Werth_beard_mediumWhere are my tapes?!

Jayson Werth, as he is often known to do, waxed poetic about himself this weekend. In describing – and desperately trying to pinpoint – his 2011 struggles, Werth turned attention to that storied career-killer: late arriving tapes.

Ladies and gentlemen, the one, the only, Jayson Werth: [Nationals.com via Nats Enquirer]

Werth respectfully disagrees with Johnson's assessment, saying he had a tough time finding his swing. It didn't help that his videos were sent to him late in Spring Training and — not the fault of his new teammates, as he puts it — he didn't have anybody on the team that knew when he was at his best in the batter's box. As a member of the Phillies, Werth always had at least two teammates who could help pinpoint problems with his swing.

"If you look at my season, I had three or four different stances because I wasn't comfortable," Werth said. "Comfort in the box was the biggest issue. I couldn't get comfortable. My swing wasn't good. I didn't have my videos from last year until almost April — until the end of Spring Training. Spring Training wasn't sound. Things were a little off. I just kind of marked that up to the situation. I was trying to figure out how to deal with it.

"Since then, I have regained my composure, my style of play and my level of comfort, and played like the player I can be. I have a very unique swing, a very unique swing path. It's my own. There are not too many guys that swing like that."

 

That’s right, the absence of guys like – presumably – Chase Utley to help pinpoint problems with his swing led to struggles for Werth. Not to mention the horrific problem of late arriving videos to the spring training. You know, because all of that stuff isn’t archived on the internet and in the high-priced scouting software programs MLB teams use. No, not at all.

Werth did, however, compliment the Phillies on their continued success:

"I'm happy for those guys in [Philadelphia]. They deserve it. They work hard, if not harder than anybody. They have a very professional veteran team. They know how to win. They have a manager that fits that team and city perfectly. They are at the pinnacle of their careers. Not only this year, they are going to be tough for years to come. The NL East championship goes through Philadelphia for the time being."

 

Yes it does, Jayson. Yes it does.