1997 Bowman Chrome JASON WERTH RC
Current eBay Price—$2.00-3.00
This late bloomer’s stock began to rise during the second half of last season in which he hit .279 with 13 HR 35 RBI and 12 SB, and his stellar performance in the World Series (8-18 HR 3 RBI 4 SB) could mean that Werth’s cards could experience a significant bump in market value in 2009.
Jayson began his career as a catcher in the Orioles organization before injuries and mediocre minor league performances bounced him to the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and finally, the Phillies. Prior to 2008, Werth was strictly a platoon player whose right handed bat absolutely decimated LHP’s. Last year was no exception, as Werth batted .303/.368/.652 with 16 HR in just 155 AB’s against southpaws. Manager Charlie Manuel decided to give Werth more at bats against righthanders and, while his splits are less impressive, (.255/.360/. BA), there has been considerable improvement which may lead him to feel more confident in taking a more power condusive approach against RHP’s. In addition to his power numbers, Werth has demonstrated that he is a highly aggressive and intelligent baserunner (20 of 21 SB attempts) and an athletically gifted defensive OF as well.
I think that we can expect even more from Werth this season IF he can stay healthy. This has been a problem in the past and he has yet to prove that he can handle the rigors or a 162 game schedule. If he does, it seems quite possible that Werth could bump his numbers up into the 30 HR/30 SB range while scoring 100+ runs at the top part of Philly’s high-octane offense.
Werth’s best 1st year card is the 1997 Bowman Chrome card and, while it is not a rare card, it is one that is difficult to find in bulk quantities. Autographed cards for Werth are not that plentiful either. He has a 2005 SPX auto #/350 that seems like a good bargain at $6-8 and his 2007 UD Elements Autos can be had in the $7.50-10.00 range.
