Philadelphia Phillies: Why Hunter Pence Is a Better Fit Than Jayson Werth

Despite passing on re-signing Jayson Werth this offseason, the Phillies may have found a replacement who is even better.  

After turning to Ed Wade for help yet again, Ruben Amaro Jr. acquired the most coveted hitter on the market in Hunter Pence.

After less than a week with the club, his presence in the lineup is already being felt. In just six games, Pence has maintained a .360 batting average with his new club and upped his overall BA to .311.

Additionally, Ryan Howard seems to be benefiting from the added protection Pence provides batting behind him in the lineup. Since Pence’s arrival in Philadelphia, Howard is hitting .346 with nine RBI and four home runs.

To put that in perspective, Howard hit just three homers in the month of July leading up to the trade on July 30. The Phils haven’t lost a game yet with Pence on the roster.  

Obviously, it’s way too premature to make any long-term assumptions based on these numbers, especially given the extremely small sample size provided by Pence’s time here. But on the surface, Pence is a far better fit in Philadelphia than Werth would have been had the Phillies chosen to write the enormous paycheck it would have taken to keep him.  

Since signing a blockbuster seven-year $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals, Werth has seen an enormous decline in his level of play. He is hitting a measly .224, second lowest on his team, and surpassed by every starting position player in the Phillies’ lineup.

The right fielder has only 42 RBI this year, an incredibly low number considering Werth was signed as a player who, as Nats GM Mike Rizzo put it, “brings an edge to the ballclub.” Rizzo also at one point referred to his new presumed franchise player as “elite.”

But, as this year has evidenced, Werth is hardly capable of leading a team without a substantial supporting cast similar to what he had in Philadelphia.

While Werth makes an average of $18 million a year until he nears the age of 40, Pence will remain under the Phillies’ control through the 2013 season, making far less than that figure. By saving that large sum of money at the position, Amaro was able to bring Cliff Lee back, who unlike Werth, has so far lived up to his contract.

Lee has been the player everyone expected him to be, with an ERA of 2.96 and five shutouts. Although there were doubts when it was first reported that the Phils’ interest in Werth had diminished over the offseason, it all seems to have worked out for the better.

Pence said he got “chills” from the fans during his first game as a Phillie. This is a stark contrast from Werth’s lackluster approach to the fans, highlighted by an incident in which he screamed at a fan for what he thought was interfering with a foul ball.

Werth further distanced himself from the fans after his departure saying, “I hate the Phillies.” Whether he said it as a joke or in sincerity, the message boards and blogs were ablaze with fans furious with Werth’s apparent disdain for the team that got him a ring. 

Werth was a great player for the Phillies, and he surely enjoyed the time he spent with the team, fans included. But it’s refreshing to have a player who is actually hungry for a ring—a player who’s never been in a pennant race, and who is experiencing a winning environment for the first time in his professional career.

Since the Phils let Werth walk, Pence might just provide the extra boost to bring another parade down Broad Street.

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