Jayson Werth

Jayson Richard Gowan Werth (born May 20, 1979) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Nationals. During his playing days, Werth stood 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall, weighing 235 pounds (107 kg); he batted and threw right-handed. While primarily a right fielder throughout his career, Werth also played left field for the Nationals.

Jayson Werth
Werth with the Nationals in 2017
Outfielder
Born: (1979-05-20) May 20, 1979
Springfield, Illinois
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2002, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Last MLB appearance
October 1, 2017, for the Washington Nationals
MLB statistics
Batting average.267
Home runs229
Runs batted in799
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Background

Werth was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Jeff Gowan, a collegiate baseball and football player who broke all the receiving records and led all Division I wide receivers in receptions while at Illinois State University, and played outfield in the St. Louis Cardinals farm system in 1978[1] and Kim Schofield, who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump and 100 meters. He is the grandson of Ducky Schofield and nephew of Dick Schofield, both Major League Baseball infielders, and stepson of Dennis Werth, who played in parts of four seasons with the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees from 1979 through 1982. Werth is married with two children.[2]

Baseball career

Early career

Werth was successful as a youngster, playing for the top youth traveling teams in Springfield, Illinois. His teams began traveling when he was seven and dominated the state of Illinois youth baseball with four consecutive state championships (never finishing worse than fourth in nationals) in Khoury League with the Bunn Brewers. He then played for a national power, the Springfield Flame, where his team won the state and Midwest Regional and finished third in the 1993 Sandy Koufax World Series in Spring, Texas, behind Pico Rivera, California and a Dallas, Texas, team that included future major leaguer Vernon Wells. Werth also was selected to play for the U.S. Junior Pan Am Games in 1995. He gained more attention while attending Glenwood High School in Chatham, Illinois, where he compiled a .616[3] batting average in his senior year with 15 home runs in 31 games and helped his team to the state championship in 1996 (his junior year).[4] Werth was named to the 1997 All-America First Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings as a catcher.[5]

Werth initially planned on playing college baseball at the University of Georgia,[6] but changed his plans when he was drafted in the first round (22nd overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1997 Major League Baseball draft. In the minor leagues, Werth played catcher as his primary position.

Toronto Blue Jays

Prior to making his major-league debut, the Orioles traded Werth to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher John Bale. Werth broke into the major leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002. It was with Toronto when he began the switch to the outfield from catcher.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 29, 2004, Werth was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jason Frasor after two seasons in Toronto.

During spring training, on March 2, 2005, Werth was hit by a pitch from A. J. Burnett that broke his left wrist. Despite the injury, Werth was able to play in 102 games during 2005, hitting .234 with seven home runs (compared to 16 the previous year, in fewer at-bats). Eight months later, Werth underwent exploratory surgery which revealed two ligament tears that were repaired; however, his discomfort never subsided. On May 21, 2006, Werth had cortisone injected into his wrist; the wrist was placed in a cast for three to four weeks. These injuries caused him to miss the entire 2006 season.

Philadelphia Phillies
Jayson Werth batting

On December 19, 2006, Werth signed a one-year, $850,000 contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

On June 28, 2007, Werth suffered another wrist injury, but returned August 2 against the Chicago Cubs and went 3-for-6, with 4 RBI and 1 stolen base.

Jayson Werth at Wrigley Field during a 2007 game vs. the Cubs.

In 2008, Werth began the season platooning with Geoff Jenkins in right field, but soon found himself playing every day in the early part of the season while regular center fielder Shane Victorino was on the disabled list. On May 16, he had a career night against the Blue Jays. He hit three home runs in one game, including a grand slam, a three-run home run, and a solo shot which put him one round-tripper short of hitting for the "homer cycle." He also tied the Phillies team record with 8 RBIs in one game.[7] For the season, he led the majors in home runs against left-handed pitchers, with 16.[8] On October 29, 2008, the Phillies won their second World Series title.

Despite being eligible for arbitration after the 2008 season, Werth agreed to a two-year contract with the Phillies worth $10 million on January 21, 2009.[9]

Werth with the Phillies

On May 12, 2009, Werth made a steal of home plate in a bases-loaded situation against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which came in the seventh inning after previously stealing both second and third base. Werth stole four bases in the game, leading the team to a 5–3 victory, and again tying a Phillies record.[10] On June 27, Werth became the 14th player in Toronto's Rogers Centre history to hit a home run into the stadium's 500 level. On July 10, Werth was named to the NL All-Star Team as a replacement for New York Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltrán. On July 21, in a home game against the Chicago Cubs, Werth hit his first career walk-off home run, in the 13th inning against Jeff Samardzija, to deliver a 4–1 victory for the Phillies. He led the majors in pitches per plate appearance during the 2009 season, with 4.50.[11] In Game 5 of the 2009 National League Championship Series, Werth hit home runs in the first and seventh innings, in a game which the Phillies won 10–4, clinching the series. Baseball fans voted Werth the 2009 "Unsung Star of the Year" in MLB's This Year in Baseball Awards.[12]

Washington Nationals
Werth playing in Citizens Bank Park against the Phillies in June 2014

On December 5, 2010, Werth signed a seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals worth $126 million, the 14th richest contract in baseball history. He was introduced to the media on December 15, 2010 with his number 28 jersey.[13]

Werth had a difficult 2011, highlighted by a June in which he had a .154 batting average, a .291 on-base percentage, and a .286 slugging percentage. On the season, Werth had a .232 batting average, with 20 home runs and 58 runs batted in.[14]

On May 6, 2012, Werth broke his left wrist attempting to make a diving catch against his old team, the Philadelphia Phillies. The wrist was the same one that had caused him to miss much of the 2005 season and all of 2006. While the injury was described as a "clean break", it was reported that Werth would consult with the same wrist specialist who treated him in 2005, to determine whether there was any ligament damage. The next day, Werth underwent surgery on the left wrist.[15] After a three-month absence for recuperation, Werth returned to the Nationals' lineup on August 2. Werth batted primarily in the leadoff spot for the first time in his career, posting a .309 batting average and .388 OBP in that role.[16]

On October 11, 2012, Werth, to conclude a 13-pitch at bat, hit a 9th inning walk-off home run off Lance Lynn of the St. Louis Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th inning to win the game, 2–1, and tie the National League Divisional Series at two games apiece.[17] It was the longest at-bat to ever result in a game-ending postseason home run.[18] Werth finished the 2012 season with a .300 batting average, 5 homers, and 31 runs driven in in 81 games.

On August 11, 2013, Werth collected his 1,000th career hit. Werth finished the 2013 season batting .318 with 25 home runs and 82 RBI. Werth also finished 13th in the NL MVP voting. It marked the third time in his career that Werth had garnered MVP votes.

On April 19, 2016, Werth hit 200th career home run in a game against the Miami Marlins.[19] In 2016 he had the highest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (4.60).[20] In 2016 Werth set a franchise record with a 46 on-base streak over a two-month period.[21]

Fouling a ball off his left foot in a June 3, 2017, game against the Oakland Athletics, Werth suffered a fractured first metatarsal bone as well as a bone bruise, which placed him on the disabled list.[22] Werth returned from injury on August 28, against the Miami Marlins, where he tallied two hits, including a home run.

Werth's name was added to the Ring of Honor at Nats Park on September 8, 2018.[23]

Seattle Mariners

On March 27, 2018, Werth signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners after an injury-plagued 2017 season that limited him to just 70 games.[24][25][26] While with the Triple-A affiliate, he hit just .206 in 145 plate appearances at Tacoma before suffering a hamstring injury. On June 27, 2018, Werth announced his retirement.[27][28][29]

See also
  • Third-generation Major League Baseball families

References
  1. "Jeff Gowan's minor league statistics – Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  2. "Jayson Werth: Biography and Career Highlights (2008)". Phillies.MLB.com. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  3. "Records & History | Boys Baseball | IHSA Sports & Activities". Illinois High School Association.
  4. "Records & History | Boys Baseball | IHSA Sports & Activities". Illinois High School Association.
  5. "1997 ABCA/Rawlings High School All-America Teams". abca.prestosports.com. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  6. Ching, David (June 4, 2012). "MLB draft, UGA signees no strangers". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  7. Mandel, Ken (May 17, 2008). "Tripling his Werth". Phillies.MLB.com. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  8. "2008 Major League Baseball PH/HR/Situational Hitting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2009. Retrieved August 18, 2009.
  9. "Phillies sign Werth, leaving Howard as lone arbitration case". USA Today. April 30, 2005. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  10. "Daily Feed (05.13.09)". WMMR's Preston and Steve Podcast. May 13, 2009. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011.
  11. ""MLB Player Batting Stats – 2009", ESPN, accessed October 9, 2009". Espn.go.com. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  12. A new category was added in 2009, Unsung Star of the Year, with Werth being the inaugural winner. Go to 2009 This Year in Baseball Awards and click on "Unsung Star" for results and video. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  13. "Nationals lure Werth with seven-year deal". MLB.com. December 5, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  14. "Jayson Werth Splits". ESPN.com. September 28, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  15. Wagner, James (May 7, 2012). "Jayson Werth breaks left wrist, could be out months". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2012.
  16. Whyno, Stephen (October 3, 2012). "Jayson Werth finding new niche as Nationals' leadoff hitter". The Washington Times. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  17. Svrluga, Barry (October 11, 2012). "Jayson Werth's walk-off home run powers Nationals to Game 5 against Cardinals". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  18. https://www.espn.com/mlb/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8492596/jayson-werth-walk-home-run-saves-washington-nationals-season
  19. "Werth belts 200th career home run". Washington Post. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  21. https://www.federalbaseball.com/2016/8/20/12565920/an-autopsy-of-jayson-werth-46-game-on-base-streak
  22. Rapp, Timothy (July 18, 2017). "Jayson Werth Reveals Foot Fracture Injury, Bone Bruise, Return Remains Unclear". Bleacher Report. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  23. Woodfork, Rob (July 13, 2018). "Werth to be added to Nats Ring of Honor". WTOP.
  24. Divish, Ryan (March 17, 2018). "Mariners bringing in veteran outfielder Jayson Werth on a minor league contract". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  25. Castillo, Jorge (March 27, 2018). "Jayson Werth finally has his next contract, signing minor league deal with Mariners]". Washington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  26. Johns, Greg (March 27, 2018). "Mariners sign Werth to Minor League deal". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  27. "Former Phillie Jayson Werth Announces Retirement". philadelphia.CBSlocal.com. June 27, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  28. Thosar, Deesha (June 27, 2018). "Werth announces retirement after 15-year career". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  29. "Werth announces retirement after 15-year career". MLB.com. Retrieved January 14, 2021.

Further reading
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