WASHINGTON — Former Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth said in an interview Wednesday he’s walking away from Major League Baseball after 15 seasons.
“I’m done … whatever you want to call it,” Werth said in a phone interview with Jon Heyman of FanCred. “No regrets, man.”
Werth, 39, spent this season playing for the Seattle Mariners’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, Washington, batting .206 with four home runs and 19 RBI.
Werth is considered the Nationals’ first big money free agent signing, inking a 7-year, $126 million deal in 2011 and helping the Nats become a playoff contender after years of losing. Werth tallied 109 home runs, 393 RBI and 450 runs with a slash line of .263/.355/.433 in D.C.
Famous for his reckless abandon on the field, and long hair and beard, Werth quickly became a fan favorite. The Nationals made the playoffs in four of his seven seasons, and Werth’s walk-off home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS is considered one of the most thrilling moments in D.C. sports history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntJb6nh3lDs
Werth was drafted 22nd overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round of the 1997 MLB June Amateur Draft. He was in the minor leagues until 2002, when he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays and converted from catcher to outfielder.
In 2004, Werth was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he would spend two more Big League seasons. He would miss the entire 2006 season with a wrist injury before signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Werth made a name for himself in Philadelphia, winning a World Series title in 2008 and making the lone All-Star appearance of his career in 2009, a season in which he had career highs in home runs (36) and RBI (99).
For his 15-year career, Werth had 229 home runs, 799 RBI and a slash line of .267/.360/.455 in 1,583 games.
