Days from the January 24, 2023, announcement by the National Baseball Hall of Fame of candidates who may have been elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA), the burning question is not who those candidates, if any, will be. Instead, the burning question is: What morality are BBWAA voters going to legislate for the Hall of Saints this year?

For more than a decade, the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs (PED) has consumed discussion about who should or should not be elected to the Hall, capped by the late Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's now-infamous 2017 missive to voters about keeping the PED Penitents out of Cooperstown. But although the PED predicament remains—among the returning candidates on the 2023 BBWAA ballot are Manny Ramirez and Álex Rodriguez—voters are now finding other performance flaws in candidates to deny them entrance to the Hallowed Hall.

Jayson Werth was a popular member of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship Team.  The Outfielder would be an Al Star in 2009 and was the National League leader in Doubles in 2010 but his better accumulative totals took place with the Washington Nationals where he played from 2011 to 2017.

We have a significant (though not celebrated) retirement in Baseball as Jayson Werth has decided to end his comeback and call it a career. It was a simple statement that he made with Fancred Sports:

“I’m done…whatever you want to call it”.

In the last off-season Werth signed with the Seattle Mariners but never made it to the big league team playing for Tacoma in AAA.

Werth debuted in 2002 with the Toronto Blue Jays where he played for two seasons in a reserve role, eventually moving to Los Angeles where as a Dodger he showed promise. In 2006, a wrist injury would force him to miss the entire season and afterwards would be signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. Werth would be named an All Star in 2009 and that year he would help the Phils win their second World Series Championship. In 2010, he would lead the NL in Doubles and finished eighth in MVP voting, the highest of his career.

The Washington Nationals would sign Werth and he would enter the highest profile run of his career. The Outfielder would play 808 Games for Washington accruing 109 Home Runs. In 2013 and 2014 he would finish fifth and third respectively in On Base Percentage,

Werth retires with 1,465 Hits. He is not going to get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but perhaps he has done enough to be placed on the ballot. That would be 2023.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank Jayson Werth for the on-field memories and we wish him the best in his post-playing career.

When the Washington Nationals signed Jayson Werth to a seven-year, $126 million deal in December 2010, it shocked the baseball community. Skeptics saw it as an excessive overpayment for an outfielder past 30, but GM Mike Rizzo understood exactly what he was getting. The Nationals weren't just adding a powerful hitter; they were acquiring attitude, postseason experience, and a key leader. With his mountain-man beard and long hair, Werth quickly became the emotional core of a burgeoning team, turning a young, struggling clubhouse into division champions.

Werth's 2011 campaign in Washington was a tough adjustment period, but his subsequent seasons showcased top-tier professional plate discipline and high-leverage performance. He had an exceptional ability to wear down pitchers, working long counts and using a disciplined eye to maintain elite on-base percentages. In 2013, he delivered a standout season, batting .318 with 25 home runs and a .931 OPS, finishing thirteenth in the NL MVP voting. He continued that success in 2014, hitting .292 with 16 home runs and 37 doubles, placing eighteenth in MVP voting while leading a 96-win division title run.

For many Nationals supporters, Werth's legacy hinges on a single iconic swing. During Game 4 of the 2012 NLDS against the Cardinals, with the team's postseason hopes at stake, he endured a tough 13-pitch at-bat against Lance Lynn. His walk-off solo homer into the Washington bullpen sparked wild celebration at Nationals Park, creating a memorable moment that securely established him as a local legend.

Although age and a series of shoulder and foot injuries gradually reduced his defensive ability and playing time toward the end of his contract, his veteran leadership remained steadfast. When his seven-year contract ended after the 2017 season, he officially retired, leaving a lasting impact on the culture of baseball in the Nation's Capital.

With Washington, Werth amassed 781 hits, 140 doubles, 109 home runs, and 393 RBIs. Despite 423 walks against 650 strikeouts, he posted a .263/.355/433 line with an 113 OPS+.