What do we do next season? Durham or Weeks?

[Gobias Industries]

Year 1: He's a rookie... ok, sure, given.

Year 2: Sophmore slump... just another excuse for under producing.

Year 3: AVG/OBP Production is horrible for his spot, but defense improved a bit.

Foofty: I don't know where you got your information, but it isn't very accurate.

 

He actually had a decent rookie year considering his injury. Second year he definitely improved, and then of course got hurt. And last year he had a very nice OBP for his "spot". Not even close to horrible. Sure his AVG was low, but the BA stat is 100% meaningless.

[DHonks]

I'm tired of Weeks at this point. He might become very good, but I think the offense and defense needs someone more like a Loretta. Weeks=Corey Patterson=Alex Escobar

All overhyped prospects that could have changed the game.

[DougJones43]

I'm just ready to move on from Weeks. Hardy has shown he can play and we have Escobar pretty much ready to go.

Move Hardy to 2B and have Escobar at SS.

That would be my exact solution as well.

 

Weeks has had over 1,500 career at-bats, and has shown nothing more than flashes here and there. He also continues to play poor defense. I've seen enough of him, and I'd like to see him gone after this year. At the very least, Hardy and Escobar would ensure very solid defense in the middle of the infield.

 

 

I'm not sure why everyone is certain that Hardy can play second base. He's a sure handed, strong armed shortstop with average range. He profiles as a good fit at third defensively, but I don't see him fitting at second base because I think his range would be below average over there.

2B is lower on the defensive spectrum than SS, so I would imagine Hardy could play there just fine. I'm certain he would play it better than Weeks.

[rluzinski]

I think Weeks has an above average stick for his position but he's so bad defensively there that it really is irrelevant. I don't think Durham is any better, though. I'd be fine with the Brewers exploring other options in 2009.

[holybannana]

Hardy to 3rd, Escobar to SS. Weeks at 2b. You can't move him to CF because he doesn't have the arm. They toyed with playing him the OF when he was drafted and figured it out real fast they can't. H's a 2b player. I still like the guy.

[reillymcshane]

My prediction is that the club will get rid of Weeks in a the old 'change of scenery' move. Probably good for everyone. Instead, they'll grab a gritty veteran type (Mark Grudzielanek anyone? Aaron Miles, come on down!) to man 2B for a reasonable sum. They'll go after a guy with solid glove and average stick to keep him cheap (and not a lot of years).

 

While I'd love Orlando Hudson or Brian Roberts, they will be too much money (Hudson will get $10-12 million) or too expensive to acquire (Roberts would cost a guy like Escobar, which won't happen - plus he's a FA after 2009 and will make too much to hang around).

 

As for JJ - he probably won't want to switch to 2B - he'd make more money as a SS - and if he moves to 2B, he's hurting his career. Of course, maybe we just tell him he's moving, but that's not a great situation. Perhaps a switch to 3B would be better, but I doubt if it's as easy as it seems.

 

I think the club will keep the core guys together (kendall, fielder, Hardy, Braun, Cameron, Hart), then fill in 2B with a more reliable player. 3B is another story - as we still lack a lefthanded stick. I say go with the Muscle, but that's just me. I don't know if they are willing to give Hall another chance.

 

Gamel and Escobar will only come up if injuries. I think they'll let them acclimate to the better pitching at a slow pace, not start arby clocks until necessary.

 

We could, of course, look to deal Hardy. Best case would be he would be willing to go to 2B or 3B to make room for Escobar - whether in 2009 or 2010.

 

I just don't know if the club is going to stick with the inconsistency of Rickie for another year - both at the plate and with the glove.

 

If we elect to keep Rickie another year, I'm fine with it. I think there's still value there - as someone else pointed out, I wish the club would move him around in the lineup. I think leading off isn't his game. I always felt he coudl be a run producer type - 25+ HR. He seems constrained as the lead off guy - like he's trying to be something he's not.

[dadofandrew]

Weeks or Hardy might be a better question, if not in April '09, soon, as Escobar will be up and at SS soon.

 

I'm a Rickie fan, but given a number of factors, including Rickie's injury history, I'd guess JJ is a member of the organization after Weeks is gone.

[ELCABALLO45]

I think Weeks has an above average stick for his position but he's so bad defensively there that it really is irrelevant. I don't think Durham is any better, though. I'd be fine with the Brewers exploring other options in 2009.

I dont agree with you saying Weeks has an above average stick...

 

Of everyone that is qualifed Weeks ranks...

 

DEAD LAST in BA.

 

13th in OBP.

 

15th in SLG.

 

14th in OPS.

 

Brendan flippin Harris has a better SLG. then Weeks.

[MaxJ72]

The Brewers need to balance their offense next year. They have too many free swinging guys on their team. If they could add someone who could hit consistent and have a decent OPS, that is wha they should look for at 2nd base. As someone said above, a M. Loretta type would be awesome. Who that person is, I don't really know. Rickies D really isn't all that good either, so it would be nice to replace him there as well.

[endaround]

A Mark Loretta type? Mark Loretta: .271/.344/.385 Rickie Weeks: .229/.335/.380 Weeks is a Mark Loretta type.

[TheCrew07]

A Mark Loretta type? Mark Loretta: .271/.344/.385 Rickie Weeks: .229/.335/.380 Weeks is a Mark Loretta type.

If you ignore defense sure... Loretta could at least always turn 2...

[bklynbrewcrew]

I am willing to give Rickie one more season. I think his defense has improved and he still takes lots of walks. I see the offensive potential still and think he needs another season. Hudson supposedly wants 10 mil per year and that is way too much to spend on him. As far as JJ is concerned I would sign him long term and look to move Escobar. JJ is a better player than Escobar will ever be.

[Yeti73]

I agree that on paper moving Hardy to 2nd when you bring up Escobar makes sense. Not sure how that would play out in the clubhouse or whether it would actually work on the field. Weeks will be a decent player somewhere, but it just isn't happening here. You could package him with his buddy Prince and bring in quite a lot I'd think. It is more his defense than his hitting that has been driving me crazy with Weeks. He does seem to be an ignitor, has good speed and always seems to score when he is on base. But he has had so many misplays in the field (even beyond errors) that it is just too frustrating to watch sometimes. Let's not forget that if he turns that DP against the scrubs, the Brewers likely(I know, you never know) win that game. I still think that series would have been totally different if we'd pulled that one out. You can't look backward, but that's what these boards are for right? If he turns that CC is also perfect. I don't think Durham has much in the tank to play more than to serve as an occasional player. Like the guy but let's reassess at the end of the year.

[TheCrew07]

As far as JJ is concerned I would sign him long term and look to move Escobar. JJ is a better player than Escobar will ever be.

That's a difficult opinion to prove either way. Hardy may have more power than Escobar, but players with Escobar's defensive skills don't come around very often. Unless you've seen Escobar play extensively this season it seems like a reach to me to suggest that Hardy's total package will be more valuable than Escobar's longterm.

[endaround]

A Mark Loretta type? Mark Loretta: .271/.344/.385 Rickie Weeks: .229/.335/.380 Weeks is a Mark Loretta type.

If you ignore defense sure... Loretta could at least always turn 2...

If you ignore that Loretta is 37. I'm fine for improving but it has to be an improvement not just a guy. Hudson would be an improvement. Loretta or Grudz would just be a different guy with no upside.

[TheCrew07]

Picking up a Loretta type doesn't mean a 37 year old player on the decline... to me that means someone who isn't flashy but hits well and makes the plays he can get to in the field. More simply put, someone who's solid but not glowing in any particular way.

[endaround]

And who is that player? Loretta has been an undervalued hitter for his career. Take a look at the upcoming 2B free agents. You have Hudson and then nothing. 3 really old guys in Grudz, Kent and Durham. Then you have a 32 year old Ellis who would be better in the field but whose offense is likely to regress even further. Then you have the Felipe Lopez's and Nick Punto's of the world.

[lcbj68c]

What about bringing Mark Grudzielanek home from KC and getting some pitching or prospects for Rickie Weeks? I realize he'll only play maybe 100 games this season, but he is still hitting .299/.345/.400 with only 41 strikeouts in over 330 atbats. His righty lefty splits are nearly identical and Billy Hall could go back to utility infielder, leaving JJ and Escobar to man the left side of the infield. Maybe Grud is the same as Ray Durham in a sense, but I always like the idea of guys finishing their career for their hometown team so to speak.

[homer]

I think the odds of Weeks improving on his offensive numbers from this year are better than the odds that Grudzie maintains those offensive numbers next year at age 38.

[JJHardy7]

I think the problem with Weeks is that he was such a high pick and we really can't let that go. If he was drafted in say the 10th round there would probably be more patience with him. Weeks has frustrated me for a long time because he's shown flashes and there are those for him or against him. It doesn't seem like there's too many on the fence in regards to Rickie. I think his future should come down to how the Brewers approach the off-season. If the Brewers somehow find a true lead-off hitter and move Weeks down the order, I'm fine with that. If Weeks is projected to be the lead-off hitter, I'd be more inclined to make a move.

[BrewCrewBaseball]

I agree with all you you guys on how Weeks just cant seem to take the next step. Everyone gets excited when he starts off hot and then gets hurt. He starts off hot and then he goes into a huge slump. The only option's that make the most sense would be to trade him and let another team deal with the frustration OR move him down in the lineup... like 6 or 7... but who do we have to bat for him in his spot?

Everyone would say Hart, but I love Hart right were he is? What would we do then if we kept Weeks and tried him down in the lineup? I don't see that working and it would only mess with the little offense we have at this point.

I like the I idea of trading him and Prince to the Giants for Lincecum. We can always bring up Gamel at some point to play 1st...Weeks is the bad link on the chain on this team...

[endaround]

And the Giants would laugh at you. I also like how everyone knows we need to get on base more and do better against right handed pitchers but then wants to trade the Brewers most patient left handed hitter.

[RU Rah Rah]

I'd feel better about giving Rickie more time if he had shown significant development over the past few years. But he's actually regressed this year in terms of BA, OBP, and SLG, and his defense is still pretty bad.

 

He's going to turn 26 next month, and he's in his fourth season in the bigs. Is he going to suddenly put it together somehow? I suppose that's the big question.

[Fatter than Joey]

Sure his AVG was low, but the BA stat is 100% meaningless.

 

False. BA is NOT meaningless, after all it is a huge component of OBP and therefore OPS. It is overemphasized for certain, but it essentially necessary to judge how a player performed.

 

If you look at Weeks's stats, he is K'ing a little less this year, but walking considerably less (2007 -- 16%, 2008 11%). I don't think he is going to walk at a 16% rate again, so the

answer for Weeks to get his OPS above guys like Aaron Miles is to hit the ball better -- which he should have the talent to do.

 

As far as his D, he still has weak footwork, and that sidearm throw he makes turning DPs is pretty sad. I really think if he was to become a good defender it would have happened

by now.

[bklynbrewcrew]

Rickie Weeks is the best option that we have at second base. Does anyone really want to pay Orlando Hudson upwards of 10 mil per year? I certainly dont. I have no interest in Ellis or an old player like Grud. Second base is a tough position to find replacements. If Rickie was an outfielder i could see looking for a replacement but he still has a chance to be a well above avg second baseman offensively at a relatively low contract. he is also one of the only Brewers willing to take a walk and that is worth a lot. Lets keep Rickie.