Jayson Werth a possibility in Boston
The Boston Red Sox, who finished 89-73 and six games out of a playoff spot, have expressed interest in outfielder Jayson Werth, according to
ESPNBoston.com. This comes as a surprise to a few people, especially considering the players that the Red Sox currently have in their outfielding corps.
But the team has been plagued with injury and slow starters. Jacoby Ellsbury was injured for most of last year with a broken rib, only appearing in 13 games. In his previous two seasons with the Red Sox, he has played in 145 or more games both seasons. If
he recovers well, there should be no problem having him back.
Seasoned veteran J.D. Drew played in 139 games last season, but his .255 batting average was not what the fans in Boston were expecting, especially with the slow and sluggish start to David "Big Papi" Ortiz.
Mike Cameron, another seasoned veteran, came to the Red Sox last season with big expectations. But it was not meant to be, as Cameron suffered a strained lower abdomen, requiring surgery after appearing in only 48 games.
Since the big three outfielders for Boston have been hampered by either injuries or a slow, slumping season, it really isn't much of a shocker that they would be looking at Werth. It should be noted that Werth is also up for arbitration this year.
Werth’s numbers were very respectable last season, with a .298 batting average, 13 stolen bases and 85 runs batted in. He always seem to come up with the clutch hit when the Philadelphia Phillies needed it though, as he did several times against the San Francisco
Giants, with a three-run double with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie the game.
His defensive numbers last season were a little low, but he still managed to come up with big outfield assists just at the right time. His fielding percentage last season was .987, with four errors, but had eight outfield assists. He was also a very consistent
face out in the field as he managed to appear in 153 games last season, not to mention his appearance in 157 games the year before.
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