will never know. And it’s not our business.
But it sounds like he should’ve refused the interview from what I’m reading above.
bfo_33 said it well and I will reiterate. For the most part, these athletes are just dumb jocks. They dominated in little league, then high school and then the next level. At a certain age, you know when you’re either going to be a potential draft pick, and just another “scholar-athlete.” The superstars tend to have the inflated ego’s from a young age and it often carries into the professional level. This just might be the case.
As for the “lazy or careless” play, I don’t buy it. It’s easy to nit-pick the obvious stuff like getting picked off when you shouldn’t have. But what about when somebody doesn’t back up a play when they should have? The ball gets away and a runner advances because somebody wasn’t doing their job. We all learn in little league that whenever the ball is hit, we all have a job to do. Everybody should be moving. It’s a much more subtle point to the game that hardly gets emphasized. The only time I can think is when Jeter came sweeping in across the infield to get Jeremy Giambi out at the plate in post-season, many years ago.
And I’ve played the game at the college level and the game moves so much quicker than at any other level you’ve experienced. I can’t imagine how fast it moves in the bigs. A catcher gets a ball down to second lightning fast. You look away for just a second and you’re toast. I’d love to see some of the average joe’s out there. The game moves quicker than you think.
So Jayson made some mistakes on the field, and during an interview. But if he turns it on at the right time, we’ll all be back in love with him. In 2 World Series’, he’s a .351 hitter who gets on base exactly half the time and slugs a crazy .676.
Let’s go get ‘em in 2010!!
Posted: 04:43 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Scotch Man
I won’t shed any tears when Werth goes elswhere. It’s alright if you are a pompous ass but play to a certain level where that’s acceptable. Werth isn’t even close to that level. The funny thing is this seemed to start this year. The past few years he seemed like a real gamer and a nice guy with a real intelligence for the game. This year, he seems lazy, smug, and also very moronic with some of his baserunning (last night being the cherry on top). If he’s playing for a contract, he’s done virtually everything wrong and I personally have no desire to see him back in Philly.
Posted: 04:47 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 The Original Chuck P
Fascinating artice.
I don’t know Jayson Werth… maybe he’s reading this… I would bet that Charlie nailed it when he likened Werth to Josey Wales; soft spoken, tight lipped, a very small circle of friends, not fazed by reputation but totally committed to being a killer. I think that he enjoys twisting that dagger and doesn’t care what people think. Aloof… maybe. He doesn’t care what people think and he doesn’t make excuses for being the way he is.
But the kid can play… I hope he stays because he’ll have a chance to be a killer here for a long time and not have to be in the spotlight but I’m with everyone else that feels like his days are numbered and the money will lure him away.
Posted: 04:48 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Wis
Of course what he did last night was bone head, but what about Ruiz and his 6 crazy errors this season? He threw the fucking ball to the base with no one there!!! I know, I know my good buddy Dobbs was not where he was supposed to be, but ya get my drift.
I liked the article and I love the fact that J-Dub doesn’t care if you like his ethos or not. He told the guy up front what he would and would not do…Some people are very private and some are not (insert Nick Swisher and some fuk-tard tweet he just sent 38 seconds ago)
Fans always want it both ways. The reason he is the player that he is, is because of the way he handles himself and the ideals that he holds strong to. That in itself is the inside scoop guys. He’s a real human being and never ever a sellout or a poser. Interesting that because someone refuses to bend, he is now considered a Jerk; making our team look bad. Come on, think about it a little harder folks. Tyson Gillies, wife-beater Brett that makes the team look bad…
Bottom line is, all of you will look back at this 2010 team as the greatest in at least 25 years. Sorry, but The future does not look bright unless we have J-dub.
p.s. he hates blogs (oh what a jerk)
Posted: 05:06 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Manny
@Barb: I totally get what you’re saying. Your post @ 3:22 sums up exactly how I feel about Werth and this SI article!
Posted: 05:15 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
For someone that wants privacy,dont you think N.Y. would be the worst place to go as a free agent!!! He needs to stay here at a fair price,since we gave him another chance………..
Posted: 05:15 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 sjhaack
I think if you want to read the article as an interview with an angry man there’s no way you’ll feel otherwise. You can’t read into someone’s tone with text without placing your own judgment in it. I didn’t read a single thing he said as “snapping” or “annoyed”. I did notice that the author prefaced one of Werth’s comments with
‘Werth considered Manuel’s insights worthless. ‘
I’d be trying to keep my thoughts to myself too if people are going to read that much into a single sentence.
I wouldn’t be surprised if his agent or publicist pushed him in to it. I think he sounds like an intensely private person who’s unhappy to be receiving attention he can’t do anything about. It’s one thing to talk about how you don’t want your privacy to be violated and then give your interviewer access to every relative and teacher you’ve ever known, it’s another to attempt privacy and actually request it be preserved.
@Ray, I hope you’re right about his contract because then the Phillies will have a snowflake’s chance in hell of signing him. Werth isn’t blocking Brown, Ibanez is.
Not everyone can be Jimmy Rollins in front of the mic. I just wish Jimmy could work a count like Jayson can.
Posted: 05:53 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Adam
Honestly it will be nice to rid ourselves of this guy. He is the worst .300 hitter of all time. What is more amazing is he is batting .300 but is 6-56 in such a specific situation…sadly that is the $$$ situation.
As sad as it is, he is a lame duck in Philadelphia and some team will give him 5/90 million. Ultimately this is money better well spent for the Phillies. You can replace outfielders easily especially ones that are 6-56 with RISP and two outs.
Posted: 06:09 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
All you people that are trashing and bashing this guy will be moaning and groaning next season if/when he isn’t here.
At the beginning of the season I would bet that most of you were on here pleading with the Phillies to find a way to re-sign him.
Bunch of front-runners.
Posted: 06:30 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 The Dipsy
Hey Chuck. This man went…uh……how many months without knocking a guy in from second base w/2 outs? The guy gets picked off…a lot. I’ve seen him getting thown out trying to go 1st to 3rd with no outs and two outs. I see him on pace to go 20hr 80rbi out of the five hole. I like that he is hitting .300 and gets on base. But like so many other Phils, he has a mish mash skill set. He should not be batting in an RBI hole.
I want the Phils to keep him. I think he’s a good player. No one would be bashing him if he were making 6m, but as a 15m player, which some crazed minds think he’ll get, the hood goes up, the tires kicked, and the warts get scrutinized. Don’t you agree? If that’s Jayson’s price tag, please say ‘no thanks’.
The Dipsy
Posted: 06:44 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 pheeling it
the best of jayson is yet to come. charlie needs to give me a razor and get the cavemen gone
Posted: 08:03 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Amy
I would hate to see him go. Ive grown to like him and watched him turn into a key player. Its hard to see any Phills leave when your a fan. I think he has a right to talk baseball to the media and not personal or family matters. Who cares, we have Paris Hilton and all the other quacks out there to talk about. I do admire what he does at the games. Between inning he points out the kids, gives them a wave, a wink and even throws them a ball or two. He has fun on the field and I admire him for that. If he is letting ego and money control him then I agree with Chuck pay him what he wants we will be missing him next year…beard and all LOL
Posted: 09:17 PM on August 24, 2010
Posts: 0 Richard
Seriously, did you guys read the article?
Posted: 10:05 AM on August 25, 2010
Posts: 0 Karen
He knows Philly has no interest in keeping him. I am mixed on him tho
Posted: 12:20 PM on August 25, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Jason Werth is similar to Aaron Rowand, only older. He doesn’t have Rowand’s body of work due to his early injuries. Werth may get a big payday but I hope the Phils are not the team to deliver it. It really is time for him to go fishing in major league baseball for a big contract. At age 32, without that big body of work (history), he we be likened to Jason Bay, Aaron Rowand and Raphael Soriano — players whose contracts are huge albatrosses around the necks of their teams.
Posted: 12:35 PM on August 25, 2010
Posts: 0 branderson
great read.
I’m going to miss Jayson so much and its just hitting me now that there is simply no chance he’ll back next year in the good ol’ red and white. I’m praying my second favorite team, the A’s, can sign him. They have a bit of money to spend and (always) could use a power bat in the lineup. Only problem is the outfield carousel (Sweeney, Buck, Davis, Crisp, Gross and now Matt Carson)
Fare the well Werth. I will always hold memories of you “killin’ it” at CBP
Posted: 04:54 PM on August 25, 2010
Posts: 0 SJ Phillies Fan
I can’t picture Werth going anywhere and playing for anyone but the Fightin’s. I guess it isn’t looking good and soon we shall know his fate.
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Posted: 02:47 PM on August 26, 2010
Posts: 0 adam
Now add not sliding on a tag from third. What kind of pro doesn’t slide into home in that situation?
He has had a slew of brain cramps all year. Don’t know if it’s the looming contract, pressure of Philly’s situation, or just Jayson Werth.
Posted: 11:34 AM on August 27, 2010
Posts: 0 Things Read in Others Moms’ Basements – Around the NL East 08.28.10 « Acrylic Sports
[...] And a decent swan song for Werth – Phillies Nation And the folks at PN do a good job of saying what I’m thinking, basically he’s going to make a pretty coin this off-season for someone else, and as much as I’d love his production, I don’t think I’d be fond of his brooding ways, psychotic appearance, and as a Braves kind of guy I like to pretend to be, don’t really consider Jayson Werth a good guy to have in a locker room, for chemistry’s sake. [...]
Posted: 10:58 AM on August 28, 2010
Posts: 0 David
That pickoff play is the sort of thing that drives managers crazy. Just imagine if Billy Martin came back to life and was the Phillies manager. He would have pulled Werth from the game immediately. Overally, he is a very solid player. But not concentrating during the game is pretty bad.
Posted: 10:47 PM on August 28, 2010