Jayson Werth: Why Phillies Fans Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves For Booing Him

Ever since Jayson Werth signed with the Washington Nationals in 2010, it has been very hard for me to watch a Phillies-Nats game.

The bearded right fielder made the right decision to sign with Washington, since it was his only realistic choice. However, Phillies’ fans don’t realize that it was his best option, and that has forced me to turn against the Philadelphia fanbase.

How do Phillies’ fans not remember all the good feelings surrounding the former first-round pick of the Orioles after what he did for the Phillies franchise? 

He came to Philadelphia as a bench player in 2007 and was an NL All-Star by 2009.

Can Werth’s 87 home runs from 2008-10 just be forgotten?

The man who had an on-base percentage of .375 for his last three seasons in Philadelphia is going to be omitted from the Phillies’ all-time great memories?

It makes me sick to my stomach hearing Phillies PA announcer Dan Baker’s voice followed by an echoing of boos when Werth steps to the plate at Citizens Bank Park.

Werth should be honored in every Phillies’ highlight video from 2008 and 2009 for his playoff heroics alone.

As the Phillies’ No. 5 hitter in the 2008 postseason, Werth helped win the franchise’s second World Series behind his .309 average, including a .444 average in the World Series.

His historic 2009 postseason should not be ignored, as it unfortunately has been by most Phillies fans. Werth slugged seven home runs in 15 postseason games and was a star in the NLDS against Colorado by driving in the go-ahead run in Game 4 at Coors Field.

Fast forward to December 2010, where Werth was just coming off a season in which he finished eighth in the NL MVP voting. The Phillies, who had their hearts and budget set on Cliff Lee, offered their stellar slugger an insulting deal of $60 million over four years.

With an aging core, the Phillies’ window to win was quickly closing with injuries sure to eventually catch up with them.

Werth was given an important free-agency choice which would shape the rest of his career.

The Phillies’ short offer of four years for $60 million was the worst possible option that the veteran outfielder could have hoped for from the team that he had helped make an annual NL East contender.

When the up-and-coming Nationals gave Werth a contract that he simply could not refuse, he made the correct decision and moved to the nation’s capital.

A Nationals team that would eventually play young studs such as Jordan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Ryan Zimmerman and Bryce Harper all in their primes all but guaranteed that Werth would soon be on another winning team.

Three more years of job security and $66 million more didn’t hurt either.

Werth absolutely made the right decision after his former management in Philly failed to recognize the importance of his role toward the Phillies’ success.

Phillies’ fans have nobody else to blame other than a disrespectful Phillies’ front office and an opportunistic Nationals’ front office for the departure of their former right fielder.

I am ashamed to be a part of this fanbase when fellow Phillies fans boo one of their best players from their franchise’s prime years.

Werth should be remembered as nothing less than a modern day legend, Phillies fans.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com