Rickie Weeks so far this season

[Gobias Industries]

Yeah I agree with that Madtown, but for the first time in a long time he's hitting the ball hard once a game.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if he has a big series against the Dbacks. Hitters paradise plus a day off to relax.

 

And that's as long as my leash would go with Weeks. If he goes back to his old routine this weekend of striking out a third of his at bats and not hitting the ball solid with any regularity, I think you have to DL him and let him go rehab somewhere where he's not killing the team. Nearly any AAAA second baseman can out produce his current line.

[Invader3K]

 

And that's as long as my leash would go with Weeks. If he goes back to his old routine this weekend of striking out a third of his at bats and not hitting the ball solid with any regularity, I think you have to DL him and let him go rehab somewhere where he's not killing the team. Nearly any AAAA second baseman can out produce his current line.

 

You can't just DL a guy for striking out a lot. They have to have an actual injury.

[longball04]

He's got a bad wrist. Remember? Plus has anyone figured out if he actually has a minor league option left?

 

I agree on the Snakes series. If he hasn't figured it out by Monday, then my leash is gone. You have to move on at some point. Something has to change.

[Invader3K]

He's got a bad wrist. Remember? Plus has anyone figured out if he actually has a minor league option left?

 

I agree on the Snakes series. If he hasn't figured it out by Monday, then my leash is gone. You have to move on at some point. Something has to change.

 

I guess the question is if the team is confident in Taylor Green (or someone else?) to play at 2B for an extended period.

 

I don't think Weeks has any options left, though I could be wrong.

[Baldkin]

He's got a bad wrist. Remember? Plus has anyone figured out if he actually has a minor league option left?

 

I agree on the Snakes series. If he hasn't figured it out by Monday, then my leash is gone. You have to move on at some point. Something has to change.

 

I guess the question is if the team is confident in Taylor Green (or someone else?) to play at 2B for an extended period.

 

I don't think Weeks has any options left, though I could be wrong.

 

It's not a question of whether he has options left, it's that he's been in MLB too long to be optioned. A player with 5 years of experience cannot be optioned without his consent, so Rickie would have to agree.

[monty57]

If he hasn't figured it out by Monday, then my leash is gone. You have to move on at some point. Something has to change.

 

Weeks is being paid $11MM this season, $11MM in 2013 and $12MM in 2014, plus has an option (I'd assume with a buyout) for 2015.

 

Ramirez is paid $6MM this season, $10MM in 2013 and $16MM in 2014 with a $4MM buyout in 2015.

 

We are not "moving on" from either of these guys anytime soon. We are going to sink or swim with these guys. I think they will heat up and play better at some point, but if they don't, we will not be a good team for a few years. Braun is awesome, and some of the role players are actually playing pretty well, but when two of your key guys forget how to hit for an extended period, you're not going to score runs, and not going to win games.

[jerichoholicninja]

Weeks is not going to the minors. If he's asked to, he should immediately ask to be traded and I would not blame him one bit.

[reillymcshane]

Rickie gets the 'worst at bat of the year' - http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/24742/rickie-weeks-has-worst-at-bat-of-season

 

It's painful to read. Even worse to watch the strikeout.

 

http://i.imgur.com/uOiNh.gif

[JohnBriggs12]

Weeks is not going to the minors. If he's asked to, he should immediately ask to be traded and I would not blame him one bit.

 

If they were really lucky, he'd be so mad, he'd retire.

 

If the Brewers could trade him, they'd do it in a heart beat. There aren't takers for guys hitting .155 and leading the league in strikeouts, much less guys with contracts like Weeks.

 

The good news is we'll be spared having to watch him in the HR derby this year. He'd probably swing and miss.

[longball04]

By moving on, I am referring to platooning if you have to, but at least get someone in there that is going to make contact. Its not like he is some plus defender at second where you can give away something offensively because he is a stud defensively. He constantly tries to backhand grounders and never tries to get his body in front of them. His arm is not accurate either, although it has improved over the years. Right now, he is hitting under .160. No other team in major league baseball would trot him out there day after day hoping he is going to break out of it. They would give him days off, start to platoon him, etc. If they did trot him out there, he certainly wouldn't be batting in the top 7 of the order. It hurts me to say this, but I would rather have Izturis' pathetic offense right now than Rickie's. At least he puts the ball in play.

 

Some on here say that 155 at bats is no barometer as to how he will do this season because he has shown in the past how good he really is. Do the math. To get to the Mendoza line in the next 155 at bats (a little over half a season), he has to get to 62 hits (38-155) or a .245 batting average. To get his average to .250 he needs 78 hits or hitting at a .348 clip. What in his current approach makes you think he can get either of those?

 

I wasn't suggesting sending him down. I was asking if he had options. Obviously I did not know the 5 yr rule. But at what point do you platoon him. And by the way, that strikeout is disgusting. He missed that ball by at least 2 feet.

[longball04]

The good news is we'll be spared having to watch him in the HR derby this year. He'd probably swing and miss.

If I recall, he swung and missed last year in it.

[Baldkin]

Rickie gets the 'worst at bat of the year' - http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/24742/rickie-weeks-has-worst-at-bat-of-season

 

It's painful to read. Even worse to watch the strikeout.

 

http://i.imgur.com/uOiNh.gif

 

Here's that AB... the green pitch is the one he K'd on.

http://pitchfx.texasleaguers.com/matchup/489265/430001/?from=5/22/2012&to=5/22/2012

 

It was utter filth, Rickie thought it was a fastball, and if it was, it would've been in the zone and strike 3 looking.

[monty57]

I'm just saying that over the next three years, somewhere around 20-30% of our entire payroll will be eaten up by Weeks and Ramirez, so the problem is only going to go away if they start hitting.

 

I don't know what will get them to start hitting: keeping them in the line-up, sitting them for a few days, flying in their moms to cook them dinner, having them see a sports psychologist, taking them fishing with Uecker... whatever it takes, they need to start hitting or we are going to be a bad team for the next three years. I don't think it will happen, but if they both remain this bad we will long for the days of the Suppan and Hall contracts.

 

As much as it hurts to watch them play right now, sitting them on the bench or putting them into a "permanent" platoon can't happen because of the contracts they signed and how much it would hurt us for the next few seasons. Personally, I'm willing to give up on this season if that's what it takes to get their heads screwed on straight for the next couple of seasons, or to have any possibility that they heat up enough that someone would trade for them in the offseason.

 

I doubt anyone will bail us out of Ramirez's back-end-loaded deal, but Weeks' game has never been about batting average. He has enough power and plate discipline that he could go on a tear and get his OPS high enough to show he still has value, whether that's to us or to someone else in trade.

[rluzinski]

 

Some on here say that 155 at bats is no barometer as to how he will do this season because he has shown in the past how good he really is. Do the math. To get to the Mendoza line in the next 155 at bats (a little over half a season), he has to get to 62 hits (38-155) or a .245 batting average. To get his average to .250 he needs 78 hits or hitting at a .348 clip. What in his current approach makes you think he can get either of those?

 

155 has limited value with regard to estimating future performance. Your analysis does not address that fact at all.

[thebruce44]

Weeks is not going to the minors. If he's asked to, he should immediately ask to be traded and I would not blame him one bit.

 

If they were really lucky, he'd be so mad, he'd retire.

 

If the Brewers could trade him, they'd do it in a heart beat. There aren't takers for guys hitting .155 and leading the league in strikeouts, much less guys with contracts like Weeks.

 

The good news is we'll be spared having to watch him in the HR derby this year. He'd probably swing and miss.

 

Seriously, you are going to throw out his entire career for 1/4 of a season, and then assume every GM in baseball would do the same.

[Madtown343]

Weeks is going to play nearly everyday for the rest of the year. Why even debate that?

[FVBrewerFan]

Weeks is going to play nearly everyday for the rest of the year. Why even debate that?

 

Honestly? Because there is no thread about Yuni or McGehee this year.

[Gobias Industries]

It was utter filth, Rickie thought it was a fastball, and if it was, it would've been in the zone and strike 3 looking.

If Weeks thought Romo was gonna throw him a fastball on 0-2, he's got a lot more problems then I even thought.

 

There is no way that ball started anywhere close to the strike zone. Most ML players would see that the split second it's released from the pitcher's hand. Not a "good" slider by any stretch, especially by Romo's standards. Just a waste 0-2 pitch to see if a struggling hitter chases.

 

Romo's a great pitcher, but Weeks had two lousy at-bats against him in the series. The first one he cut through a hanging slider, and the second one........that gif. My god. About the worst swing ever.

[Madtown343]

Weeks is going to play nearly everyday for the rest of the year. Why even debate that?

 

Honestly? Because there is no thread about Yuni or McGehee this year.

 

 

Understandable I guess. However, neither Casey or yuni b were guaranteed 30M over the next three years.

 

Weeks is going to get every chance to hit out of this, and that means all of this year and beyond.

[longball04]

 

Some on here say that 155 at bats is no barometer as to how he will do this season because he has shown in the past how good he really is. Do the math. To get to the Mendoza line in the next 155 at bats (a little over half a season), he has to get to 62 hits (38-155) or a .245 batting average. To get his average to .250 he needs 78 hits or hitting at a .348 clip. What in his current approach makes you think he can get either of those?

 

155 has limited value with regard to estimating future performance. Your analysis does not address that fact at all.

So you are using his past performances to dictate that you think he is going to get better? To think that, then you should be seeing a slight INCLINE or RISE in his batting average, because that would dictate that he is progressing this year as his at-bats increase. The longer he stays in this funk, the harder it is going to be to get that average above the Mendoza line. Also, you should be seeing his contact rate INCREASING as well right or his BaBIP or whatever that stat is.

 

Not to burst your bubble, but those trends are not increasing.

April:

.186/.320/.360/.681 86 AB's and 28 strikeouts

May

.116/.238/.188/.426 69 AB's and 30 strikeouts

April BaBIP .236

May BaBIP .184

 

I don't see it increasing. I don't see anything good happening right now. Correct me if I am wrong. 155 at bats might not be a good judging factor, but right now, it's what we have to work with. I don't live in the past. I would think you would want a "what can you do for me now" attitude in baseball. If you are horrible now, and horrible is a light term , but were decent in the past, that only gets you so far.

[valpocrewsader]

It was utter filth, Rickie thought it was a fastball, and if it was, it would've been in the zone and strike 3 looking.

 

There is no way that ball started anywhere close to the strike zone.

 

This. That pitch started 6 inches off the plate, was a full foot off the plate about 20 feet from home, and was 2 feet off the plate by the time it crossed. It was one of the most hilariously bad swings from a non-pitcher I've ever seen.

[gregmag]

Weeks is not going to the minors. If he's asked to, he should immediately ask to be traded and I would not blame him one bit.

 

If they were really lucky, he'd be so mad, he'd retire.

 

If the Brewers could trade him, they'd do it in a heart beat. There aren't takers for guys hitting .155 and leading the league in strikeouts, much less guys with contracts like Weeks.

 

The good news is we'll be spared having to watch him in the HR derby this year. He'd probably swing and miss.

 

Seriously, you are going to throw out his entire career for 1/4 of a season, and then assume every GM in baseball would do the same.

Well, come on -- he's no Yuni.

[rluzinski]

Weeks' pitch was especially bad but batters swing at terrible pitches all the time. How many times have we seen a batter strike out on a ball that bounces 5 feet in front of the plate? Sometimes batters decide to swing even before the pitch is thrown. That's going to make them look foolish on occasion.

[monty57]

Correct me if I am wrong. 155 at bats might not be a good judging factor, but right now, it's what we have to work with. I don't live in the past. I would think you would want a "what can you do for me now" attitude in baseball. If you are horrible now, and horrible is a light term , but were decent in the past, that only gets you so far.

 

By that logic, every offseason GM's have nothing with which to evaluate players. Everything they've done has been "in the past," and none are doing anything at the present time. Maybe everyone should play in the Dominican Winter Leagues so that GM's can get a good feel as to what the players will do the coming season.

 

Weeks has a lot of talent, and his history shows that he knows how to hit. To the best of my knowledge, he is not injured in a manner which would cause this "slump," and he is not old enough that he should see a huge regression from last year to this year, so unless he forgot how to hit, his past history should lead us to believe that the odds are in his favor to break out of this slump. There isn't some set pattern with how a player breaks out, so showing what he did in April vs May really doesn't show anything.

 

It is entirely possible that he will never hit well again, but I would bet against it. If that does happen, then the Brewers will have a big hurdle to overcome with his contract.

[Thurston Fluff]

To me the question isn't whether he will he get out of it or not but how long it will take. One thing I noticed with Weeks is his bad streaks seem to last an awful long time. Look at 2008 for instance. He had virtually the entire season to get right and never did. No idea why or if it's just my imagination but it appears to me he can lose it for a whole season then come around the next. If it takes 2/3 of the season to get going are the Brewers going to be able to stay in the race until he does come around? Will he repeat 2008 and never come around? If so do we need to replace him or just give up on the season? It's a tough situation to figure out.