Farewell to Rickie Weeks

[hawing]

I've got more thoughts to put down here later, but for now, this memory:

 

http://peninsulaclarion.com/images/062605/9420_256.jpg

[logan82]

I think Weeks leaving is kind of the end of an era. He was one of the first in the wave of exciting young players before this team got good.(Hardy was the first full time at the start of 2005 but Weeks made a brief appearance in 2003) Now almost all of those players have left.

[jerichoholicninja]

I've got more thoughts to put down here later, but for now, this memory:

 

http://peninsulaclarion.com/images/062605/9420_256.jpg

 

Seeing that picture makes me wonder how much Prince leaving affected Rickie. They played together since they were kids. Those two and Hardy and Hart all came up through the system together and Rickie was the only one left. That's got to be tough to see guys you played with for years leave.

[3and2Fastball]

As for the Braun thing, I don't get what you're saying.

 

Read Jason Kendall's book

[gregmag]

Rickie Weeks is, for all practical purposes, done as a Brewer. I can't imagine a scenario in which both sides would want to continue the relationship.

 

I've always liked Rickie as a player. As far as I could tell, he kept his head down, worked hard, and got what he could out of his talent. The talent was considerable. At his peak he was an All-Star and an exciting player. Unless Molitor or Money counts, I think he's had the best career of any Brewers 2b (though I realize a lot of people like Gantner much more than I do).

 

 

Career Brewers WAR per baseball reference

 

Gantner 22.3

 

Weeks 12.3

 

Per Fan Graphs

 

Gantner 19.5

 

Weeks 18.2

I was going by Fangraphs, which has become my habit based on a lot of comments here. I didn't check Baseball Reference, and if their numbers provide a more accurate picture, then Gantner comes out on top.

 

But it's closer than even the BR numbers make it look; and, if you believe the Fangraphs numbers, then Weeks comes out on top, and I don't think it's close. Why?

 

Weeks: 11 seasons, 1142 games

Gantner: 17 seasons, 1801 games

 

WAR is a counting stat. Gantner took about 1.6 times as many games as Weeks did to rack up his higher career WAR. Now, you can cut the numbers different ways. You can say Gantner deserves credit for playing as long as he did. I buy that argument if the FG numbers are "right." But if the BR numbers are "right," I'm not calling it a positive for Gantner that he racked up 1.3 WAR in an extra 650 games.

 

FWIW, the Fangraphs numbers feel more right to me, based on my memories of Gantner. The guy stuck around for years after his brief prime without doing much of anything. He was an outstanding defender when young and never less than capable, but his offense was a major drag on the lineup for most of his career.

 

(Also, Weeks was exclusively a 2b, while Gantner spent meaningful time as 3b. That just means that some of Gantner's value came at another position, which may matter in "all-time [position]" discussions.)

 

The comparison is interesting because they're almost mirror images of one another. Weeks was a plus offensive player because of his secondary offensive skills, but his defense was usually a negative, eventually a big one. Gantner was an offensive negative because of his lack of secondary offense, eventually a big negative, but he was a very strong defender.

[valpocrewsader]

Multiple comments mentioning Rickie being asked to play first base. When was that? The story from May was about left field. Did I miss a similar story about first?

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=31282

[packfan79]

I'll always remember the bomb he hit into Big Mac land. That ball and many of the others were absolutely smoked. Wish he would have got out there one more time for the fans to give him his props.

[TURBO]

Wish he would have got out there one more time for the fans to give him his props.

 

That is the sad part, he didn't get to see how much the fans appreciated him... He would have gotten an ovation for sure...

[3and2Fastball]

Remember that HR he hit in Houston that dented the train? When he got a hold of one they went out in a hurry!

[yfinn6]

As for the Braun thing, I don't get what you're saying.

 

Read Jason Kendall's book

 

Could you elaborate so I don't have to read the book? I've got enough things I'm already assigned to read.

[645]

Weeks isn't retiring. Farewell appearances are reserved for retiring players. Aramis Ramirez didn't have one with the Cubs either.

 

Is that a new thing? Geoff Jenkins got it without retiring. Although he only played a year with the phillies.

 

Rickie, The problem was he break his wrist and then he break the other one. He was good and always was and still very much is but his injury history just keep him from being what he could have been and it is a shame for it would of been nice to see how good he could of been.

[TooLiveBrew]

I was at the game where both Rickie & Prince hit their first HRs. That's one of my favorite memories of him, along with a HR he hit a few years back in Miller Park... typical Weeks guided-laser flightpath, & it caromed off the wall behind the LF fence so hard that it bounced about halfway back to the infield. I hope others recall this, and if anyone can find the video for it, please post it!

 

Weeks has been one of my all-time favorite Brewers, even if he hasn't been one of the all-time best the franchise has had. Great work ethic, attitude, & leadership. I have a lot of respect for him, & hope he lands somewhere outside of the NL Central next year & rips it up!

 

Thanks for the years of humble hard work & service, Rickie. You will be missed.

[logan82]

I was at the game where both Rickie & Prince hit their first HRs. That's one of my favorite memories of him, along with a HR he hit a few years back in Miller Park... typical Weeks guided-laser flightpath, & it caromed off the wall behind the LF fence so hard that it bounced about halfway back to the infield. I hope others recall this, and if anyone can find the video for it, please post it!

I was at that game too. I still have the score card from it. First time I scored a game at the ballpark.

[1992casey]

That game was a Brewerfan.net outing.

[monty57]

I'll always remember the bomb he hit into Big Mac land. That ball and many of the others were absolutely smoked. Wish he would have got out there one more time for the fans to give him his props.

 

This is what always confused me about the young Rickie Weeks. He would hit balls farther than anyone (out of Mets stadium, high off the buildings outside of Wrigley), but would end up with around 20 HR. Coupled with a low batting average, I just figured that he had an "all or nothing" swing, and that if he took a little off the swing he'd hit more HR and for a higher average.

[Daubs]

Anyone remember the bomb he hit at Miller Park that caromed off the windows of the 300/Metavante/Johnson Controls Club about 2/3 the way up?

 

They panned to Fielder's reaction in the dugout and he was going a bit nuts.

[Fear The Chorizo]

Weeks to me always seemed to be supremely talented athletically before injuries took their toll, but unpolished as a baseball player and in dealing with attention. His natural ability got him a nice career without really having developed into a baseball player. I think the wrist injuries happened at the worst possible time in his career, where he could have had an extended period of elite offensive production for a middle infielder (even though he never would've turned into a plus defender).

 

He also seemed to be in a good spot in Milwaukee in terms of dealing with media/public attention. That HR derby a few years ago was a good example in my eyes of a guy being overwhelmed by the moment and by all the attention being on him. I don't want to get into a debate about 'clutchness', but it has seemed to me like he's struggled in big spots of games often. Maybe that's just me remembering failures of driving in runs more than the successes in late game situations though.

 

When Rickie would get on one of his 3-week offensive tears, watching his AB's was just about as entertaining as it got. He always could work a count, and when he was squaring the ball up nobody could hit it harder.

[reillymcshane]

I always liked Rickie, despite his flaws. I loved how he wanted to be out there every day. I loved how he never complained. Loved his hard play. I remember the pitch he took to the side of his face. Didn't seem to faze him. Just shook it off and kept playing.

 

Like everyone here, I think what frustrated people was he had so much talent, but Rickie never quite put it all together. The guy ended up with 148 HRs in 10 years, when he could easily have had 250 if he had avoided some injuries and been more consistent.

 

I think the ankle injury a few years ago really hurt Rickie, especially on defense. He had made himself an average defender, but the injury really seems to have hurt his range.

 

I wish him all the best - except for when he plays Milwaukee.

[hawing]

As for the Braun thing, I don't get what you're saying.

 

Read Jason Kendall's book

 

Could you elaborate so I don't have to read the book? I've got enough things I'm already assigned to read.

You guys have just reminded me that I was going to look for that book. I just requested a copy through interlibrary loan. I'll aim to report back once I've read it.

 

I was disappointed and a little mystified at the lack of fanfare for Rickie this weekend. His last at-bat Saturday ended with a hit and a quick PR substitution, and as we now know, he didn't appear on Sunday, maybe by choice. If he really didn't want to be the center of attention, I can identify with that, though I would have happily joined in on a thank-you ovation. There seemed to be extra Weeks gear on fans on Sunday, so I was certainly not the only one ready and willing to say thanks/bye.

 

My memories of Rickie span the emotional spectrum: Brian the Automator's "Sign Rickie now!" signature from the early early Brewerfan years, that first-HR night shared with Prince, being horrified to see him crumple in a heap on that run to first in 2011 (I thought for sure it was his ACL at first). I appreciate his efforts here and wish him well going forward.

[Thurston Fluff]

I was disappointed and a little mystified at the lack of fanfare for Rickie this weekend.

 

He never really drew attention to himself and was never flashy. He never was really the focus of any of the teams he was on. Even in his best seasons. Just always one of the guys. I think part of why there was so little fanfare was due to that.

 

I feel dirty for even saying it, but I can't honestly say I am going to miss watching him play. It's a feeling that puzzles me because I loved his no excuses work ethic and never complain attitude. I truly respected him as a player. It just didn't excite me watching him play. I think I need counseling.

[zzzmanwitz]

Rickie Weeks: Doing OBP before OBP was cool.

[trwi7]

I was at the game where both Rickie & Prince hit their first HRs.

 

I remember that game. I just graduated from high school and Ohka was terrible in the 1st inning, so I was outside grilling and listening to Uecker and I ran back in when he started his call so I could see it on replay.

 

Then I started going crazy in the living room when Prince hit his. It was weird because I didn't really think he hit it that well off the bat and then it sails over the bullpen and I'm thinking crap, this guy has some serious power.

[paul253]

I'm a little surprised about all the "we'll miss Rickie Weeks" talk here. I get it. He's a good guy and a real professional. He kept quiet about being mostly benched this year and handled it much better than many, many other people would have. But let's not forget why he was benched in the first place. Forget his career numbers. Look at his recent numbers.

 

2012: .230/.328/400 and -0.4 WAR in 157 games

2013: .209/306/.357 and -1 WAR in 104 games.

2014 .274/.357/.452 and 0.2 WAR (but considering half his at bats were against lefties it kind of figures his numbers would be better)

 

Meanwhile he made $31 million over those three seasons. He is exactly the kind of player the Brewers need to move away from. No way should they even consider signing him again at what it would cost and again have two players that can only play second base. The fact is he is not the player he once was and we should not overlook his past few years because his overall career numbers may still be decent. I wish him the best. I hope he finds success with another team. But there is good reason for his time in Milwaukee being done.

[dlk9s]

I'm a little surprised about all the "we'll miss Rickie Weeks" talk here. I get it. He's a good guy and a real professional. He kept quiet about being mostly benched this year and handled it much better than many, many other people would have. But let's not forget why he was benched in the first place. Forget his career numbers. Look at his recent numbers.

 

2012: .230/.328/400 and -0.4 WAR in 157 games

2013: .209/306/.357 and -1 WAR in 104 games.

2014 .274/.357/.452 and 0.2 WAR (but considering half his at bats were against lefties it kind of figures his numbers would be better)

 

Meanwhile he made $31 million over those three seasons. He is exactly the kind of player the Brewers need to move away from. No way should they even consider signing him again at what it would cost and again have two players that can only play second base. The fact is he is not the player he once was and we should not overlook his past few years because his overall career numbers may still be decent. I wish him the best. I hope he finds success with another team. But there is good reason for his time in Milwaukee being done.

Yes, we all know this. Nobody is saying the Brewers should offer him a contract. People just liked the guy, enjoyed watching play when he was doing well, and appreciated that he spent a decade in Milwaukee. It's ok to like players if they aren't stars.

[RightFieldCoder]

Guys are underpaid when they first come up. Then they are overpaid. That is the way the union and owners want it. You can't blame Rickie for that.

 

I have been of fan of his since I talked to his parents about a month after he was drafted. I was very upset I didn't get a chance to send him off to a standing ovation.