Jayson Werth | The Golden Sombrero Baseball Blog | MLB, Fantasy, College & High School Baseball News

Golden Sombrero: Miguel Olivo (No. 3)

Bottom 2: Miguel Olivo struck out swinging against Ivan Nova

Bottom 4: struck out swinging against Nova

Bottom 7: struck out swinging against Jamey Wright

Bottom 9: flew out to center against Rafael Soriano

Bottom 11: struck out swinging against Corey Wade

Final Line: 0-for-5, 4 K

Notes: Olivo recorded his third golden sombrero of the season in Wednesday night’s extra-inning game against the Yankees.  In his first sombrero, Olivo accomplished the feat while hitting cleanup for the Mariners.  This time around, the aging backstop did it out of the six-hole.  His second sombrero also came against the Yankees in late July, and he’s now tied with Adam Dunn, Kelly Johnson, Jayson Werth and Grady Sizemore for the league lead. And I wouldn’t rule out it happening again this season considering that his strikeout rate sits at 28%, which is above his career strikeout rate of 26.4%, and he’s already made the most plate appearances of his career.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 115

Golden Sombrero: Jayson Werth (No. 3)

 

Bottom 2: Jayson Werth singled to shortstop against Henry Sosa

Bottom 3: struck out swinging against Sosa

Bottom 5: struck out swinging against Jordan Lyles

Bottom 7: struck out swinging against Lance Pendelton

Bottom 8: struck out on a foul tip against Mark Melancon

Final Line: 1-for-5, R, 4 K

Notes: Werth picked up his third golden sombrero of the season on Sunday afternoon against Astros.  The real story of the game was that Ian Desmond, Rick Ankiel and Ryan Zimmerman hit back-to-back-to-back jacks off of Henry Sosa in the third.  Oh yeah, and that Strasburg guy pitched.  There’s nothing noteworthy about Werth’s season that his .164 ISO and .727 OPS doesn’t already suggest.  He’s now tied with Adam Dunn, Grady Sizemore and Kelly Johnson for the league lead in golden sombreros at three.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 112

Golden Sombrero: Jayson Werth (again)

Top 1: Jayson Werth struck out swinging against Edwin Jackson

Top 3: Werth called out on strikes against Jackson

Top 5: Werth reaches on a fielder’s choice against Jackson

Top 7: Werth popped out to second against Jackson

Top 9: Werth doubled to center against Brian Bruney

Top 11: Werth struck out swinging against Jesse Crain

Top 13: Werth called out on strikes against Matt Thornton

Final Line: 1-for-7, 2B, R, BB, 4 K

Notes: Hitting in the leadoff spot, Werth collected his second sombrero of the season on Friday against the White Sox.  In a game that saw the Nats blow three leads but ultimately win the 14th inning, Werth fanned in his final two at-bats and did nothing to contribute after the ninth inning.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 48

Come on out to the ballpark with us, Part I: A ranking of ten MLB venues

As I sat in the left field corner of Nationals Park last Friday evening, enjoying baseball, banter and beer with friend and colleague Jimmy Chiang, I was reminded once again that watching a baseball game live at the ballpark is one of life’s greatest pleasures.  The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, and even the occasional cry of “Get your ice cold [nine-dollar] beer here!” all make the ballpark a special place, even for those with only a passing interest in the game.

In my 24 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to visit the home venues of ten of MLB’s thirty teams.  While each may provide a different type of baseball atmosphere, some ballparks are certainly better than others, so as I wait to add to the list, I decided to rank the ballparks I have already visited.  Rankings are based not only on the quality of the parks’ bricks and mortar, but also on the experience each provides on any given night at the ballpark.  I am hopeful to one day compile a comprehensive list of all thirty ballparks, but now that I am a third of the way there, here is how each of the first ten stacks up:

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Golden Sombrero: Jayson Werth

Top 1: Jayson Werth called out on strikes against Derek Lowe

Top 3: Werth called out on strikes against Lowe

Top 5: Werth grounds out to third against Lowe

Top 7: Werth struck out swinging against Cory Gearrin

Top 10: Werth called out on strikes against Craig Kimbrel

Final Line: 0-5, 4 K

Notes: Werth’s sombrero lowered his batting average to a painful .226.  Like teammate Ian Desmond, the bearded one struggled mightily against the Braves’ arms on Thursday.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 22