Life Without Jayson Werth

When Jayson Werth left for Washington D.C., he left a big void not only in right field, but in the batting line up as well. During his time in Philadelphia, Werth did an outstanding job in the 5th spot by protecting Ryan Howard. Having a guy like Werth in the 5 hole forced opposing teams to pitch to Howard thus making the Phils offense more productive. Werth had a big year last year hitting .296 with 27 HR and 85 RBI's. This year the Phillies are left with the monumental task of replacing Jayson and finding a guy who is up to the task of one of the most important spots in this batting line up. There are many possible candidates for the 5th spot among them are Raul Ibanez, Ben Francisco, Domonic Brown, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino. Although some of the guys listed may not seem like your average 5 hole hitters, everyone can and should be taken into serious consideration by Charlie Manuel and the rest of this coaching staff. Over the next couple of days I am going to be writing a "5th Spot Showcase" breaking down each possible 5th spot hitter for you. I will express the pros and cons of having them in the 5th spot, and I will project who I feel will be the best hitter to protect Ryan Howard. The Phils can't rush into any quick decisions. They need to take into consideration everyone possible and really evaluate all of the talent at their disposal.