Rickie Weeks so far this season

[HiAndTight]

Random question for fans here based on what we've seen/known from Weeks this year and career-wise.

 

If you could be rid of the Weeks' contract right now (about $38M over the next 3 1/2 years), in exchange for nothing (basically, a waiver drop and someone else picks him up), would you do it? Nothing in return, but we don't owe him another dime. Would you go for it?

 

Not yet. I'm willing to give him the rest of the year to figure things out, and probably part of next year as well. I honestly will be shocked if he's 'done'. I have racked my brain, and I can't think of one similar hitter that went from a season like last year to a .160 hitter for seemingly no reason. It's not like he's 38 years old, or some 24 year old who overachieved one season. He's 30 years old, with a track record of several years with relative success.

 

 

Even when the "masses," thought he was bad, he was still a pretty damn good player.

 

At ages 22 and 23 he put up lines of .259/.348/.399/.747 with 21 HR's and 35 SB's. That's a pretty good line for a 2nd basemen, and yet he was still called a bust. His defense however was terrible so his WAR was just 1.3 in those two years in about 185 games.

 

Since then it's been 3.4 in 118 games

2.6 in 129 games with lines of .235/.374/.433/.807 respectively and then .234/.342/.398/.740 coming off the wrist injury.

Those two years he was 24 and 25 and his defense went from AWFUL to below average.

 

Then age 26 season, he got off to a great start, .272/.340/.517/.857 played above average defense, hit 9 HR's in 37 games and put up a 1.4. He was on his way to a great season.

 

So he hadn't yet put it all together yet, but he'd clearly been showing signs and at least being above average offensively.

 

Age 27 season he put up a 6.5 WAR and a .269/.366/.464/.830 line. Superstar status.

Age 28 season he was again on pace to put up a monster season until that ugly ankle sprain, but still finished with a 3.7 WAR, .269/.350/.468 .818 with 20 HR's.

 

So another season in which he was looking at an easy 5 WAR season as one of the best 2nd basemen in the game.

 

So no, I can't possibly see him turning into a .150 hitter who's a negative WAR type guy.

 

 

First of all, he's been doing a MUCH better job of waiting back on the ball the last week. You know when he's going right if he's diving over the plate every AB, or if his step with his front leg is straight forward. Sounds simple, but obviously it's not.

Second, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if after the season we hear he had some injury this year or something going on. He just hasn't looked like himself thus far. Pure conjecture on my part.

 

But no, a player who's been as good as him at his best, and at his worst has still pretty damn good during shortened seasons due to somewhat fluke-ish injuries, is NOT the type of player I want to give up on.

 

And I'll fully admit, I have a bias, because I think if this question was posed for Corey Hart, I'd be more willing to dump Hart than Weeks and Hart's starting to really get a solid run of years behind him now.

 

 

Not to mention, if Prince was our 1B last night, either his groin muscle would have completely detached from the bone, or he'd have had to come off the bag to field the ball.

[HiAndTight]

Obviously Dan Uggla is a better hitter then Weeks but Rickie Weeks is still getting on base despite his dreadful hitting. We are 7 1/2 games back. Playing anyone else but Weeks would be foolish IMO.

 

 

I wouldn't be quite so quick to say he's "obviously," a better player.

 

I would say that he's obviously been healthier. Weeks at his best has been better than Uggla at his. Uggla has simply been most consistently healthy.

[brewtown82]

I find it interesting that Rickie has 22 RBI and 6 HR and a 311 OBP, and Nyjer Morgan has worse numbers, but people aren't calling for him to be traded/cut. In fact, Weeks' OBP is higher than 4 other starters today.

[ninja33]

i'm pretty sure there's a thread about cutting/trading nyjer morgan. and there has been for a few weeks now.

 

morgan also has a .277/.356/.354 line over the past two months. That doesn't take into account a few very boneheaded plays over the past few series....but his job in the 2 hole is to get on base, and he's been doing that pretty well.

[pretendastronaut]

Rickie earned ESPN's Least Valuable Player for the first half of the season, which really isn't a shock. But you have to enjoy in-depth analysis like this;

 

But it still doesn't answer the question: "What the heck happened to Rickie Weeks?" One NL exec's review after his team played the Brewers: "I don't know if he's just angry that his buddy Prince [Fielder] left, or if he's just trying too hard to put up his own power numbers. But his strike zone right now is about two home plates wide."

 

Yes, he's mad that Prince left, I'm sure that's it.

 

Link

[SenatorShriv]

Yes. That's IT! Weeks is throwing the season because he is angry about Prince leaving.

 

ESPN just continues to get worse and worse.

[dlk9s]

That was an NL exec saying that, not ESPN. And I'm guessing the exec didn't really think that - he was saying it as an example of how everyone is struggling to figure out what's wrong with Weeks.

 

R.I.F.

[SenatorShriv]

Got that, but I still think it is a stupid comment to report on. I just don't see any value in what ESPN brings to the baseball reporting world, so I usually try to avoid reading stuff they produce.

[brettac1]

Not to mention that you would think the amount of times he has walked pretty much demonstrates that his strike zone is clearly not two home plates wide.

[endaround]

Not to mention that you would think the amount of times he has walked pretty much demonstrates that his strike zone is clearly not two home plates wide.

Yep. He could end up walking 100 times while hitting under .220

[djoctagone]

.199 at the break!

[TooLiveBrew]

- July so far: .292/.393/.583/.976

- Last 4 weeks: .267/.340/.422/.762

 

Come back to us, Rickie

[JohnBriggs12]

Weeks in the key 9 game stretch since the break: .156/.250/.313, 12 Ks in 32 AB. Those are numbers not unlike his 2011 postseason. Bianchi who is 0 for 11 has been hitting the ball harder.

 

Lets hope in the meaningless 2 months that are left, he gets hot enough to fool another team into taking him because it's just not happening here.

[jerichoholicninja]

Weeks in the key 9 game stretch since the break: .156/.250/.313, 12 Ks in 32 AB. Those are numbers not unlike his 2011 postseason. Bianchi who is 0 for 11 has been hitting the ball harder.

 

Lets hope in the meaningless 2 months that are left, he gets hot enough to fool another team into taking him because it's just not happening here.

 

To fool them into what? Proving he's just having a bad season?

[zzzmanwitz]

Weeks has a higher OBP than Maldonado this season.

[DHonks]

Zzzmanwitz, Maldonado is a backup catcher. Weeks is a run-producer. Not fair to compare them.

[zzzmanwitz]

Well, a lot of people on here look at Maldonado as a future starter. As a hitter, he isn't great, that was my point.

[FullMetalCardigan]

Weeks has a higher OBP than Maldonado this season.

 

Nope.

 

Weeks .308

 

Maldonado .327

 

It's all deck chairs on the Titanic at this point, but Maldonado should be hitting in front of Weeks in the lineup.

[zzzmanwitz]

Including AAA, Maldonado has a .300 OBP.

[FullMetalCardigan]

Including AAA, Maldonado has a .300 OBP.

 

That's nice. Brooks Conrad was hitting .405 in AAA.

[zzzmanwitz]

Ok, clearly my point is being missed. Weeks is having a horrible year, but its a small sample in comparison to his career. Just as Maldonado's success has been at a major league level. I'm guessing Weeks will closer to a .260/.340 hitter that he has shown he is, rather than the .195/.300 hitter he's been this year. It is really discouraging to see this many people turn on a guy who was an All Star last season.

[TooLiveBrew]

Weeks in the key 9 game stretch since the break: .156/.250/.313, 12 Ks in 32 AB. Those are numbers not unlike his 2011 postseason. Bianchi who is 0 for 11 has been hitting the ball harder.

You must be thrilled about this. Like, literally happy.

[rluzinski]

Weeks in the key 9 game stretch since the break: .156/.250/.313, 12 Ks in 32 AB. Those are numbers not unlike his 2011 postseason. Bianchi who is 0 for 11 has been hitting the ball harder.

 

Lets hope in the meaningless 2 months that are left, he gets hot enough to fool another team into taking him because it's just not happening here.

 

To fool them into what? Proving he's just having a bad season?

Weeks just doesn't want it as much as JohnBriggs.

[Funketown]

Weeks' batting line in June-July is still about .235/.325/.400. Not the Rickie Weeks we've been accustomed to over the past two seasons, but still a better than average batting line.

[monty57]

Rickie Weeks will be fine. He's hurting the team this year, but I've heard people calling for his head on a platter before. He'll come back and be a good player again.

 

I certainly don't want to "sell low" on him and trade him for salary relief. Barring what would likely be a bad trade for the Brewers, he will be the Brewers' opening day 2B in 2013, and I'm comfortable with him being there. However, when he's playing well again, I think the Brewers will be wise to look into shopping him. Come this time next year, he could be a big trading chip if he "rights the ship."