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