Nationals’ Jayson Werth Explains Why the Team Is Struggling
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Elip Schechter/MLB Photos via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Last season, the Washington Nationals were among the best teams in Major League Baseball with 98 wins. But this year, wins have been harder to come by and outfielder Jayson Werth has his own theory as to why.
Heading into Saturday, the Nationals have yet to live up to their lofty preseason expectations, going 37-36 to start the season. Outfielder Jayson Werth, who is among the team’s veterans, thinks he’s figured out why the team has been struggling to get wins in 2013.
“Last year, we cruised,” Werth told ESPN’s Jason Stark. “You don’t learn how to win that way. So when you get into those big games in September and in the playoffs, when you’ve led wire-to-wire and you cruised into the finishing line, you never really had to work for anything. But [this year] I feel like, if we’re going to win it, we’re going to have to work for a lot.”
Werth went on to say that dealing with adversity can only help the team mature and develop. The Nationals are a relatively young team, and Werth feels that this is good experience for the younger players.
The 34-year-old Werth has been with the team since 2011 and is no stranger to winning. Back in 2008 he helped the Philadelphia Phillies take home the World Series.
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