Among the casualties of Tuesday’s non-tender deadline is erstwhile Dodgers outfielder Jayson Werth.
The Cardinals are said to be interested in him:
To add depth to the outfield, the Cardinals are checking into the health of Jayson Werth. The grandson of former Cardinal shortstop Dick “Ducky” Schofield missed 2006 with a wrist injury.
Werth would make a fine addition to the Cardinals corps of outfielders. Although he’s logged the most time in left field, he can play the other two spots, and he actually can catch a fly ball. *coughChrisDuncancough*
Because he’s battled some injuries during his career, Werth’s career line of .245/.333/.420 doesn’t look outwardly gaudy. But during his 2004 campaign with the Dodgers, he put together a .262/.338/.486 line in 89 games. And before injuries took their toll in 2005, he had shown a marked improvement in his walk rate. His minor-league numbers also bear out an ability to take walks.
So where might he play? Well, he’s got the potential to be a perfect platoon partner with Chris Duncan. In 2004, Werth torched lefthanded pitching to the tune of .290/.377/.624. If Tony La Russa wants to sit Jim Edmonds against lefties, Werth could supply more TLR-approved “damage” than So Taguchi.
He’s a natural athlete, as well. As Derrick Goold mentioned above, Werth is the grandson of Ducky Schofield as well the nephew of former Angels shortstop Dick Schofield. His mother, Kim Schofield Werth, was a multiple-time state-champion sprinter and long-jumper in high school in the 1970s, and his stepdad is former major-leaguer Dennis Werth.
It also would be extra cool to root for a guy from your hometown. Werth hails from Springfield and graduated from nearby Chatham Glenwood High School.
My dad, a longtime baseball and football official in central Illinois, raves about Werth. He umpired many of Werth’s high school games and says Werth is one of the nicest, most with-it kids he’d ever met in his 30-plus years of umpiring.
Sounds just like a Cardinals kind of player.
December 15, 2006 at 9:48 am
hey, i really like him also. he can add the much needed righthanded power bat of the bench or platoon with duncan. i wrote something about jayson werth in my last post. i think signing him to minor league deal with in invite to s.t. is a no risk/high reward kind of move.
December 15, 2006 at 6:24 pm
I agree. Sounds like a good fit. I saw on rotoworld about 4 clubs have shown interest in him, including the Cards. Hope he signs. Honestly, I think he might offer more the Rodriguez in that he can steal a base, hit for power and play average to good defense in the outfield, including CF. If he’s truly healthy, I’d love to see him with the BoB.
January 9, 2007 at 11:40 am
I think that werth would be a terrible addition to the cards. He is not that good and we are the best team around and dont need other people
March 30, 2007 at 9:37 am
[...] I’ve been on the Werth bandwagon for some time now. He does have some injury concerns, but he’s finally healthy after two troubling seasons and is swinging the bat fairly well this spring. [...]