Rickie Weeks 2014

[Bombers]

Per @AdamMcCalvy: RR says #Brewers have asked Rickie Weeks whether he'd try LF. He declined. Details will be in the notebook.

 

I am curious to what his problem is with trying out LF. It's pretty obvious he won't unseat Gennett and play 2nd base more than he has been

[AZBrewCrew]

I get that Rickie is a veteran and all, but wouldn't learning another position help boost his own value?

[Bombers]

I get that Rickie is a veteran and all, but wouldn't learning another position help boost his own value?

Without a doubt. To me it honestly goes back to Yost refusing to try him at other positions when he was younger. Now at an older age, he has been bumped from starting and is next to useless as a backup who can only play 1 position.

 

I am honestly pretty shocked by this. From him being such a "good teammate" to guys like Carlos Lee and Matt Stairs being able to man the position. This is pretty disappointing.

[pretendastronaut]

I get that Rickie is a veteran and all, but wouldn't learning another position help boost his own value?

 

Or get him some more playing time?

 

I have mixed emotions about this. I'd really much rather give the playing time to Davis so he gets more experience. But c'mon Rickie, you're making 11 million dollars sitting around on the bench. How many players on this team have played spots they've never played before in the past two seasons? Braun has moved positions twice.

 

I have to admit, this made me less of a Weeks fan.

[logan82]

Good. I would rather have Davis or Gindle in LF anyway. I don't think it's in Weeks' or the Brewers best interest for Weeks to play LF.

[Bombers]

Can someone make a gif out of Herrera's throw from RF that he spiked about 10 feet in front of him?

 

Maybe that is what Weeks is afraid of?

[Outlander]

In cases like today against Sabathia I would rather have Weeks batting than a lefty like Gindl. It is time for Weeks to go.

[JohnBriggs12]

Weeks was coddled by the organization as the 2nd pick in the draft. Pete Rose started out at 2nd base and played all over wherever teams needed him. Yount moved off of short because of a shoulder issue and turned into darn fine outfielder. The fact that McCalvy got wind of this doesn't bode well for Weeks. Somebody leaked it for what purpose? It certainly doesn't make him look good. Have to think this isn't the first time.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

Who the hell does this clown think he is? He'll play whatever position the team tells him to play. He should be grateful that the Brewers still employ his sorry butt. Cut him

[DuWayne Steurer]

Time to just cut him. He's a sunk cost anyways.

[LouisEly]

And on cue, Weeks just about spikes a throw from short LF on a play at the plate. Looked like it almost hit first base and bounced twice before getting to home, allowing the runner to score standing up.

[trwi7]

Can someone make a gif out of Herrera's throw from RF that he spiked about 10 feet in front of him?

 

Maybe that is what Weeks is afraid of?

 

http://cdn.yourepeat.com/media/gif/000/279/921/2a2e3ac9713734f5ec6a93bf2a93d951.gif

[azcheesehead]

Was this leaked? McCalvy, as the Brewers beat writer for MLB, is pretty straight forward. I don't think he's the time to "leak" stuff. Haudricourt, maybe? Anyways, how mad does RRR have to be with Weeks to let that one out? This doesn't seem like a Ron move, either.

[DHonks]

Crazy since Weeks played OF in college. He's absolutely terrible at 2b. Scooter can't outhit Rickie, but needs to play for defense.

[Thurston Fluff]

I'm not happy about him not wanting to play left either but cutting him at this point seems counter productive. He is a pretty decent option as a pinch hitter. He's willing to take a walk and has some power. Add in the fact we don't exactly have another option for that role available and hitting from the opposite side as Gennett and there is value there. Granted not $11 million value but the cost is sunk anyway so why not get some use out of him? He'd be the first on the chopping block if something comes about via trade or a need for roster flexibility but what value is there to cutting him now?

[dlk9s]

Meh. Don't care.

[SRB]

I would say that Rickie is just angry that the Brewers are deliberately screwing him out of $11 million by not playing him over the first part of the season, but I seem to remember he was equally opposed to a position switch years ago too. Maybe it's a pride thing, I don't know.

 

Anyways, I'M still #TEAMRICKIE

[SoupTown]

And the Brewers are also screwing me out of $11 mill by not offering me that much money to play worse 2nd base than some short guy named Scooter. I am looking for a lawyer as I speak

 

(I also will consider the odd game in left field for my $11 mill)

[PrinceFielderx1]

This was a last ditch effort to give weeks more playing time, because they want to go with Gennett full time. Look for Weeks to be released within a month, and if he starts hitting, then he will be traded by the trade deadline.

[DoubleSwitch]

Thank you Rickie for stopping RRR from doing something really really stupid like playing you in the outfield.

[Baldkin]

This was a last ditch effort to give weeks more playing time, because they want to go with Gennett full time. Look for Weeks to be released within a month, and if he starts hitting, then he will be traded by the trade deadline.

 

You tell 'em, buddy!

[SRB]

And the Brewers are also screwing me out of $11 mill by not offering me that much money to play worse 2nd base than some short guy named Scooter. I am looking for a lawyer as I speak

 

(I also will consider the odd game in left field for my $11 mill)

 

Well, when he negotiated the contract the intent was clearly based on health concerns (i.e. if he was healthy in 2014, he would get the $11 million option). He's healthy, and he's still not getting it. I think there is a legitimate case that Scooter has played Rickie out of a job, but I can still 100% understand why Rickie would be pretty irked.

[RockCoCougars]

A pretty foolish move on his part if you ask me. He's basically playing for his career at this point, and if a position switch gets you more playing time, you do it. As others have said, it's not really his place to decline anyway. If he's told to play the outfield, he does.

[PrinceFielderx1]

This was a last ditch effort to give weeks more playing time, because they want to go with Gennett full time. Look for Weeks to be released within a month, and if he starts hitting, then he will be traded by the trade deadline.

 

You tell 'em, buddy!

 

You bet. At this point in Weeks career it would hurt him to play LF and have it not work out defensively or on offense, plus with Davis being a RH batter Weeks wouldn't see much playing time since Davis will eat up the playing time and is more of a long term option. His best hope which is slim is to start hitting while playing 2B even in a platoon. This move has more to do with someone picking him up in FA to play 2B than anything, so he can keep his MLB career alive. It's a smart move he made with his agents advice more than likely. Either way he's going to be gone by mid-season. The Brewers were doing him a favor by platooning him at 2B, so he could get playing time to increase his value, and up until this point he's been terrible. So bad in fact, that he's hurting the team by taking up a roster spot and costing Gennett playing time and hurting the Brewers. He's has no good scenario unless he starts hitting, and no better option than a platoon. However, his time might be up because I think this was the Brewers last move with him, and now he could be released in just a matter of days.

[DoubleSwitch]

and up until this point he's been terrible. So bad in fact, that he's hurting the team by taking up a roster spot and costing Gennett playing time and hurting the Brewers. He's has no good scenario unless he starts hitting

 

Let's ease up on the hyperbole here. Despite sporadic playing time Weeks is hitting pretty well. Better than Segura and Davis at least. Gennett is atrocious against left handers, and Weeks isn't hurting us by playing second against lefties. Take a look at what's being run out every night by Toronto, St. Louis, or Atlanta, and you'll see Rickie is still capable of being a starter in this league. Not for 11 million dollars, but if the Brewers cut him loose right now he would quickly have another job in the majors. Gennett still needs a platoon mate, and Weeks is a more valuable bench bat than Schafer or Bianchi, so I don't really see what the rush to get rid of him is. You pay his salary either way. There's not really any situation where it makes sense to play Rickie in the outfield either, so I don't see why everyone is so upset about this. So much irrational hatred of Weeks, not just on this board, but among Brewers fans in general.