Born in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, in Lancaster County, Wert attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he played baseball for the "Diplomats." He was signed by the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1958 and played several years in the minor leagues.\n', '

Wert reached the major leagues in 1963 at the age of 24 and became the Tigers\' regular third baseman from 1964–1970. Though never a strong hitter, Wert earned a reputation as one of the best fielding third basemen. In 1965, Wert played all 162 games for the Tigers and led all American League third basemen with a .976 fielding percentage, marking the only year in the 1960s that a third baseman other than Brooks Robinson had led the league in fielding. He also led the team with 159 hits, had a .341 on-base percentage fueled by a career-high 73 walks, and even showed some power with hit 12 home runs. With his performance in 1965, Wert was selected for the first annual "Tiger of the Year" by the Detroit chapter of the Baseball Writers\' Association of America, and also finished No. 10 in the American League Most Valuable Player voting. Wert had his best season as a batter in 1966, when he had a .268 batting average, .342 on-base percentage, 20 doubles, 11 home runs, and 70 RBIs.\n', '

On June 24, 1968, during a game in which Jim Northrup hit two grand slams, Wert was beaned in the 6th inning by Cleveland Indians pitcher Hal Kurtz. The pitch hit Wert in the head, shattering his batting helmet. Wert was carried off on a stretcher, spent two nights in the hospital, missed several games, and was never the same hitter again. He had never hit lower than .257 in five prior seasons, but his batting average dropped to a career-low .200 in 1968, as he managed only 107 hits in 536 at bats.\n', '

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