Amaro: Ibanez Almost as Productive as Werth
Ruben Amaro is selling Kool-Aid! Get it before it's gone!
Amaro says Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez are similar: [Philly.com]
Werth's struggles with runners in scoring position were often mentioned this past July, as some fans were calling for him to be traded to make room for Domonic Brown. He was pretty poor in those situations. Let's see how he stacked up against Raul.
At bats with runners in scoring position:
Werth – 140
Ibanez – 148
OK – so Amaro was a little bit off about Ibanez having fewer opportunities to drive in runs.
Average with runners in scoring position:
Werth – .186
Ibanez – .304
So why isn't there such a great disparity in runs driven in? Jayson Werth hit 18 solo home runs this past season, accounting for just over 21% of his RBI total. Raul Ibanez hit nine solo home runs, just shy of 11% of his RBI total.
Where Raul Ibanez also falls short of Werth is in his ability to get on base and score runs. Werth scored 106 runs, as opposed to Ibanez's 75. And not only did Werth bat 21 points higher, but he also walked 82 times to Ibanez's 68, although he did have the advantage of having Shane Victorino and Ibanez hitting behind him, as opposed to Carlos Ruiz and the pitcher.
And then there's the fact Werth is a better fielder, thrower, runner, and, oh yeah, seven years younger, so I must ask: why compare these two? I would rather compare whoever plays RF next year with Werth. But, as Gelb points out, this could be posturing to increase Ibanez's trade value in an offseason where the Phillies figure to risk getting even more left-handed. In that case, we'll just keep quiet about all those other details, like hitting and fielding.
Well played, Ruben Amaro.