Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth
Werth at his introductory press conference with Washington
Washington Nationals – No. 28
Right fielder
Born: May 20, 1979 (1979-05-20) Springfield, Illinois
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2002 for the Toronto Blue Jays
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Batting average	.264
Home runs	140
Runs batted in	464
Teams
Toronto Blue Jays (2002–2003) Los Angeles Dodgers (2004–2005) Philadelphia Phillies (2007–2010) Washington Nationals (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2008) All-Star (2009)

Jayson Richard Gowan Werth (born May 20, 1979) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball. He has previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies. 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, 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 through 1982. Werth is married with two children.

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.^{[citation needed]}

Werth initially planned on playing college baseball at the University of Georgia,^{[citation needed]} 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 five 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.

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. For the season, he led the majors in home runs against left-handed pitchers, with 16. 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.

Werth with the Phillies

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. 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. 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.

Washington Nationals

Werth playing for the Nationals against the Baltimore Orioles in May 2011

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.

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.

See also

• Third-generation Major League Baseball families

Further reading

• Lidz, Franz (August 23, 2010). "Get Out Of My Hair! He bristles at attention, whether it's for his bushy beard or his stellar play. But ignoring Jayson Werth is not an option". Sports Illustrated. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1173389/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)