May 16 -- WHAT'S HE WERTH?

It sounds corny, but it's true. The great thing about sports is, on any given night, you may witness something you've never seen before.

I wasn't around in 1910, when Kitty Bransfield became the first Phillies player to record eight RBIs in one game. That must've been a special day. Gavvy Cravath (Aug. 8, 1915), Willie "Puddin' Head" Jones (Aug. 20, 1958) and Mike Schmidt (April 17, 1976) joined Bransfield in the Eight RBI Club, but I wasn't present for their big days, either. So, for me, watching Jayson Werth drive in eight runs with three homers last night against the Blue Jays was a first.

Werth's performance was impressive on so many levels. First, it came on a chilly, rainy night that anyone in the Phillies' clubhouse will tell you wasn't pleasant for hitting. Second, Werth's first two homers (a three-run shot in the second inning and a grand slam in the third) were opposite-field numbers. The grand slam practically dented an advertisement on the facade below the second deck in right field.

Then, consider this: Werth's big night came less than two years after he nearly retired.

I've written about this before for The News Journal, but the story never gets old. In June 2006, Werth was on the Dodgers' disabled list after undergoing surgery on a broken left wrist that simply wouldn't heal. He went home to Springfield, Ill., where he was getting the mail one day when he was stopped by a doctor and family friend who lived next door. The man referred Werth to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where Dr. Richard Berger diagnosed him with a split tear of the ulnotriquetral ligament in his wrist, a condition that typically afflicts bowlers and golfers and may have existed in Werth before A.J. Burnett's fastball broke his wrist in spring training 2005. In August 2006, Berger performed surgery that, ultimately, saved Werth's career.

But even after he signed with the Phillies, Werth wasn't sure he could still play. Sitting on the bench for most of the first half of last season didn't help convince him. Then, Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn were injured July 31 in Chicago, and Werth stepped in, batting .414 in August. Still, his pre-injury power hadn't returned. Werth routinely put on homer-hitting shows in batting practice. One day last September, I recall him crushing pitches into the upper deck at cavernous RFK Stadium in Washington. Ryan Howard recounted seeing Werth hit Bernie Brewer's slide atop the left-field bleachers at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Now, finally, that power is translating into games.

Werth has nine home runs, tied with Howard and Pat Burrell for second on the Phils behind Chase Utley (14). Charlie Manuel said in spring training that he believes Werth has 30-homer potential. That certainly seems possible.

"I had that bad injury and missed a year," Werth said last night. "It's tough to get opportunities in this game. That's one thing they give out very rarely. I had a chance in LA and got hurt. Then, I was able to get healthy and come here. It was a blessing in disguise, I guess, because now I'm here with this group of guys. That was special tonight. I've never had a curtain call. I had two tonight.

"Who knows where I'd be right now if I didn't get injured? One thing when I was coming up was I always knew I had power, and I possibly could hit some home runs in the big leagues. Now that I'm healthy, I am hitting them. Hopefully, they'll continue to come. They always say home runs are accidents. I hope I have 20 more accidents."

So, how many homers do you think Werth can hit? And, if you were Manuel, how would you arrange your outfield rotation to get him enough at-bats? Keep in mind that Werth, Burrell, Victorino and Geoff Jenkins are all capable of playing every day. Would you continue to platoon Jenkins and Werth? Or would you let Werth start against everyone, not just lefties?

Go ahead, discuss.