My Sincerest Apologies, Mr. Werth!

For the past year, I have been very vocal in my displeasure with Washington Nationals’ right fielder, Jayson Werth.  In my other blog, I have referred to him as “Werth-less,” “lousy,” and “just plain awful.”  (You can check out my other blog on http://www.prosportsblogging.com/)  Well, I’m happy to say that Mr. Werth is finally hitting, and in doing so has given himself a batting average of .362 (tenth in the Majors) with a .444 on-base percentage (OBP).

So what has Werth done recently to break out of last year’s funk?  Some say it’s the fact that first baseman Adam LaRoche has been effectively getting on base before Werth (LaRoche has hit in 8 of his last 10 games and has a current .333 batting average); others say Werth is “seeing the ball better” (something that this legally-blind blogger doesn’t quite understand!).  Whatever the reason, Nationals fans are happy that he is hitting and no longer has to be booed by Nats fans.

Jayson Werth is currently third in the Majors with 17 hits, and so far he has had 6 multi-hit games.  He looks pretty solid in right field, and manager Davey Johnson has said that right field is where Werth will stay (there were rumors during the off-season that Werth was going to be moved to center field).  The $126-million-dollar “Boras Boy” will be with the Nationals until 2017, and hopefully will continue producing consistently.

So on another note… Did you notice that the Nationals are 1 ½ games in front of the Mets in first place in the National League East?  Despite their .348 combined slugging percentage, the Nats are on top of their division, due largely in part to their stellar pitching.  The Nationals' starting rotation has combined to post a 1.69 ERA this season, which is by far the best in the league.  Nats starters have also held opposing hitters to just a .179 batting average, which makes Nationals’ sluggers breathe a sigh of relief.  Third-baseman and #3 in the lineup, Ryan Zimmerman, is off to a slow start, as is catcher Wilson Ramos.  In an ideal world, the pitchers would continue to be stellar and the offense could continue to relax.  But since this is not Oz or Disney World or some made-up perfect world, Nationals’ batters need to start doing some more hitting – Ian Desmond and Jayson Werth cannot carry this team by themselves!

In non-Nationals news, did you hear about Jamie Moyer?  He's a pitcher for the Colorado Rockies, and last night he became the oldest pitcher in history to earn a win.  Jamie is 49 and still going strong - I remember him playing when I was in college, and that was a LONG time ago!  Nolan Ryan always comes to mind when thinking of old pitchers, but Moyer has Ryan beat.  I know I've mentioned Jamie before, but I had to give him a shout-out after his first victory this season.  Way to go, old man!

Oh, and the Orioles!  I have to mention them, because they too are in first place in their division, with a 7-4 record.  Adam Jones had hit safely in every game this season until last night, and left fielder Nolan Reimold has homered in 4 consecutive games.  I know it's early, but wouldn't a Nationals/Orioles World Series be something totally exciting?  That's not going to happen, but I had to mention it since the two DC-area teams are in first place (for now).  Let's see how long that lasts...

Respect Your Elders!

Opening Day for Major League Baseball is just a few days away (though the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's have started their season already with a series of games in Japan earlier this week).  For all the teams, that basically means they have just a few days to make their final cuts to achieve their 25-player rosters; the grounds crews of all the ball parks are scrambling to get their parks looking pretty; and my kids are rolling their eyes at the realization that "American Idol" will be replaced by baseball games on our one-television household.

This is also a time to catch up (if you haven't done so already) on which veteran players are back for another year, and which ones did not succeed at free agency and had to accept retirement.  Yankees catcher Jorge Posada announced his retirement during the off-season - he was not very happy last year being relegated to the designated hitter position and batting in the bottom of the batting order.  He had an excellent career but can now focus on spending time with his family and working on his Foundation, which helps children with special needs.

Also possibly retiring (though it's not official yet) is 38-year-old right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, Magglio Ordoñez.  Magglio is a free agent who has only been made minor-league offers, so he has said that he will more than likely retire if nothing better comes along.  I mean, really - you had a great career in the Majors and they want you to go down to the minors to try out?  No thanks!

In the same boat (and you knew I couldn't blog without mentioning him) is Iván Rodriguez, who still wants to play, still wants to reach 3,000 hits, and still continues to work out and practice rigorously in hopes that his phone will ring.  The Kansas City Royals were supposedly interested at one point, but no offer has been made.  Poor "Pudge" - who wouldn't want a 40-year-old catcher who has been plagued with injuries in the last 2 seasons?  I know, I'm not doing a good job selling him.  It may just be time for Iván to call it quits.  :-(

But hey, there are several old guys returning to the Majors this year, so it's not all bad news.  49-year-old lefty pitcher Jamie Moyer (yes, I said 49!) is expected to make the starting rotation for the Colorado Rockies this year.  He's older than my husband, made his debut with the Chicago Cubs when I was a freshman in high school, and has played for 8 teams in his 24-year career.  I'm rooting for Jamie - I hope he makes it into the starting rotation and has a solid year - as long as the games don't go too late into the evening so he doesn't have to stay up past his bedtime.

Also returning this year will be shortstop Omar Vizquel, who earned himself a spot with the Toronto Blue Jays.  Vizquel will be 45 at the end of April, and he can still field a ball like a hall-of-famer.  Do you want to start up a really good debate with a die-hard baseball fan?  Ask him or her to pick between Vizquel and Ozzie Smith for the title of "Best Shortstop Ever" and you'll get 50 valid reasons to support one over the other.  Personally, I prefer Vizquel mainly because I watched him play more - Ozzie was a little before my baseball-game-watching time.  We'll see if everyone else agrees with me when Vizquel retires and is eligible for Hall of Fame voting.

You know who else is back?  Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte (39) and righty closer Mariano Rivera (42).  Pettitte just came out of retirement and has been pitching quite adequately in Spring Training, and Rivera, well, he just doesn't get old!  They are both two Yankee greats that even Yankee haters respect - let's just hope they're not great enough this year to get into the post-season!

Finally, I can't end a blog about geriatric players without mentioning Jim Thome.  Thome is 41, and thanks to Ryan Howard's torn Achilles tendon, is being given the chance to play first base for the Philadelphia Phillies.  Thome spent most of his career with the Cleveland Indians (where he played along with Vizquel), and is just one of those guys everyone loves.  Again, let's hope he has a good season individually; we don't need the Phillies in the playoffs again this season!