Washington Nationals Editorial: Where Does Jayson Werth Rank Among NL East Left Fielders?

Michael Bourn – Atlanta Braves

Last season, Bourn began the year with the Cleveland Indians, but he was traded to the Braves in August along with Nick Swisher for Chris Johnson. In 141 games between the two teams, he had a slash line of .238/.310/.282 with 30 RBI’s and 17 stolen bases.

Out of the 42 games Bourn played with the Braves last year, he played 28 of them in left field, but his two gold gloves in 2009 and 2010 with the Houston Astros came as a center fielder. Bourn is far from the player that he was in 2012 when he was named to the All-Star Game for the third time, stole 42 bases, and had an on-base percentage of .348.

Bourn will be 33 years old this season and is entering the final year of his contract. He has a $12 million vesting option for next year, but it is only guaranteed if he makes 550 plate appearances, which he hasn’t done each of the last two seasons.

Another name to keep an eye on for that position is Hector Olivera. Olivera was dealt from the Dodgers to the Braves in July of last season. Although he played third base in the 21 games he played with Atlanta last year, he did play three games in left field during the Puerto Rican Winter League.

With Atlanta in re-building mode for this season, left field does leave a lot to be desired. At the very least, the Braves need Bourn to hit better than .221 like he did last season to allow time for some of their younger outfielders to develop in the minor leagues.

Next: Number Four

 Odubel Herrera – Philadelphia Phillies

In a year where rookies stole the show in the National League, Herrera’s 2015 season went under the radar. In 136 games, Herrera had a slash line of .297/.344/.418 with eight home runs, 41 RBI’s, and 16 stolen bases in 24 attempts. He was mainly in center field last season, but he will likely slide over to left field with the offseason acquisition of Peter Bourjos going to center.

If you compare his numbers to other rookies last season, he was tied for third in steals with Michael Taylor, fifth in batting average, and fourth in hits (third among National League rookies behind Matt Duffy of the Giants and Kris Bryant of the Cubs). Plus, his 30 doubles were just outside the top ten among all NL outfielders (tied for 11^th).

The 24-year-old will be looking to continue his development after a strong finish to the 2015 season. In the second half of the season, Herrera hit .329 with four home runs, 17 RBI’s, and a .394 on-base percentage (seventh among NL outfielders). Against the Nationals last year, Herrera hit .271 in 59 plate appearances with five RBI’s and a .338 on-base percentage.

Despite a strong season last year and his 3.8 WAR being the best of any player on the Phillies, expectations are low for Herrera’s sophomore season. According to Fangraphs, Herrera is projected for a three win decrease in WAR and Philadelphia’s left fielders are projected for the lowest WAR of any team in baseball. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Phillies’ Rule V selection in December 2014 has a strong sophomore season.

Next: Number Three

Jayson Werth – Washington Nationals

It was a tough injury-plagued year for Werth in 2015. He had the offseason shoulder surgery and then broke his wrist in a game on May 15 against the Padres, causing him to miss over two months. In just 88 games, Werth had a slash line of .221/.302/.384 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI’s.

Werth’s 88 games played were the fewest he has played in a season since 2012 (81 games). Plus, he swapped positions defensively with Bryce Harper as he moved from right field over to left field and there were some rough patches.

As I mentioned in my column about Werth in January, his defensive runs saved total of -10 was the lowest of his career (courtesy of Fangraphs). Werth will be 37 in May and he is in the final two years of his contract. While he’s not the the 36 home run guy he was with the Phillies in 2009, he can still be a contributor to a lineup on a winning team and hit 15-20 home runs in any given season.

That being said, Werth’s role could be decreased as he might not play everyday and Michael Taylor could see some time as the fourth outfielder in left field. According to Fangraphs, Werth is projected to have a 1.3 WAR, which is better than the -1.6 WAR he had last season. If he can avoid injuries, Werth will bounce back in 2016, but he only makes it to number three on my rankings because of the potential of the top two left fielders.

Next: Number Two

Michael Conforto – New York Mets

This choice will arguably be the most debated on my list, especially since Conforto has not played a full season in the big leagues. However, with Cuddyer retired and Yoenis Cespedes in center field, Conforto is going to be the everyday left fielder in New York.

He made his Major League debut on July 24 last season after spending the first half of the year in the minors at high-A Port St. Lucie and double-A Binghamton. In 56 games, he had a slash line of .270/.335/.506 with nine home runs and 26 RBI’s. His home run total in the second half was fourth among all Mets and he was fifth in RBI’s.

Conforto, who will be 23 in March, had his breakout game in the World Series last year against the Kansas City Royals. In Game 4 at Citi Field, he went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs.

As far as his defense goes, he had nine defensive runs saved in left field last year (according to Fangraphs). To me, when I watch Conforto since he was playing for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League, I see a complete player that can hit for power and contact and play good defense.

While Conforto isn’t the star for the Mets right now, he has the chance to be one of the best hitters in this lineup over the next few years. If you look at how Fangraphs projects his 2016, they give him a 2.1 WAR, his total from 2015. He is one of six left fielders in the National League to have that high of a WAR. Keep an eye on Conforto going forward because he looks to be that good of a player.

Next: Number One

Christian Yelich – Miami Marlins

Yelich was one of the best hitters in the Marlins’ offense last season. In 126 games, he had a slash line of .300/.366/.416 with seven home runs and 44 RBI’s. While Yelich has never hit ten home runs in a season during his three years in the league, that doesn’t take way from the good numbers he has in other categories.

If you compare him to other left fielders in the National League, he was tied with Cespedes for seventh in RBI’s, second in average and on-base percentage (behind David Peralta of the Diamondbacks), and third in .OPS (behind Justin Upton of the San Diego Padres and Peralta). His 3.5 WAR was third behind Peralta and Starling Marte of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Yelich, who is heading into his age 24 season, is known for his defense. He won the Gold Glove in 2014 and he was a finalist year (Marte won the award). According to Fangraphs, he had 13 defensive runs saved for the second consecutive year.

Some other stats that stand out about Yelich’s game is that he is a doubles machine. His 30 doubles last year were tied with Marte for the most among NL left fielders and his 16 stolen bases were third (behind Cameron Maybin of the Braves and Marte).

Those are my rankings, but I want to hear from you. How would you rank the left fielders in the NL East and where does Jayson Werth rank on your list? Let the debate begin.