At least two members of the 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies will become eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time next year.
Jayson Werth — who played for the Phillies between 2007 and 2011 — will be eligible for the Hall of Fame ballot in 2023. While Werth racked up 1,465 hits and 36.1 fWAR during his 15-year career, he doesn’t have much of a Hall of Fame case, and figures to fall off the ballot after one year.
The Phillies made the playoffs in all four of Werth’s seasons with the team, and his 11 postseason home runs are the most in franchise history. Werth made an All-Star team with the Phillies in 2009, when he homered 36 times and drove in 99 runs. A season later, Werth led baseball with 46 doubles in what turned out to be his final season with the Phillies.
Werth became a free agent following the 2010 season, and landed a seven-year/$126 million deal from the division-rival Washington Nationals. For a franchise that had relocated from Montreal in 2005, the signing of Werth was a landmark moment for the Nationals. The Nationals reached the postseason for the first time in 2012, and four times in Werth’s seven seasons with the team. In September of 2018, Werth was inducted into the Nationals’ Ring of Honor.
Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz, who lasted played in 2017, will also become eligible for the ballot next year. Affectionally referred to as “Chooch,” Ruiz spent parts of 10 seasons with the Phillies, and was a National League All-Star in 2012.
While Ruiz had his fair share of big hits, his top attribute as a player was definitely his work behind the plate. Yadier Molina may have blocked him from winning any Gold Glove Awards in the senior circuit, but pitchers — including Hall of Famer Roy Halladay — loved working with Ruiz:
Ruiz was behind the plate for four no-hitters thrown by Phillies pitchers, which matched an MLB record. Most notably, Ruiz was behind the plate when Halladay tossed the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history in Game 1 of the 2011 NLDS.
Like Werth, Ruiz is likely to fall off the ballot after one year. Two of Ruiz’s former teammates — Jonathan Papelbon and Ryan Howard — fell off in 2022, their first (and now only) year on the ballot.
Ruiz is a pretty sure bet to one day be elected onto the Phillies Wall of Fame. Werth, despite a relatively short stint with the Phillies, certainly could be a candidate as well.
Three other former Phillies — Joe Blanton, Chad Qualls and Joaquin Benoit — meet the standards of having played at least 10 years in the league and having been retired for five years to be eligible for the ballot in 2023 as well. However, there is a screening committee that whittles down eligible candidates to make the ballot manageable for voters, and it’s unclear if any of that trio, especially the final two, will make it beyond that barrier.
In 2023, Werth and Ruiz will join four other former Phillies on the Hall of Fame ballot; Billy Wagner, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins.
2024 will be a bigger year for former Phillies on the Hall of Fame ballot, as six-time All-Star Chase Utley will make his debut. So will another six-time All-Star in José Bautista, who finished a career largely spent with the Toronto Blue Jays with the Phillies.
The former outfielder has picked up a second career as an organic farm since hanging up the cleats. He has a 500-acre farm in downstate Illinois, giving him little need for his Virginia estate. D.C. fans can’t watch Werth play at the park anymore, but there is still a chance for one to take over the home he lived in while hitting .263 with 109 home runs over seven seasons in a Nationals uniform.
For now, that is. Werth put his four-acre estate in McLean, Virginia, up for sale in October 2019 and it’s still on the market. Now listed at $6.495 million, Werth’s home includes 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms, two guest houses and, of course, a batting cage. The former outfielder also assembled a full workout room, added a flight simulator and installed a radiation-protected panic room.
Werth bought the home in 2011 after signing a seven-year, $126 million deal with the Nationals. He lived there with his wife, Julia, and their two children. The secluded estate backs up to Great Falls Park and includes a backyard, pool and outdoor patio. Werth, a car buff, took advantage of a nine-car garage that includes lifts for storing vehicles.
Like Werth, Ruiz is likely to fall off the ballot after one year. Two of Ruiz’s former teammates — Jonathan Papelbon and Ryan Howard — fell off in 2022, their first (and now only) year on the ballot.
While Ruiz had his fair share of big hits, his top attribute as a player was definitely his work behind the plate. Yadier Molina may have blocked him from winning any Gold Glove Awards in the senior circuit, but pitchers — including Hall of Famer Roy Halladay — loved working with Ruiz:
In 2023, Werth and Ruiz will join four other former Phillies on the Hall of Fame ballot; Billy Wagner, Scott Rolen, Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins.
Ruiz was behind the plate for four no-hitters thrown by Phillies pitchers, which matched an MLB record. Most notably, Ruiz was behind the plate when Halladay tossed the second postseason no-hitter in MLB history in Game 1 of the 2011 NLDS.
The Phillies made the playoffs in all four of Werth’s seasons with the team, and his 11 postseason home runs are the most in franchise history. Werth made an All-Star team with the Phillies in 2009, when he homered 36 times and drove in 99 runs. A season later, Werth led baseball with 46 doubles in what turned out to be his final season with the Phillies.
Werth was also a key figure in Washington Nationals history when he signed a seven-year free-agent deal with the franchise in December 2010. He helped them make four playoff appearances from 2012-17.
After brief cups of coffee with the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, Werth found success as an everyday player with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2007-10. The Illinois native won a World Series in 2008 and led the league with 46 doubles in 2010.
Werth signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners in March. He appeared in 36 games with their Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma, hitting .206/.297/.389, and his last contest came June 8.
Selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the first round of the 1997 draft, Werth made his MLB debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002.
Former Major League Baseball All-Star Jayson Werths playing career has come to an end after 15 years.
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