Phillies 2008 Reunion: Favorite Charlie Manuel Memories
By Matt Rappa
Jayson Werth
The Zoom call’s host, Lidge, then turned to Werth to share his favorite Manuel memory.
“Everybody’s talking about how positive Chuck was. All I remember was him tell me I’d be a good player in like 5-6-7 years!” Werth joked.
Manuel replied, “Hey, J. Dub. Do you remember I [said] you gotta beat somebody out? … You said you want to play every day. … You said, ‘How do I do that, I got to play regular?’ I said, ‘Well, if you play good enough, you’re going to play regular.'”
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In 2007, Werth’s first season with the Phillies after Pat Gillick signed him through free agency, he appeared in just 94 games. Of those, he fielded 76 and started in just 63. Werth even played one inning at first base and recorded a putout that year.
With Burrell in left, Victorino in right and Aaron Rowand in center, there simply was not enough playing time for Werth that year, as the Phillies made the postseason for the first time since 1993 but were swept by the Colorado Rockies in the NLDS. However, Werth’s impressive 49 RBI and .298/.404/.459 slash line that year in a platoon role convinced the Phillies that he can take on a full-time role the following year.
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Werth replied to Manuel, “Then you batted me for four days after I got four hits. I remember them days.'” Manuel answered, “I was a frontrunner. I used to say that all the time. I’m not two-faced, I’m 1000-faced. What the heck?”
“I give you credit, Chuck,” Werth said. “You finally let me play. I appreciate it, man. You hooked me up.”
Shane Victorino
What made the 2008 Phillies roster great was how it was put together. Of course, you had the home-grown players, and even those that were acquired through trade or signed that turned their careers around, like Werth.
But then, there was Victorino, who to this day is considered among the best rule 5 players not just to don red pinstripes, but in the entire league.
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The Phillies drafted Victorino from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the December 2004 rule 5 draft. While he appeared in only 21 games with the Phillies in 2005, he slashed .294/.263/.647 and produced eight RBI. Manuel instilling confidence in Victorino prior to that, however, is what contributed to turning him into the player he came to be.
“I just remember coming over as a Rule 5 kid walking into camp,” the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” said. “When I got sent back after spring training, just Chuck being a positive manager, telling me, ‘Hey, just go to Triple-A. Stay positive. We brought you here for a reason.’ I think that’s a testament to him.”
“Chuck was always positive,” Victorino continued. “[He] always made us play at our best. There’s nothing like playing for a manager like [him].”