Jayson Werth Isn't the First OF the Philadelphia Phillies Have Had to Replace

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Jayson Werth became a fan favorite in his four seasons with the Phillies, be it because of his great production on the field, his blue-collar attitude and hard work, or his beard.

Werth his 95 home runs, batted in 300 runs, and stole 60 bases. He was the power right-handed bat that balanced a lefty-dominated middle of the lineup. He also was very good defensively, both with his fielding and his arm.

He was very productive for the Phillies. So productive, in fact, he became too pricey to keep.

A free agent, Werth signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals, numbers the Phillies were in no way going to compete with.

While the fan base is disappointed they won't be keeping their bearded right-fielder, they must remember that the team has lost fan-favorite outfielders before, replaced them without missing a step, and watched the decline of the by-gone outfielder's career.

It all started in 2006, when the Phillies traded Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. Abreu was the Phillies star player, hitting as many as 31 home runs in a season and batting as high as .335. In seven full seasons with the Phillies, Abreu hit .300 or better in six of them.

In the four seasons after the trade, he hasn't hit over .300 and has averaged 17.8 home runs a season.

Not terrible numbers, but the Phillies did a good job of replacing him with Shane Victorino.

In the four seasons Victorino has been a full-time starter, the Phillies have made the playoffs each year. He's won three Gold Glove awards, and has been selected to one All-Star game. He's got tremendous speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, and he provides a ton of energy.

Aaron Rowand was the team's center-fielder in 2006 and 2007 and he cemented himself in Phillies' lore by running into a fence to make a catch against the Mets. He suffered a broken nose, but he made the catch, saved at least one run, and the Phillies went on to win the game 2-0.

His contract year of 2007, he finished career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (89). He signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the San Francisco Giants that offseason.

Rowand has not hit more than 15 home runs, batted in more than 70 runs, or hit higher than .271. In August of this previous season, he became a platoon player.

While he has fallen off the radar in San Francisco, the Phillies moved Victorino to center field and put Werth in right field.

And then there is Pat Burrell. Even though his last three seasons in Philly he couldn't hit higher than .258, he still had a lot of pop in his bat, hitting 29, 30, and 33 home runs. After finally winning a World Series after nine seasons with the franchise that drafted him first overall, he was not brought back and he moved on to Tampa Bay.

Burrell continues to struggle with his average, finishing 2009 with a .221 average and 2010 (with both Tampa and San Francisco) with a .252 average, and he also doesn't have the power numbers he used to put up, hitting 14 and 20 home runs with only 64 RBI both seasons.

The Phillies replaced Burrell with Raul Ibanez, who in his first season in Philadelphia hit 34 home runs, 93 RBI, and had a .272 batting average, along with being named to his first All-Star game. His home run total dramatically dropped last season to only 16, but he still drove in 83 runs and hit .275.

Maybe the change in ballpark goes into these players’ numbers dropping once they leave Philly, but none of those players were more popular on a national scene then when they were a Phillie. And when they left, their replacement rose to stardom.

So with Werth gone, who will take his place?

It could very well be an in-house candidate—most likely Ben Francsico, who came over from Cleveland in the Cliff Lee trade, or farmhand Domonic Brown.

Francisco has been a solid contributor off the bench for Philadelphia, and he could, like Werth, get even better if he became an everyday player. Brown was named Major League Baseball's top prospect by Baseball America in 2010, and like Werth, is considered a five-tool player.

So while it may be disappointing to see Werth leave, the fans should trust that the organization will properly fill his spot in the lineup.

They Aren't Saying Boo, They're Saying Raul

Photo Credits. AP Photo/ Tom Mihalek

When the Phillies signed outfielder Raul Ibanez in December, Phillies fans questioned the decision.

Ibanez never received much publicity playing for a bad Seattle Mariners team on the West Coast, so to the common fan he was an unfamiliar face and name. He was 36, turning 37 in June. He was a left-handed hitter, even though the Phillies already had lefties Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the middle of their lineup. An even bigger reason the Philly faithful were skeptical of the signing was because it meant the team wouldn’t be resigning fan favorite Pat Burrell.

Sure, Burrell received his share of boos during his slumps, but he was a lifelong Phillie. He was drafted by the Phillies and actually signed with them, unlike J.D. Drew. When times were rough, he didn’t run himself out of town like Scott Rolen did. He provided some huge hits for Philadelphia, especially against the rival New York Mets. After the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, Burrell and his dog led the parade. Even when he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, Burrell took out a full page ad in Philadelphia newspapers thanking the fans for a great time as a Phillie and saying that he hoped to see everyone again in October for the World Series.

Throughout the off-season Phillies fans peppered the front office with questions like “Why didn’t we bring back Pat Burrell?” and “Who is Raul Ibanez?”

To answer the latter question, Ibanez was a 13-year MLB veteran. A lifetime .286 hitter with nearly 800 RBI, Ibanez is only one of five outfielders to have 100 RBI in each of the past three seasons, along with Carlos Beltran, Carlos Lee, Magglio Ordonez, and Bobby Abreu.



Now, Ibanez is making Phillies fans ask “Pat who?”

Ibanez is off to a blistering start. He is a much more consistent hitter than Burrell, currently hitting .368—good enough for sixth-best in the major leagues. He has just as much power as Burrell, hitting 13 home runs and 35 RBI so far this season, and he leads the majors with a .735 slugging percentage.

His had his most impressive offensive display thus far this season yesterday against the Washington Nationals. In the first game of a double header, Ibanez went three for five with two home runs and drove in four runs. He followed that up in the second game with two hits in three at-bats, another home run, and three more RBI.

He’s also been clutch, hitting a two-run single Friday night to give the Phillies
the lead in the 12th inning.

Ibanez is a more competent defensive player than Burrell, who was routinely subbed out late in games for a defensive replacement.

Ibanez is proving to be one of the best off-season signings. At a rate of $30 million over three years, Ibanez is also one of the biggest bargains, compared to the high price players such as C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, and Manny Ramirez, who haven’t quite lived up to their hefty contracts.

While Burrell was a homegrown product who was a part of the franchise’s first World Series in 28 years, Ibanez is proving to be a fantastic addition.

Fans are no longer questioning the transaction. And those aren’t boos you’re hearing in the stadium. They are chants of “Raul!”