Short Hops: What's a platoon Werth?

Our nomination for most underutilized player of 2008 is Jayson Werth. The Phillies flychaser is an above-average defender at all three outfield posts, can steal a base (16 for 17 this year) and can flat hit. Any kind of pitching. Yet, insisted old-school manager Charlie Manual recently, “When he improves against right-handers, he’ll be a very good everyday player.”

Uh, Manual must be confusing him with Geoff Jenkins, the slow, defensive liability he’d rather start in right field against right-handers. The lefty-hitting Jenkins’ OPS against righties is .735 — below that of the National League average. Righty Werth’s is .788, yet Jenkins has robbed him of a couple of hundred plate appearances.

Werth is mortal poison on southpaws, against whom he’s pounded 15 home runs in only 138 at-bats, but so insistent are the Phillies that he can’t play every day that, when Jenkins got hurt a couple of weeks ago, they went out and got another portside-poking outfielder in Matt Stairs. Manuel started Stairs three times the first week he was on the roster, and not only was the ex-Blue Jay hitless in each game, but he had to be pulled in the sixth inning of every one when the opposition switched to a southpaw.

“Sometimes it’s hard to shake a label,” sighs Werth. Especially if your manager can’t shake a bad habit.

BEANE COUNTER

A’s general manager Billy Beane fancies himself a “stat guy” — a Strat-O-Matic aficionado who’s been at the cutting edge of the sabermetric revolution. So he must really love all those prospects he got when he traded ace Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks and slugger Nick Swisher to the White Sox last winter. Several have been responsible for some of the more interesting statistical notes of the season:

• LHP Greg Smith: His 14 pickoffs are the most in baseball in a decade.

• LHP Dana Eveland: Has allowed the fewest home runs (eight) of any pitcher with at least 25 starts.

• OF Carlos Gonzalez: Was the first player since Johnny Mize in 1936 whose first seven big-league hits went for extra bases. All were doubles.

• 1B Chris Carter: Led all minor leaguers below the Triple-A level with 39 home runs for Class A Stockton.

• LHP Gio Gonzalez: On Monday, allowed the 249,998th, 249,999th and 250,000th home runs in major league history.

• OF Ryan Sweeney: Has not yet made an error in his 300-plus chances in the majors since 2006, nor in his 258 chances over the past two years in the minors.

• LHP Brett Anderson: Made a start for Stockton in which he allowed eight runs in 1/3 of an inning.

• OF Aaron Cunningham: At .320 (8 for 25), now holds the record for highest average ever by an Alaskan with more than two at-bats.

HIT AND RUN

Short Hops’ recurring installment of slapdash observation and imprudent opinion:

The Brewers are 21-22 in games not started by CC Sabathia since they acquired the big fella. If manager Ned Yost blows this again, he could be gone.

One of Sabathia’s competitors for the NL Cy Young Award — and the guy we think should win it — is Tim Lincecum. Take away his 16-3 ledger, and the Giants are 50-77.

The Cy favorite who shouldn’t be is Brandon Webb. After a smokin’ six weeks, he’s 10-7 with a 3.82 ERA since May 21, including shellackings in his last three starts as the D’backs struggle to stay in the postseason picture.

QUOTABLES

“Superman doesn’t make that play, Mighty Mouse doesn’t make it either.” —Yost on a single off pitcher Salomon Torres’ leg that contributed to a Reds game-winning rally.