Jayson Werth, Right Field, Retired

Date of Birth: 5/20/1979
Birthplace: Springfield, Illinois
Nicknames: Werewolf, The Wolf of First Street

Jayson Werth was first drafted in 1997 by the Baltimore Orioles. He played in the Orioles' minor league system from 1997 until 2002, when he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. He continued playing in the minor leagues, playing in just 15 games with the Blue Jays in 2002 and in 26 games in 2003.

Werth was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in March, 2004. That season, he played in 89 games with the Dodgers. The next year, he played in 102 games and he batted .234 with 79 hits and 22 doubles. He broke his wrist in 2005 and he missed part of that season and all of the following season.

In December, 2006, Werth signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. He suffered a new wrist injury in his first year with the Phillies and only played in 94 games with them in 2007. The following year, he batted .273 with 114 hits, 24 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in 134 games.

Werth signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies in January, 2009. That year, he batted .268 with career highs in home runs (36), RBIs (99), and stolen bases (20). The 2010 season was an even better one for Werth. He batted .296 with a career high 164 hits, a career high 46 doubles, 27 home runs, and 85 RBIs.

Werth became a free agent after the 2010 season and he signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals in December, 2010. His first year with the Nationals was not good. In 2011, he batted just .232 with 130 hits in 150 games. The following season, he broke his wrist again and he played in just 81 games. He had a very good comeback year in 2013, batting a career high .318 with 147 hits, 24 doubles, 25 home runs, and 82 RBIs. He followed that with another good season in 2014, finishing with 156 hits, 37 doubles, 16 home runs, 82 RBIs, and a .292 batting average. In the postseason, he had 17 at-bats in 4 games but he had just one hit for a .059 batting average.

Werth played in 88 games with the Nationals in 2015. He finished the season with 73 hits, 16 doubles, 42 RBIs, and a .221 batting average. Defensively, as a left fielder in 76 games, he made 104 putouts and 2 errors.

Werth batted .244 with 128 hits, 28 doubles, 21 home runs, and 69 RBIs in 143 games with the Nationals in 2016. Defensively, as the Nationals' left fielder in 131 games, he made 197 putouts and 1 error. In postseason play, he batted .389 with 7 hits, including 2 doubles and a home run, and 3 RBIs in 18 at-bats in 5 games.

Werth played in just 70 games in 2017. He had 57 hits and a .226 batting average. Defensively, he played 51 games in left field and 16 games in right field. In the postseason, he had 3 hits in 18 at-bats in 5 games.

Werth became a free agent on November 2, 2017. He signed a minor league contract with the Seattle Mariners on April 3, 2018.

After 36 games in the minors in 2018, Werth retired on June 20th.

Career batting statistics for Werth through 2018 include:

• 1,583 games played
• 1,465 hits
• 300 doubles
• 229 home runs
• 799 RBIs
• 132 stolen bases
• 1,450 strikeouts to 764 walks
• .267 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Werth as a right fielder through 2018 include:

• 1,020 games played
• 1,919 putouts
• 28 errors
• .986 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Jayson Werth
ESPN - Jayson Werth