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Jayson Werth

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Jayson Werth
Werth with the Phillies
Washington Nationals – No. --
Right fielder
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
debut
September 1, 2002, for the Toronto Blue Jays
Career statistics
(through September 24, 2010)
Batting average.271
Home runs118
Runs batted in400
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Jayson Richard Gowan Werth (born May 20, 1979) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who currently plays for the Washington Nationals. He bats and throws right-handed.

Background

Werth was born in Springfield, Illinois, and comes from an athletic family. One sister, Hilary, was a scholarship track athlete at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), while his other sister, Hannah, is a scholarship volleyball player for the University of Nebraska and his brother Adam plays soccer for Syracuse University. He is the son of Jeff Gowan (who led all Division I wide receivers in receptions while playing football for Illinois State University in 1976, and played in the St. Louis Cardinals minor-league affiliate, the Johnson City Cardinals, in 1978)[1] and Kim Schofield Werth, who competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the long jump and 100 meters. He is also 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 1979–1982. Werth is married with two children.[2]

Baseball career

Early career

Werth teamed up with three other pitchers to combine for a no-hitter in a 56–1 victory, en route to a third-place finish at Nationals. He first gained attention while attending Glenwood High School in Chatham, Illinois, where he compiled a .652 batting average in his senior year with 15 home runs in 31 games.

Werth initially planned on playing college ball at the University of Georgia, 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.

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.

Los Angeles Dodgers

On March 29, 2004, Werth was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jason Frasor after compiling 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 the 2005 season, hitting .234 with 7 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. On June 28, 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. These injury problems 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.

Werth had a career-high 5 hits on August 26, 2007, against the San Diego Padres, and extended his streak on August 27, 2007, against the New York Mets to nine hits in consecutive plate appearances, topping Pete Rose's mark of 8-for-8 during the 1979 season.[3]

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.[4] For the season, he led the majors in home runs against left-handed pitchers, with 16.[5] 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.[6]

On May 12, 2009, Werth made a pure 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.[7] 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 Beltran. 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.[8] 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.[9]

On May 9, 2010, Werth hit his 100th home run against Kenshin Kawakami in a 5–3 Phillies victory.

Washington Nationals

On December 5, 2010, Werth signed a seven year deal contract with the Washington Nationals worth $126 million.[10]

Hurr Durr

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jeff Gowan's minor league statistics – Baseball Reference". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  2. ^ "Jayson Werth: Biography and Career Highlights (2008)". Phillies.MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2009-06-03.
  3. ^ ""Werth's 9-for-9 streak one short of NL record"". The State Journal-Register. 2007-08-28. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
  4. ^ Mandel, Ken (2008-05-17). "Tripling his Werth". Phillies.MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  5. ^ "2008 Major League Baseball PH/HR/Situational Hitting". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2009-08-18.
  6. ^ "Phillies sign Werth, leaving Howard as lone arbitration case". USA Today. 30 April 2005. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  7. ^ "Daily Feed (05.13.09)". WMMR's Preston and Steve Podcast. 13 May 2009. {{cite episode}}: Check |episodelink= value (help); Check |serieslink= value (help); External link in |episodelink= and |serieslink= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ ""MLB Player Batting Stats – 2009," ''ESPN'', accessed October 9, 2009". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  9. ^ Baseball fans select the nominees for and winners of the awards, via the online voting system on MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball. A new category was added in 2009, Unsung Star of the Year, with Werth being the inaugural winner. 2009 This Year in Baseball Awards, at MLB.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  10. ^ "Nationals lure Werth with seven-year deal | MLB.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. Retrieved 2010-12-05.

Further reading

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