Washington Nationals: Jayson Werth Our Player Of The Week

Washington Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth has gotten off to a terrific start to the 2017 season, especially considering he’s 37 years old. He continued his hot streak this week, leading to him being named District on Deck’s player of the week.

Jayson Werth signed an enormous seven-year contract with the Washington Nationals in December of 2010, and is still producing as much as ever in its final year. The wily veteran, who will turn 38 later this week, has been doubted by many, but has proved everyone wrong. He has gotten off to a phenomenal start this season, batting .303 in what most expected would be an average year at best.

On top of his outstanding offensive prowess, he is still an above average defender in left field. According to FanGraphs, he has a .918 revised zone rating (RZR). To put that in context, .900-.939 is considered great. While many people would like to see him be removed late in games for a superior defender, he is just as good, if not better than most defenders in the league. He is no longer an elite defender, but he covers plenty of ground and has an accurate arm.

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Werth continued his excellent play this week, recording three multi-hit games in five games played. He also reached base safely in every game. The Nationals offense has been arguably the best in the league, and Werth has played an integral role. He has quietly been putting together a very nice season, overshadowed by Ryan Zimmerman, Bryce Harper, and Daniel Murphy.

The Nats needed someone to step up and produce at the top of the lineup after losing Adam Eaton for the year, and Werth has been the perfect man for the job. In 40 at-bats in the two-hole, he has hit an astronomical .350 and has scored nine runs. He has had success while batting second throughout his career, and has continued this season.

This week was an exceptionally productive week for Werth. He played in all five games and led the Nats in runs (six), hits (nine), doubles (two), homers (three), RBI’s (four), batting average (.500), on-base percentage (.609), slugging percentage (1.111), on-base plus slugging (1.720), total bases (20), extra base hits (five), and pitches seen (115).

Of all the statistical categories he led the team in, a few stand out. His batting average was .500 (.500!!!), the next highest average was Matt Wieters, who hit .353. His on-base plus slugging (OPS) also stood out. His OPS was 1.720, which was a whole .549 higher than Bryce Harper’s 1.171. If your OPS is .549 higher than anyone else on the team, that’s really saying something.

Werth’s best game of the week was Sunday when he led the way for the Nats, going 4-for-5 with two homers. To make his performance even sweeter, it was at his old stomping grounds in Philadelphia.

Werth had another fantastic game on Wednesday against the Orioles, going 2-for-3 with a clutch homer. He led off the bottom of the ninth with the Nats losing 6-4, and set the tone for the inning with an epic 11 pitch at-bat capped by a home run. The Nats went on to win the game, but they may not have been able to complete the comeback without his homer, which was instrumental in ending the Nats’ three game skid.

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Werth has gotten off to an outstanding start to the 2017 season, and hasn’t looked anything like a 37-year-old. While this level of play may not be sustainable, it has been great to see him perform so well. He takes terrific care of himself, and if anyone could remain an impact player into their late thirties, it would be him. The Nats have been one of the best teams in the league so far, and it wouldn’t be possible without the excellent play of Jayson Werth.

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