Rollins on Werth: ‘When He Left, He Left a Big Hole There’

Former Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins has had a lot to say, in an exiting interview with CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, about the past, current and future state of the only franchise he has known thus far in his career: the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the interview, Jimmy Rollins praised Jayson Werth, teammate from December of 2006 to November of 2010, about his impact on the team:

"He was a big piece, always was. Hitting behind Ryan [Howard], he could hit the ball from foul pole to foul pole. What he did defensively. Taking great routes. He could throw. He fit right in with the personalities we had in that club house."

Whether Werth was truly missed in 2011 is a question left to be answered. Clinching a playoff spot on September 14, the Phillies won a franchise-record 102 games that season, and led the league in attendance for the first time with 3,680,718 fans. Rollins argued otherwise:

When he left, he left a big hole there — not only on the field but just [with] the chemistry of that team.

There have been a lot of moves (or the lack thereof) surrounding the Phillies and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. that have left a lot of "what-ifs" in the minds of their fans. One of these, for example, is not keeping Cliff Lee in 2010. Letting Werth leave to the Nationals in the 2010 offseason to sign a seven-year, $126 million contract, is perhaps a close-second in the running.

The Phillies never really had a replacement for Werth in the early-going until Hunter Pence was acquired at the trading deadline. Once brought to Philadelphia, and examining at his overall numbers from 2011, Pence clearly had the bigger impact for his respective club than Werth that season.

Hunter Pence: