Despite "pure panic" moment, Werth swinging a hot bat

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Jayson Werth was taking swings in the big batting cage just outside The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, just as he would normally do in the minutes leading up to a spring training game in which he was only serving as designated hitter.

This being the Nationals' home ballpark, and him batting sixth in the lineup, he figured he had plenty of time before his first at-bat of the day.

And then at 1:11 p.m., Syracuse hitting coach Brian Daubach quizzically looked at the 37-year-old and said: "Hey, you know we're on the road, right?"

Werth, suddenly remembering the Nationals now share a complex with the Astros and on days like this are actually the visiting team for Grapefruit League games, replied with a curse word or two and immediately bolted.

He ran out of the batting cage, across the scalding hot artificial turf agility field that sits between the cage and the clubhouse, down the tunnel that leads to the first base dugout and realized the Nationals had a top-of-the-first rally going.

"It was like pure panic," Werth said later, able to laugh about the whole thing. "I'm running down there, and all I can think of is they're going to have to pinch-hit for me. And I'm not going to get to (expletive) play today. Dusty's going to be pissed. I'm all totally ready to play. I've done all my stuff. And I'm going to totally miss out. This is all going to be for nothing. And then I got out there and I'm on deck. Whew! Made it! Grabbed all my stuff, put all my stuff on, walked on deck, and I'm like (heavy panting). I was so out of breath. ... It worked out."

Yes, it did. Because at the end of that whole ordeal, which was perhaps one slip on a damp dugout floor from turning into a Wile E. Coyote moment, Werth composed himself enough to step up to the plate, work the count to 1-2 against Astros right-hander Brad Peacock and then launch a ball off the left field foul pole for a three-run homer.

Manager Dusty Baker's response after Werth circled the bases following a most eventful home run in an otherwise sleepy 13-1 spring victory? "Hey man, sprint up there every time!"

"It was funny," Werth said. "There's like four or five of us down there. What time is it? And not one person thought (to mention it). And I asked Dauber: 'How long were you sitting there thinking about that?' And he said: 'For a while!' ... Hey, spring training for everything."

The irony to all this is that Werth traditionally doesn't even take many swings early in the spring. He usually prefers to keep the bat on his shoulder and track as many pitches as he can through his first few exhibition games, getting a better feel for things before he starts hacking away.

But that hasn't been the case this spring. Werth had two at-bats Tuesday afternoon and put the ball in play twice. And today he came up to bat three times and - in addition to the homer - doubled and drew a walk.

What's the explanation?

"I don't know," he said. "I'm a feel guy, just kind of go on how I feel. And most years, things are moving really fast early on, so I just try to ease into it and work my way into playing, see pitches. I don't know, even from when we took live BP early in camp, things are moving slow. So when that's the case, you try to let everything be normal. It's a little odd, I guess, for this time of year for me. I can't explain it. It's just how it is. I have no answers for you one way or another. It feels good. Everything's been good as far as swinging goes. ... Hopefully, I can just hang on to whatever I've got going on right now."

The Nationals would love for that to come to fruition. Werth tends to be a slow starter, and last season was among the most notable examples. Through his first 32 games, he carried a .198 batting average and .258 on-base percentage.

Then, after Baker moved him up to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Werth caught fire. Over his final 111 games, he hit .257 with a .356 on-base percentage, 15 homers and 50 RBIs.

No, those weren't overwhelming numbers, but they were plenty productive for the Nationals, who at this stage aren't relying on the veteran left fielder to carry their lineup so much as provide the kind of quality at-bats in big situations that have defined his career.

Baker likes what he's seen so far this spring, evidence of Werth's offseason work that included high-altitude training.

"He's way ahead of where he was before," the manager said. "That's indicative of how ... he told me he was ready when I talked to him in the winter. And he's doing the mountain training, and he probably hit more this year than he ever did in the winter. So he's on a mission. Hey, take us with you!"

Werth, who is entering the seventh and final year of his $126 million contract, noted that his left hand (which twice has been broken by a pitch, most recently in 2015) feels as strong as it has in a long time, which could be a good omen for a power surge.

Then again, he wants to be careful not to read too much into his performance through two days of March, recognizing how many more days of baseball still remain.

"I don't know, I've played in two games," he said. "Usually I don't mind not having things together, and then camp goes on and I kind of wind up toward the season. But every year's different. You never know."