Rickie Weeks: Let's enjoy how far he's progressed

[TooLiveBrew]

Tired of the Betancourt discussions. I'd like to talk about something awesome.

 

Rickie Weeks was a polarizing figure for many seasons on BF.net. But I'm not sure I've ever seen a player go so far to fulfill extremely lofty expectations like I've seen with Weeks. One thing he was criticized for was having "potential", but not being close to realizing it... and that he probably never would. He has realized his potential on both offense & defense -- he's an asset in the field, not just better than awful. And his

offense... I'm not sure that anyone on the Brewers hits the ball harder,

consistently, than Weeks.

 

The Rickie Weeks Experience has been an awesome ride. He's grown so far, both on offense & defense; it's just a joy to watch him play every day for me. Not only is he an outstanding talent, but he hustles his butt off. Hard not to like a guy like that. Just for some perspective, here are some comments about Weeks from years past (no usernames, to protect the innocent):

 

 

- Weeks' chance is slipping away quickly. If he does not develop into an adequate defensive and offensive player by the end of

this year, it will probably force the Brewers' hand into making some type of move.

- Rickie Weeks cannot hit. I'm sorry. Hopefully, I'll be proven very

wrong, and soon. But there are only so many excuses you can tolerate. ... He hasn't shown that he can "hit" since AAA.

- it's time to stop the hand holding. Rickie needs to prove he belongs or get used to sitting on the bench.

- While Rickie Weeks may not be a career .225 hitter, I

don't think he is a .457 hitter either, so I prefer to stop going back

to this fallacy argument about his "potential" as a reason to have him

as

our 2nd baseman for the next 10 years.

- He's still very raw and may very well develop into a solid baseball

player, but right now he's not even close...I'd call him a toolsy guy

that hasn't learned how to play the game yet. It's tough to consider

giving up on him, but it's also tough watching him repeatedly make the

same rookie mistakes that he's made before.

[yfinn6]

Nice post, TLB. Rickie is probably my favorite Brewer to watch hit because, like you said, he hits the ball so hard when he makes contract. It has been nice to see him progress and get better, but more importantly it's nice to see him stay healthy because he is such an asset.

 

I still think he can get better, but I'm definitely happy with how far he's come.

[Oldcity]

My favorite Brewers have been Ben Sheets and Rickie Weeks, which for a good amount of time was about as "lightning rod" of a choice I could have made. Weeks is a great player, and his contract was a steal.

[RockCoCougars]

But people back in 2008 thought that Ray Durham was the answer (on JS Online, at least) and Rickie was a .240 hitting bust.... they were hoping that the Orioles or Braveswould be 'gullible' enough to give us Brian Roberts or Kelly Johnson for him. Rickie is proof that hard work (paired with immense talent) pays off. I think that he's a top 3 second baseman now, and one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.

[logan82]

Not really a fan of Weeks. He strikes out to much and his BA sucks.

[sabometrics]

As a Reds fan, I haven't liked Weeks' progression. Not. One. Bit.

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J8YZHkGZpoI/TVWabgcaYoI/AAAAAAAAAAg/dkVLbrS9W0A/s220/joker_face__Wallpaper_JxHy.jpg

 

The guy can flat out destroy a fastball. One of the most feared bats in the whole league for me, as he always seems to destroy the Reds. Can he stay healthy for another entire season? Really the only question that remains.

[Ennder]

Not really a fan of Weeks. He strikes out to much and his BA sucks.

I don't know if this was meant as a joke or not, but this has been most of the crux of the argument right here. People who think strike outs are a bigger deal than they really are and people who place way too much value in AVG. Weeks has always been a pretty good hitter but only a decent player because of his defense. His glove has improved and his power has increased which makes him a really good player who could even take the next step into a great player if he can repeat last year.

[logan82]

Not really a fan of Weeks. He strikes out to much and his BA sucks.

I don't know if this was meant as a joke or not, but this has been most of the crux of the argument right here. People who think strike outs are a bigger deal than they really are and people who place way too much value in AVG. Weeks has always been a pretty good hitter but only a decent player because of his defense. His glove has improved and his power has increased which makes him a really good player who could even take the next step into a great player if he can repeat last year.

When was the last time I made an argument for a player based on BA, strikeouts, or RBI?

[The Truth]

Is 250 PA as a 22 year old in AAA too small of a sample size? I don't think it is and I think the line of .320/.435/.655 reflects the "potential" of a former #1 draft pick

 

Has he lived up to that potential? Not yet but he sure is getting there. 29 HR's last year, a full season healthy, a .366 OBP

 

He still chases the outside breaking ball but not nearly as much as early in his career. I love his hustle, his leadership, his toughness, and the way he mashes fastballs. His defense is light years better than at the start of his career

 

As a rookie his "potential" was looked at as a Braun or Fielder. He hasn't lived up to that. He may never live up to that, but he's a very valuable asset to the Brewers

[The Truth]

I think it is worth noting that Rickie Weeks' career OBP (.356) is higher than Robin Yount's career OBP (.342)

[endaround]

And I still hate the Brewers for forcing Weeks to play injured in 2005

[logan82]

Weeks is arguably worth more since he plays a more difficult position and actually can play close to or average defense. If Braun and Fielder want to reach Weeks level they need to play better defense.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I've always loved Rickie Weeks. Been on his bandwagon through all of the injuries and struggles, and now during his huge success. It's good to see him finally reaching his potential. I'm glad we now have him locked up for the prime years of his career also. I hope he gets to the All-Star game this year.

[cwolf2012]

I love that I can basically tell all my casual fan friends "I told you so." I know, it's immature, but I've been defending the guy against detractors for 5 years now, and it's finally happening. He's now the perrenial 5+ WAR capable player I knew he would be. Obviously, that's a bit premature since he only has one big season and a good start to a 2nd, but darn it, I'm going to say it.

[RobDeer 45]

Yep I was always on his bandwagon. My friends still bring it up when he does something sweet! haha. Guy works hard, plays hard, and doesn't say much (which is probably good!) I love everything he brings to the table.

 

I should probably say this, I tend to be loyal to 85% of our guys, especially the ones that we draft and bring up through the system. But weeks has always been a huge favorite.

[Oxy]

It's too bad that he had the bad wrists. He's really made slow and steady progress throughout his career in every aspect of his game, and I can only imagine his injury issues played a big part in how slowly he has developed. It's all in the past now though, and hopefully he is an all-star for the rest of his time as a Brewer. It wouldn't be shocking to see him creep into MVP discussions either, although that certainly isn't a likelihood.

[Gobias Industries]

And I still hate the Brewers for forcing Weeks to play injured in 2005

The big fallacy of Weeks' career was that he was rushed to the majors. He wasn't. I could see looking at his numbers from 05 and thinking that but the thumb injury was what actually killed his numbers that year. Idiotic decision by the FO, but did they force him to play thru it? I'd guess Weeks pleaded to play. Still, that's no excuse.

 

I do think he has become somewhat overrated by a lot of Brewer fans....and that's kind of funny because he was completely underrated from 07-08. He still does strike out too much. If he could play a full season and strike out 150 times instead of 180, you'd probably be looking at a elite player instead of a well above avg one (and I don't think anyone argues he's not above avg). He's streaky as all hell. At the end of the year I guess it doesn't matter how you get your numbers, but it does indeed suck to have a blackhole at the top of the lineup when he goes thru one of his epic two/three week slumps.

 

I'll admit I actually gave up on Weeks last year in May, which was stupid because I was a ardent supporter of him up until then. He was OPSing below 700 and I figured he wasn't worth keeping around long term. Never thought he was a "bust" though. Glad he proved me wrong.

[endaround]

I remember Yost at the end of the season saying yeah Weeks was injured but we wanted him to get exposure to the major leagues, were told he couldn't make it worse (I think swinging with a bad thumb could, I don't know screw up your swing and hurt your wrists) and they wanted him to work on his defense (yes with a bad thumb). Thing is the Brewers were decent in 2005 and while unlikely to catch the Astros' 89 wins with someone else at 2B they could have easily had a winning season.

[Thurston Fluff]

His defense seems way above expectations. His eye is good with above average power and he runs the bases well. I think the scary part with him is, with his bat speed and quick wrists, he could still learn to hit for average.

[dadofandrew]

22 year-olds improve, almost without exception. So do 24 year-olds. Why some fail to see this, I'm not sure.

 

We see this in the NBA all the time, team drafts guy at 20, gives up on him at 23. Player develops into what everyone thought he would be at 25/26.

[bobskube]

TLB:

We finally agree on something! I have backed Rick since day one and it was not always easy with all the harsh criticism that he has gotten. I know I have been a severe critic of Hart, JJ, Turnbow, and especially the worst player ever (Bill Hall); but I have stuck by Rick from the beginning. It was obvious he had tons of talent but he needed to figure it out. I really believe the leadoff role hurt him quite a bit initially because he was taking far too many pitches to get on base. How many times did he take two strikes down the middle and then swing at a dirt ball on strike 3? Nice to see improvement there even though he might be sacrificing a few walks.

The thing is...I still think he will improve even more. I look forward to watching it.

[Flood Pants]

I think what has always impressed me the most about Weeks was his patience at the plate. Even early in his career when he was struggling to hit for average and power, he was one of the most patient hitters in the lineup. He always took the walks. Now in addition to that, he forces pitchers to throw him strikes then jacks them out of the park. He may not have even reached his offensive peak yet.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I never jumped off the Weeks' bandwagon, but I did wonder if he'd ever reach his true potential because of the injuries and setbacks.

 

Now, it looks like the Brewers' patience with him has been rewarded.

 

I do think this is about his peak....... we're going to get a nice 4-5 year stretch of about an .825 - .875 OPS guy. I wouldn't be shocked or staggered to see him reach .900, but I think really, he's pretty close to maxed out offensively.

[Nottso]

Weeks is among my favorite Brewers, if not my very favorite. Love the hustle, the work ethic, everything about the guy. I would be very happy to have any of my Grandchildren say "When I grow up, I wanna be a ball player, just like Rickie Weeks." And believe me, that's the one single biggest compliment I could pay any ball player.

[TooLiveBrew]

He may not have even reached his offensive peak yet.

 

This is a recurring comment that I should have considered a bit more carefully in creating this topic. I tend to agree, and can't fault anyone for disagreeing with me that he's fully reached his potential... which is scary-awesome.