Chances that Weeks is playing 2B everyday for the Brewers in September?

[rickh150]

50%
If the Brewers get CC, or when the Brewers get another SP this season, the message is clear-win now. Thus, you are not willing to wait for your .210 hitting, weak fielding 2B to maybe come around. My guess is that he gets July to turn things around, and hopefully he does. If not, Dillon/Counsell have been better with the bat and glove this season, or a rental 2B is possible and wouldn't cost more than a front line SP.

[logan82]

I would guess close to 100%.

[Glennron]

If healthy I'll say 95%.

[rluzinski]

If the Brewers get CC, or when the Brewers get another SP this season, the message is clear-win now. Thus, you are not willing to wait for your .210 hitting, weak fielding 2B to maybe come around.

 

Whether you agree or not, it's pretty clear that the Brewers feel Weeks is their best option at 2B right now.

 

If not, Dillon/Counsell have been better with the bat and glove this season, or a rental 2B is possible and wouldn't cost more than a front line SP.

 

Dillon is a complete liability defensively at 2B and Counsell has never been able to hit in his career. If the Brewers want to play someone at 2B who is clearly better than Weeks, they will need to acquire one via a trade.

[owbc]

He'll still be there--90% chance.

 

I think you could see him drop to #8 in the lineup though--and get a higher frequency of Dillon/Counsell starting.

[BrewCrewForever]

I still dream of a Brian Roberts trade, but I doubt that will happen.

[kramnoj]

Dillon is a complete liability defensively at 2B

 

Dillon has played more innings in the majors at 2B than any other position and his ZR there is better than Weeks. It's obviously an incredibly small sample size, but I don't know that you can support a claim of complete liability. You are obviously right in saying that the Brewers feel that Weeks is their best option, but I do think it's possible that Weeks won't be the fulltime 2B if his bat doesn't come around in the next month or so.

[rickh150]

I'll take Dillon over Weeks defensively any day, and I know that Dillon isn't great at 2B. Weeks doesn't have many errors this season to his credit, but how many times has he goofed a double play this year, or put it in the dirt for Fielder, or lost the ball going from glove to hand, or more recently not charged a routine ball behind second, double clutched and let a man get on. Weeks does not have loads of baseball instincts at 2B. He might make a flashy move here or there, but a steady surehanded defender, he'll never be.

Offensively this season, each has a down batting average. However, Dillon seems to hit the ball hard, with line drive outs, consistently. Weeks strikes out waaay too much, and pops up to the right side of the field frequently. Both have decent OBP, but for a guy that plays rarely I'm sure Dillon could be even better.

I know that I'm not the lone Dillon fan on Brewerfan.net, not saying that I hate Weeks. Weeks hustles, he tries, he surely does have a quick bat and skills are there, sure. However, his leash has gotten shorter in my book, if not Ned's. My eyes are telling me the Brewers would be better this year with Dillon at 2B. Maybe I'm wrong, but for me Weeks gets only July to get going.

[endaround]

Just watch Dillon once. He can't get to anything to his left, a big deal when Fielder is at 1B. He can't get down due to a bad back. He's just a butcher up the middle.

[giffted1]

If Hall was hitting better I'd slide him over to second and put Dillon in the platoon at third. Unfortunately, Billy is in the same boat as Weeks right now in terms of offensive production, or lack thereof.

[logan82]

Weeks is still getting on base even without hitting. Not enough, but if he ever starts hitting his OBP will look great.

[kramnoj]

Just watch Dillon once. He can't get to anything to his left, a big deal when Fielder is at 1B. He can't get down due to a bad back. He's just a butcher up the middle.

 

I have watched Dillon, more than once. He's not good. He's not as likely to make a great play. But in his limited innings, he has shown that he will make the routine play more often than Weeks.

[M Skjellyfetti]

I understand that Dillon has had limited playing time and what-not, but Rickie Weeks is still outhitting him this year (although not by much). Throw in the fact that Rickie has a .240 BABIP to Dillon's .289, and that tells me that Rickie has seen quite a bit of bad luck this year, while Dillon's luck isn't likely to improve too much. (Rickie's career BABIP is .297.) I think he deserves a chance to keep playing out the year, particularly because the options behind him are pretty bad as well as because of what he is capable of (see last year).

[DHonks]

Weeks can be at 2b, but he should be dropped to 5th or 6th in the order. Kendall or Hart batting first. I came to this conclusion after watching Weeks swing aggressively during that pinch hit appearance in Phoenix. He swings at the bad pitches and takes the good ones. He's not the same aggressive Rickie that we've seen in either his rookie year (all those homers hitting down in the order) or at the end of last year. Just as a lineup change worked for Hardy, I think it'd work for Weeks

[rickh150]

Weeks is one of our worst hitters now, not only in average but also lately. He is a defensive liability with better options to replace him. Moving him down in the order, sure. Moving him out of the order if he doesn't get it together after 4 months of baseball on a play-off hoping team, yes.

Dillon, on the other hand, hasn't gotten a chance to play everyday. He isn't great in range at 2B, but can turn two and do the routine stuff. Batting wise, the kid takes many balls, sees many pitches, and hits the ball hard. I don't know why he isn't playing more. If Hall sits for over half the games for Branyan, Weeks should be sitting a couple more times a week for Dillon.

[kramnoj]

I understand that Dillon has had limited playing time and what-not, but Rickie Weeks is still outhitting him this year (although not by much).

 

Dillon so far this year has a higher BA, higher OBP and higher OPS+. If there was some hypothetical one game playoff tomorrow, I would start Counsell or Dillon over Weeks. But I do think it is important that Weeks gets the ABs over the next month to see if he can turn this season around, because there isn't any question that he should be playing better and if he is on, is going to give this team the best shot to make the playoffs and go deep.

[T B0NE 10]

I still think batting leadoff is hurting Rickie

[nate82]

Dillon

By Breakdown	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Right	42	5	5	0	0	0	1	4	1	12	0	0	.119	.213	.119	.332

Weeks

By Breakdown	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	HBP	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
vs. Right	204	34	40	8	3	5	19	22	7	46	10	2	.196	.294	.338	.632

Yes I know small sample size. But still Dillon has almost exactly the same stats as Hall does against righties. Dillon won't bat this bad against righties the whole year but I'm guessing it will be around what Weeks is doing right now. You are not gaining much if anything having Dillon playing every day instead of Weeks.

 

Weeks defense has actually gotten better this year and right now is better than Dillon at 2B right now. When was the last time you remember Weeks botching a routine play at 2B? I can't even remember the last time I seen him botch one in the last 2 months.

 

The point here is that if you put Dillon at 2B he is going to help the Brewers lose games more than he is going to help and win games at 2B. Weeks is by far the best option for 2B on the Brewers right now.

[kmcasper23]

If anyone else is playing 2nd in September it may be Escobar if he is not traded.

[rickh150]

Nate, include the lefty stats, could ya? I'll compromise with you- Weeks can bat against righties and Dillon faces the lefties. Actually, right now in the season, that seems pretty fair- Weeks would play over half the games and Dillon would finally get some regular playing time.

[kramnoj]

Dillon won't bat this bad against righties the whole year but I'm guessing it will be around what Weeks is doing right now.

 

Why would you think that Dillon would bat so horribly if he was given enough ABs?

 

Weeks defense has actually gotten better this year and right now is better than Dillon at 2B right now.

 

It is true that this is the best year that Weeks has had according to ZR, but Dillon still rates better.

[TooLiveBrew]

Trying to use defensive metrics on the Brewers' infielders, especially SS & 2B, is a waste of time imho due the the excessive amount of shifting that Yost employs. Dillon is a more sound fielder, but Weeks puts his range to shame.

[silversurferr]

I don't care what the stats say; Dillon is a liability at 2nd. Although the poster above is correct in saying that Rickie has bobbled away some DP's, he has also made more than a handful of spectacular, wide ranging plays. He seems to make the average play, notwithstanding yesterday's mental goofup. Rickie needs to use a longer, heavier bat and get rid of that little league special with the microscopic sweet spot. And if he is gonna hit leadoff, he needs to run more when he reaches. (Yost!!!!!) Terrorize the basepaths, and he'll get more fastballs.

[kramnoj]

Trying to use defensive metrics on the Brewers' infielders, especially SS & 2B, is a waste of time imho due the the excessive amount of shifting that Yost employs. Dillon is a more sound fielder, but Weeks puts his range to shame.

 

I don't know how the shift affects ZR, but presumably Dillon and Weeks are positioned the same, yet Dillon rates better. I don't think anybody is disputing Weeks superior range, but I don't think his spectacular plays outweighs the routine plays he doesn't make.

 

I don't care what the stats say; Dillon is a liability at 2nd

 

I don't think anybody is saying he is good, some are just saying that he has performed better, and in combination with Weeks offensive woes, Dillon wouldn't be a horrible choice to play if Weeks can't turn the season around. Besides, didn't you just put in caps lock in another thread that nothing is more demoralizing to a pitcher than routine plays that don't get made?

[silversurferr]

And, although I like Dillon's versatility, he is hitting .226. Somebody other than Weeks might take over second (pipe dream special: Hardy to second with Escobar at short. Next year....), I hope it ain't Marshall Dillon and Barney Fife Counsell.