questions about Weeks

[danzig6677]

It seems the biggest worry about Weeks is the league he plays in isnt very strong,well how poor is the league he plays in??

 

Has he ever played against better teams and how did he do if he did??

 

When people say hes still has alot to learn,is it mainly defense or are the concerns the pitching he faced along with not using wood bats??

[colbyjack]

He has played for TeamUSA the past couple of years and there are mixed opinions. Some say he doesn't hit the good teams well but knocks the weakers teams of the world all over the place. Others have said that he hit everyone just fine, and some of his struggles can be chalked up to a position switch (last summer he started out in the OF before being moved to 2B).

 

Southern is in the SWAC, and pretty weak conference. However, his numbers are pretty impressive regardless of what league he's playing in. Looking at his stats probably is comparable to looking at a high schooler's numbers, because it's dangerous to use them properly. He is expected to hit for a high average with good to great bat speed & a level swing. Balls do jump off of his bat, and he's explosive on the basepaths. When teams stopped throwing him strikes, he started taking more walks & stealing more bases. When he did get strikes, he crushed them.

 

That said, he does play against some better D1 Louisiana teams before the conference seasons start, including LSU, and has always fared well against better competition.

 

There are some questions about his D', but most think he can stick at 2B with the proper repetitions & instruction. If not, he should hit well enough to be a center fielder or even a corner outfielder. His athleticism plays anywhere. I personally would leave him at 2B until he proves me wrong since his bat would be well above average at the position.

 

With his bat, OhioScout among others have chimed in that he needs to learn to hit the breaking ball better, but really, who doesn't, especially at that level?

 

Weeks also is a high character pick that is extremely hard working. He hits the weight room every day, and I've even read a story of him working out after the team had won the SWAC last year instead of celebrating. A very focused, driven individual that has the chance to be a superstar.

[danzig6677]

Thanx Colby,your far more in touch with this stuff than me.Just from what i've read about him he seems a safer pick than Young and it also seems his upside might be nearly as high.

 

I guess i just fear drafting a high school player this high,even if Young has scary talent.Of the two if you were drafting No.1 would u take Weeks over Young??

[xisxisxis]

With his bat, OhioScout among others have chimed in that he needs to learn to hit the breaking ball better, but really, who doesn't, especially at that level?

 

Here's my main problem with the attitude that he'll move thru the system quickly. If he can't learn to hit the breaking ball it could take him just as long as a HS standout to make it to the majors and he could be another Wes Helms (production-wise) if he never does learn to hit a breaking ball.

 

I'm pretty resolved to the fact he'll be our #1 draft pick, but there's just something about Weeks that bothers me.

[colbyjack]

I guess i just fear drafting a high school player this high,even if Young has scary talent.Of the two if you were drafting No.1 would u take Weeks over Young??

 

I would take Young, because the power potential is greater. Weeks could hit for that kind of power, but likely will be closer to 20 HRs a year vs. 40. That's not to say either one of them will come anywhere close to hitting those kinds of numbers, but I'm just using it as an easy comparison.

 

I think Young is more polished than your typical prep prospect & Weeks is more raw than people would think as a college player alone. So that aspect in my mind is a wash.

 

Here's my main problem with the attitude that he'll move thru the system quickly. If he can't learn to hit the breaking ball it could take him just as long as a HS standout to make it to the majors and he could be another Wes Helms (production-wise) if he never does learn to hit a breaking ball.

 

There are plenty of guys in the big leagues that thrive off of the fastball. I don't have any easy examples, but most of your better power hitters are dead-red fastball hitters. I think most batters will tell you that the fastball is the easiest pitch to hit, which stresses the importance of getting to a hitter's count. Basically that means a count where a hitter knows he's likely to get a fastball right down the pipe because the pitcher HAS to throw a strike. The key is laying off of the breaking stuff if you know you can't hit it. I think the saying goes to hit breaking balls up in the zone & fastballs down, or is it the other way around...http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif ?

[cressj]

much like Prince needs time to learn first base, Weeks would need time to work at second base. Sometimes defense holds players down in the minors or keeps them from advancing as quickly as we think they should.

[danzig6677]

I notice Lastings Milledge seems to have had his draft stock drop quite a bit.I thought i remember earlier in the year he was thought as the best player in the draft,are character issues the reason hes dropping or other high school outfielders have a bigger upside?

[SoCalBrewfan]

I think Milledge has dropped mostly due to questions about his bat...some believe he'll be another toolsy guy who can't hit breaking stuff.

[deeswan]

Getting back to Weeks, it sounds like signability could be an issue. According to Jim Callis, who was interviewed on the Brewer pregame show tonight, there is some talk that Weeks might be asking for $6 million to sign. His thought is, if the $6 million is true, the Brewers might shy away because the Commish's office 'recommends' signing amounts for draft positions. Since the Commish owns the team it would look very bad for Bud if his team went out and exceeding the slot amount by a great deal. Not sure how true this is, but Callis said it and I figured it would be food for thought.