Talking about Jayson Werth with Justin Klugh of thatballsouttahere.com
By Editorial Staff
I recently had a chance to pick the brain of Justin Klugh who happens to be the lead writer for
http://thatballsouttahere.com/
For anyone not familiar with the site is the Philadelphia Phillies section of the FanSided network. Justin does an excellent job at providing the site with tons of posts and interesting reads having to do with the Phillies. So if you are a Phillies fan or just a person who is curious to see what Phillies fans are talking about go check his work out.
Now the topic at hand was Jayson Werth who as we all know was signed from the Phillies by the Washington Nationals. So I thought I’d get his opinion on a few questions.
So now it is time to see what Justin had to say……
Last big named athlete to come to Washington from a Philly team was Donovan McNabb to the Redskins and that appears to have not worked out so well.
So do you think that Werth will be able to win over the Nationals fans and get their approval?
"“All I really know about the Nationals fanbase is that they must be so, so sick of Phillies fans wandering in off the street and causing a scene; like 40,000 deranged homeless people showing up in your kitchen and setting up shop. Jayson, however, is not hard to get behind. He’s quiet, and he prefers to be left alone, but he gets along with his teammates, which is really the most important thing. He’s a chick magnet, though–Zoo With Roy once described him as a “…potentially insane and somewhat intimidating stoner,” which at least in Philly, drove the ladies wild. Plus he can play, and by now, you guys have to get to be anxious/excited to see a new guy come in and storm the place. So, not to call you guys easy, but I think chances are that he will win you over without much hubbub.”"
A big deal has been made over the length of the contract as well as the amount of money he will get. Me personally I look at it like this I don’t sign the paychecks and there is no real salary cap in baseball so I don’t mind the Nats overpaying as long as the guy is worth bringing in.
So what is your opinion on the salary is it too much money and is the contract too long? Or do you think that the Nats fans should be happy to see the Nationals organization taking an aggressive approach in bringing in the guys they want and take that as a commitment to winning?
"“I think this deal was mostly about aggressiveness than anything else. Like fighting a bear; obviously, you are going to lose, but that doesn’t mean you won’t run at it screaming with an ax. The Nats’ first step must be to get big names to want to play there, which means they have to become consistent contenders, which means they need some more really good players, which means they will need to overpay the shit out of them; otherwise, the appeal may not be there, especially if guys like Werth are getting Red Sox or Yankees whispering in their ear.This is the initial step of a long process, but you guys know what you’re doing. Its not a $126 million investment in Werth, its in the Nationals’ future. Werth is lucky enough to have the five-tool talent and the free agency to reap the benefits of their first move.”"
The Phillies have been quite successful as of late and boast a number of good bats in their batting order. Washington on the other hand having lost Dunn in free agency and having traded away Willingham really only have one consistently proven bat in Ryan Zimmerman. Granted I do think that guys like Bernadina, Desmond and Espinosa are strong candidates for break out years this season with the Nats but that is something we will have to wait and see on.
So do you think that a large part of Werth’s success comes from playing on a good team and will have a decline in play this season? Or do you think that Werth is just a good player and will be able to put up the same numbers he has in the past even if he is playing on a not so great team?
"“I think this era of Phillies baseball won’t be talked about down the line without an utterance of Werth’s name in dive bars across the city. He is extremely talented on his own, but his role on the Phillies and the overall chemisty he had with these guys put him over the top (at times). He certainly would have been less noticeable (talent-wise, not facially) on another squad, filling the specific role of right-handed bat to protect Ryan Howard, but there is no reason to assume his skills won’t translate to another city.”"
It is common for people to predict how teams will do and sort of eye up the competition in their teams division. Granted I don’t see the Nats even coming close to competing with the Phillies but it is still fun to do.
So what do you see the Nats doing this season as far as wins go?
"“75? 80? Does that sound right? I’d love to see you guys finish above the Mets. Actually, I’d love to compete with you guys for the title, but that may be getting ahead of ourselves. But I think you guys have a great chance to stay out of the basement this year, which, while not seeming like a tremendous thing, has got to be a tad refreshing.”"
Personally I agree with him and am hoping for somewhere between 75 and 81 wins for the Nationals this season. As for the Nationals climbing out of the basement well that is something I would love to see happen. I guess we will have to wait and see though but from myself as well teddyneverwins.com thanks Justin for giving us a couple minutes of your time.
Again for anyone wanting to check out Justin’s writing go to
http://thatballsouttahere.com/
and for anyone who wants to follow me on twitter you can do so at