Rickie Weeks option declined, a farewell thread

[torts]

Farewell Mr. Weeks, thank you for all your contributions to this organization and being one of the first core members of what has been an incredibly fun 10 years of Brewers baseball. Best of luck wherever you end up (as long as its not in st louis)

 

http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2011/07/17/Weeks-homer-the-difference-in-Brewers-wild-win-237QEOA-x-large.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_hwCKBFqHLZI/TRGiPzKYVnI/AAAAAAAABwQ/SZ5D8PGEZls/s1600/rickie+weeks+slide+brewers+extension.jpg

http://i.usatoday.net/communitymanager/_photos/daily-pitch/2011/10/06/weeksx-large.jpg

 

 

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/9765137-large.jpg

[TooLiveBrew]

Farewell Mr. Weeks, thank you for all your contributions to this organization and being one of the first core members of what has been an incredibly fun 10 years of Brewers baseball. Best of luck wherever you end up (as long as its not in st louis)

Hear, hear!

 

Good luck, Rickie. Definitely one of my favorite Brewers.

[Bombers]

Later Rickie! Thanks for the 10 years! My guess is he goes to the Texas Rangers

[monty57]

Watching him, Prince and Gwynn in Beloit was part of my resurgence of being a die-hard Brewer fan. Most of my friends couldn't understand how I could be so upbeat about a team that was a laughing-stock at the MLB level. For some reason, he was always a polarizing force with the fans, but overall he put together a very good career with the Brewers. Best of luck going forward Rickie!

[pacopete4]

When he hit em, he definitely hit em. I'm sure there were wall scrapers but all I remember are the rockets that took about 2 seconds to leave Miller Park. I wish him well. Wish he could have stayed healthy and I wish he would have been open to trying other positions. But hey, maybe he knows his limits and knew he couldn't transition. Either way, he worked his butt off for the Brewers and was productive when healthy. Hopefully he gets a shot somewhere else and does well (unless in our division!).

[hawing]

Two of my fondest memories of Rickie:

 

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

 

http://www.millerparkdrunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/brewers11-mjs-brewers11_-spt_-sieu_-13.jpg

Thanks for playing, and best wishes.

[adamb100]

The day he got called up to the big leagues is the day the franchise started it's turn around from being awful. Thanks for helping Milwaukee care about the Brewers again.

[nate82]

This is probably my favorite Weeks home run it just looks so effortless by him.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23107163&c_id=mlb

 

Thanks for the memories Weeks!

[TooLiveBrew]

This is probably my favorite Weeks home run it just looks so effortless by him.

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=23107163&c_id=mlb

Nice! The one I'll always remember is the laser-beam HR he hit off the green wall behind the OF wall in left-center (basically the same general area where the HR in this video wound up). It was hit so hard that the ball bounced almost halfway back to the infield. I'll look for it this weekend, but if anyone can find & post that clip, it'd be appreciated! Seemed like the ball didn't get much higher than 50' or so.

[fondybrewfan]

Hardballtalk still seems to think their is a team out there willing to give a full time job to Rickie at 2nd. I will believe that when I see it.

 

The only real memory of Weeks that stands out to me is the HR he hit into Big Mac land.

[bjkrautk]

Weeks was one of the most frustrating players to me; you could always see the talent, and he plays hard...but for whatever reason it didn't always translate to production (especially in the later years).

 

Hope he has another bounce-back year or two in him, as long as it's in the AL.

[reillymcshane]

Hardballtalk still seems to think their is a team out there willing to give a full time job to Rickie at 2nd. I will believe that when I see it.

 

I'm trying to think of who Rickie might start for next season. Off the top of my head here are some teams that he might fit with:

 

Yankees, Baltimore, Oakland, White Sox, Toronto, Washington, Miami.

 

Just initial thoughts. Each of these teams may have someone I'm not thinking about. No matter what team he goes to, they'll have to live with bad defense. If Rickie was even an average glove man, he'd have a job in a second. But he's just bad now.

[pacopete4]

I think an AL team would be a good fit because you can DH him as well if he struggles at 2B. But come on, if you cant see that he is a starter in this league, I don't know what to tell you. He will hit respectably and he plays well enough at 2B to give him an opportunity. Some people are just silly when it comes to Weeks.

[logan82]

I remember one HR that looked like a double to left center off the bat but kept rising and went out. I swear the ball was still going up when it went out.

[BrewBalls]

The first Brewers jersey I ever purchased was Rickie's. I have always been a fan even through all of his struggles. He always gave 110% and is a true professional. I will definitely wear his jersey if/when he returns to Miller Park. Thank you Rickie for all of the great memories over the past 10 years. IMO he will be starting at 2B somewhere next season.

[reillymcshane]

I always liked Rickie. Tough, tough guy. He never complained, always wanted to play. I admired that. But expectations were so high for him. We got some really good seasons mixed with disappointing ones. I thought the contract extension we gave him was a good one. He was entering his prime years. I envisioned 25-30 HR, .360 OBP, and mediocre (at best) defense. But the ankle injury a few years ago really seemed to affect him. Even hitting decent last year, watching him in the field was painful.

 

I wish Rickie all the best.

[Invader3K]

Best of luck to him, and thanks for the memories...but at the same time I think it's best the team is moving on from him and giving Scooter the chance.

[afeter]

wondering if this was rickie's HR that nearly hit a kid in a wheel-chair.

 

My fav weeks shot was to big mac land.

[Nottso]

It's the right move for the team but it makes me a little sad. Rickie has always been one of my favorites. Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Hall... all gone now. It seems like just yesterday that "the young guns" were on their way and now they've all come and gone, except for Braun.

 

Any bets on Weeks to the Royals?

[pacopete4]

It's the right move for the team but it makes me a little sad. Rickie has always been one of my favorites. Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Hall... all gone now. It seems like just yesterday that "the young guns" were on their way and now they've all come and gone, except for Braun.

 

Any bets on weeks to the Royals?

 

How true this is. It is sad. Whether you are Weeks fan or not, it is really just another end of an era in Brewers history. We have Braun and Gallardo left from that batch of very good to great young players that helped turn over a new era in Brewers history.

 

Sad, sad day...

[BrewBalls]

It's the right move for the team but it makes me a little sad. Rickie has always been one of my favorites. Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Hall... all gone now. It seems like just yesterday that "the young guns" were on their way and now they've all come and gone, except for Braun.

 

Any bets on Weeks to the Royals?

The Royals signed Infante to a four year deal last offseason. There is no way he plays for the Royals next season. My guess is either the Orioles or Blue Jays on a 2yr/$11M deal.

[Nottso]

It's the right move for the team but it makes me a little sad. Rickie has always been one of my favorites. Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Hall... all gone now. It seems like just yesterday that "the young guns" were on their way and now they've all come and gone, except for Braun.

 

Any bets on Weeks to the Royals?

The Royals signed Infante to a four year deal last offseason. There is no way he plays for the Royals next season. My guess is either the Orioles or Blue Jays on a 2yr/$11M deal.

 

It was meant to be humorous due to all the ex Brewers now in KC. I guess it wasn't that funny.

[BrewBalls]

 

It was meant to be humorous due to all the ex Brewers now in KC. I guess it wasn't that funny.

If it makes you feel any better I did laugh once I read your explanation. Unfortunately, I didn't realize it was sarcasm since it wasn't in blue.

[LaprilOne]

I guess many, like me, thought he would be a frequent all star for years. I have no doubt the injuries changed the course of his career. Then, without the power, and high OPS, his fielding became a bigger issue. I give him credit for handling the platoon issue well, even though trying left field may have been a good thing to do.

 

None the less, he had many good moments, and all the best to him in whatever happens next.

[vegasbrewcrew1993]

It's the right move for the team but it makes me a little sad. Rickie has always been one of my favorites. Weeks, Hardy, Hart, Fielder, Hall... all gone now. It seems like just yesterday that "the young guns" were on their way and now they've all come and gone, except for Braun.

 

Any bets on weeks to the Royals?

 

How true this is. It is sad. Whether you are Weeks fan or not, it is really just another end of an era in Brewers history. We have Braun and Gallardo left from that batch of very good to great young players that helped turn over a new era in Brewers history.

 

Sad, sad day...

I feel OLD now. I grew up with that group of Brewer players. Weeks, Prince, Yo, Braun, Sheets, Hardy, Hart, etc. Pretty sad to see that era getting closer and closer to its end. It's a shame that Weeks never peaked. Those wrist injuries destroyed him. He was off to a pretty good start in 2009 when he got hurt. I think it was during a game in St. Louis that he got that wrist injury. 2010 was a really good year for him. Hit 29 HR's that year. 2011 another good start before injuries slowed down his season. A real shame. I think Weeks could have been the best 2B in baseball. I hope he finds success in the AL.