Results tagged ‘ Jayson Werth ’
Magic Number Is 4
A few words from Braves catcher Brian McCann:
“We knew what we were getting into coming in here. We knew who they were pitching. We’ve all faced them before and they’ve all got great stuff. They executed every pitch and when they got themselves in trouble, they got out of it. That’s what number ones do and all three of those guys are number ones.”
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Werth Chooses Boras As New Agent
Jayson Werth has hired Scott Boras as his new agent, a source told MLB.com tonight.
Werth recently left agent Jeff Borris from the Beverly Hills Sports Council for Boras, who represents some of the biggest names in the game.
Werth should be set up for a nice payday once he reaches free agency after the season. He is hitting .292 with 44 doubles, two triples, 24 home runs and 76 RBIs in 146 games. He has hit 60 home runs since the beginning of the 2009 season, which ranks second in the Majors amongst right-handed hitting outfielders. (Jose Bautista is first with 62.) Werth also can run, throw and play good defense.
How this affects his future with the Phillies, if at all, remains to be seen. It already was believed Werth would be impossibly difficult to resign with the Phillies already having committed more than $140 million in payroll in 2011, Domonic Brown waiting in the wings and Werth likely to fetch a contract at least similar to the four-year, $66 million deal Jayson Bay received last winter from the Mets.
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Brown Scratched from Lineup, Winter Ball and 2011 …
The Phillies scratched Domonic Brown from tonight’s lineup against the Marlins because of tightness in his right quadriceps.
Brown said he has been feeling tightness for about a week, but aggravated it sliding into home plate in Game 2 of a doubleheader Monday. Brown was scheduled to see a team doctor this evening.
“I think I’m all right,” Brown said.
Brown, who the organization just named its Paul Owens Minor League Player of the Year, said he felt the quad during early hitting.
“I didn’t want to make it any worse, so they decided to take me out of the lineup,” Brown said.
Jayson Werth, who had hit .059 (1-for-17) in his career against Marlins right-hander Chris Volstad, took his place and hit seventh.
Brown is hitting .214 with three doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs in 30 games with the Phillies. Ruben Amaro Jr. said Brown would have been better served spending more time with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, but injuries and other roster decisions put the Phillies in position to keep him on the 25-man roster longer than they wanted.
But Amaro said the Phillies have talked with Brown and his agent about playing Winter Ball, which would help him make up for the at-bats he lost sitting on the Phillies’ bench.
“He’s not the perfect, finished product yet,” Amaro said. “He’s got things to learn, things to do, things to improve upon. We’ll see how it goes.”
There is a good chance Brown will be the Phillies’ everyday rightfielder in 2011. Werth will be one of the top two free agent outfielders this fall – Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford being the other — and the Phillies have not had any substantial talks with Werth for months. Werth is looking for new representation, although it is unclear how that might affect future talks.
“That’s possible,” Amaro said, asked of Brown’s chance to be a 2011 starter if there is an opening. “But I certainly won’t anoint him that guy.”
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Howard Goes Off, Bats Go Silent
I’ve never seen Ryan Howard that angry before.
In fact, the last time I saw Howard that angry was Spring Training 2006. He had just hit a home run against Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, who thought Howard “pimped” his home run. Beckett barked at Howard from the Red Sox dugout at Bright House Field. Howard barked back, before dropping his glove and putting his hands in the air, basically telling Beckett to come out.
Beckett never did.
Howard never reached third base umpire Scott Barry in the 14th inning last night, but that’s probably because Placido Polanco and others restrained him. I have to wonder if Howard will be suspended for his actions, although a fine is definite.
*
The offense scored just two runs in 16 innings, so can’t blame the umpires completely for this one — even if Barry botched the call that led to Howard’s ejection.
*
Last night was one of the most bizarre games I’ve seen. Ross Gload, who is on the disabled list, was ejected after Howard left the field. (Charlie Manuel explained a player on the DL is not allowed to yell at anybody on the field.) The Phillies, who were out of position players, were forced to move Raul Ibanez from left field to first base, a position he had not played since 2005, and pitcher Roy Oswalt into left field, a place he had never played in his professional career.
Oswalt was the first Phillies pitcher to play in the field since Bill Wilson Aug. 6, 1971.
“I’m not sure what I think about the whole thing just yet,” Jayson Werth said. “I’m going to take a quick nap here and think about it. Come back tomorrow refreshed and act like that didn’t happen. I know I haven’t been playing the game as long as some people, but it’s the first I’ve seen of anything like that. That was just … I’m not going to say what I want to say. I’m going to sleep on it.”
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Gene Simmons Impression Distracted Werth
Jayson Werth sent Brett Myers a text message late last night following the Phillies’ 3-2 loss to the Astros:
“I was laughing at you as I got picked off. Thanks.”
Werth got picked off second base in the sixth inning just seconds after Myers intentionally walked Carlos Ruiz. Astros catcher Humberto Quintero fired a missile to second baseman Angel Sanchez, who applied the tag. So what the heck happened on the play? Well, a couple things. But certainly the most interesting thing is that just before Myers threw ball four to Ruiz, he looked back at Werth out of the stretch and stuck out his tongue a la Kiss’ Gene Simmons.
(Forgive me, but that is one of the funniest things I’ve heard while covering the Phillies over the last eight years.)
“That’s what put me on my heels,” Werth said. “But the big reason it happened was, while I still had a field of vision, Brett was in my direct line of the catcher and (Quintero) threw the ball. It was Brett, (Quintero) and Chooch, all in the same periphery. So I didn’t see anything. I did remember saying, ‘What’s that?’ and see the ball at the pitcher’s mound. I was dead at that point.
“The whole time I was thinking, after he threw the first pitch, if he doesn’t pay attention here I could probably steal third. I’m still thinking like that before that (fourth) pitch then he looks at me and … I was smiling as the ball was on its way. So between that and the little smokescreen where I got shielded on — and that was the main reason — it was terrible.”
Myers almost felt bad about the Simmons distraction.
“He’s one of my favorite players over there,” he said about Werth. “He keeps everybody loose.”
So does Myers, and it paid off last night.
*
Astors manager Brad Mills said Quintero’s throw surprised him, too.
“Caught me completely off guard,” he said. “If I would have been the base runner I would have been out, too.”
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Phillies Looking to Sweep Marlins
The Phillies have won 11 of 13 to move within two games of the Braves in the NL East after being seven back on July 22.
A few stats to chew on:
- The Phillies are averaging 5.46 runs per game since July 21, which ranks second in the NL. Houston is first with 5.92 runs per game. Who knew J.A. Happ could hit, too?
- The Phillies lead the league in batting (.300), on-base percentage (.372) and extra-base hits (47). They rank second in slugging pecentage (.460) and stolen bases (12).
- They lead the league with a 2.74 ERA.
- Raul Ibanez‘s 1.216 on-base-plus-slugging percentage is fifth in the league. He ranks fourth in the league with 12 RBIs.
- Jayson Werth‘s 1.090 OPS is eighth.
- Carlos Ruiz‘s 1.005 OPS is 14th. He is 12th with 10 RBIs.
*
Roy Oswalt gets his second shot in a Phillies uniform tonight. I would be things go better for him than in Washington.
*
The Phillies picked up Mike Sweeney in a trade yesterday with the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash. A low risk move for the Phillies. If Sweeney can give the Phillies two good weeks, it will pay off.
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Haren Out, Focus Turns to Oswalt
Dan Haren is headed to Anaheim, which means only Roy Oswalt remains.
The Houston Astros have scouted J.A. Happ‘s latest starts, which indicates he would be packaged in a deal for Oswalt. There have been numerous reports the Phillies would have to trade Jayson Werth to clear salary and gain prospects for Oswalt. But I have heard recently that is not the case. While the Phillies are exploring trade partners for Werth, they could acquire Oswalt and keep Werth. And if I’m the Phillies, that’s exactly what I do, unless I get an incredible offer for Werth. I know fans would love to see Domonic Brown up here, but I think it would be unfair to expect him to do what Werth has done the past couple seasons. Plus, as I have written many, many times before, Werth is an incredibly streaky hitter. He is hitting .387 (12-for-31) with five doubles and three RBIs in his last nine games. His performance with runners in scoring position has been dreadful to this point, especially for a No. 5 hitter, but I’ve got to think it will improve. I’ve also got to think a bunch of homers are in his future.
Up until a few days ago I know many people said the Phillies should be trying to improve their offense. I saw their point because until a few days ago the offense had been struggling. But here is why I think getting Oswalt makes sense, regardless of how the offense is doing: the offense is what it is. The Phillies could add an infielder to help while Chase Utley is out, they could trade Werth and promote Brown to see if he could provide a spark, but I’m not convinced one player makes things better. I think the Phillies have to hope their lineup’s track record comes through – if Jimmy Rollins, Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino don’t hit, is Brown or an infielder really going to help that much? – and if it does they need to have a strong rotation. (That seems especially true with Jamie Moyer out because they have no depth.) Now, if the Phillies can’t get Oswalt, then they should turn their attention to the bullpen — and adding that bat to help while Utley is out.
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
The Usual Suspects, The Usual Second Half?
The Phillies open the second half of their season tonight at Wrigley Field.
My second-half prediction? The Phillies play much better than they played in the first half. I base my entire prediction on recent history. (OK, not entirely. They’re also getting healthier, which should help.) The Phillies always have played better in the second half under Charlie Manuel, and until they don’t have a good second half I’m going to keep picking them to have a good one. But will improved play be enough this time? The Braves and Mets are better than previous seasons, so they won’t be as easy to beat or catch in the NL East.
Right?
“I don’t they’ve ever been not as good as us,” Jimmy Rollins said about the Braves and Mets. “We’ve just found a way to get the job done and we’ll have to do it again. It doesn’t have to do with them getting better, it’s about us getting the job done. We’ve been there before so we know how to do it.”
“I don’t really think any other teams in our division matters to me as much as our team does, meaning that we control our own destiny,” Jayson Werth said. “We’ve established ourselves in this division and throughout the league as a powerhouse. Right now, we’ve got some injuries and we’ve got some guys who are out. We’re going to be getting them back. We play the NL East in September, so really it’s going to be up to us. We’re the same team we’ve had the last few years. We have great players. We have guys who play big in the clutch and play good down the stretch. We’re setting ourselves up for a run at it.”
Said Manuel: “We’ve got the second half to play. We can definitely catch up four, five games. At the same time, myself, I like being in the lead. I like being in first place. I don’t think anybody would say they’d like trailing. That doesn’t mean we won’t catch up. I have all the confidence in the world.”
*
The Zo Zone is on Facebook and Twitter. My Phillies book “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” is available online, and at Delaware Valley bookstores!
Cliff Lee, Jayson Werth and the Phillies
Cliff Lee‘s impending free agency and Jayson Werth‘s impending free agency seem like two totally separate issues, and in most respects they are. But it is evident the Phillies think Werth will be difficult to resign, which is why they have explored trading him – although I don’t see it happening if the Phillies remain in contention in the NL East.
So what happens if the Phillies keep Werth and they can’t resign him after the season? (Werth could be looking for more than $100 million on the open market.) The Phillies could use the money earmarked for Werth to make a run at Lee, although that will be difficult for a couple reasons: First, one of the reasons the Phillies traded Lee in December is because they felt he would be tough to sign to an extension. That probably has not changed. Second, the Phillies will be competing with the Yankees, Red Sox, etc., on the open market.
But Lee said today the trade that sent him to Seattle has not soured him on the Phillies.
“I’m not soured by that at all,” he said. “It’s a business. They decided that the best thing for the Phillies was to trade me to replenish the farm system. They felt like that was the best move. You can’t knock them for that. They didn’t have to trade for me to come there in the first place. Yeah, I’m not opposed to coming back to the Phillies in the future at all. I’m not opposed to playing for any team. If 29 other teams don’t want me and the Phillies are the only team that wants me, I’ll be a Phillie.”
Lee stumbled when asked if he would pursue the Phillies in the offseason.
“That’s down the road,” he said. “Right now I’m a Mariner … or a, uh … right now I’m a Ranger. Right now I’m a Ranger. I was so used to saying that, so, I’m a Ranger and I’m going to be a Ranger until hopefully we win the World Series. And when that’s over I’ll weight all of my options and see what happens. It’s really that simple.”
Lee is aware Phillies fans remain upset that he is not in the same rotation with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels.
Lee gets it.
“They’ve been struggling,” Lee said. “They’re underperforming. When they’re doing that it’s easy to look back and say they should have done this or they should have done that. Anyone can do that. When you have to make those kinds of decisions it’s tough when everyone critiques you, especially when the team is underperforming. All that kind of stuff is magnified. If they were in first place by eight games nobody would say a word about it. I think their struggles are mostly due to injuries. Not because they traded me away. If everybody in their lineup stayed healthy all year they would be in a lot better spot. There’s no doubt about it.”
The Werth Market
It sounds like Cliff Lee is headed to the Yankees.
Update: Nope, nope. He’s headed to the Heat. Wait … nope, uh, yes, he’s headed to the Rangers. Yes, it’s official. He’s definitely headed to the Rangers.
It sounds like Jayson Werth is not.
There have been reports today the Yankees, who might move a starter upon finalizing the Lee trade, would send Javier Vazquez to the Phillies for Werth. Sources said this afternoon that Werth-for-Vazquez is not happening.
Update: Lee going to the Rangers does not change the fact the Phillies would not trade Werth to the Yankees for Vazquez.
Make sense.
It would take a much better deal to move Werth. Werth and Vazquez are free agents after the season. If the Phillies trade Werth — and the Phillies are exploring the trade market for Werth — they will want Major League-ready talent they can control beyond 2010. Vazquez is not that.
If the Phillies trade Werth — Ruben Amaro Jr. said this week he is willing to trade somebody from his 25-man roster to strengthen another area on his roster– it certainly would be to a team in the postseason hunt that needs a bat. That would be teams like the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, etc. That means Werth for Roy Oswalt or Dan Haren makes little sense. I mean, it might make sense to the Phillies. But why would the Astros or Diamondbacks (or any other team out of contention with a stud starting pitcher) want Werth, knowing he likely will be gone in a couple months? If the Astros or Diamondbacks trade Oswalt or Haren, they also will be looking for young talent they can control beyond this season.
Todd Zolecki
Recent Comments