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Rickie Weeks was drafted second overall in 2003, and after just 92 minor league plate appearances he made his debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in September of that year. He spent the entire 2004 season in Double-A, but since that point he has largely been a mainstay in the big leagues.
Weeks set career-highs virtually across the board in 2010, including 29 home runs and 83 RBI, and he has at least 20 home runs in each of the last three seasons. But a propensity for striking out (184 times in 2010, 169 times in 2012) puts a ceiling on his batting average (.249 career) and he is running a lot less than he did earlier in his career. Weeks did have 16 stolen bases in 2012, but he has reached double-digits in that category just twice since stealing at least 15 bases in each season from 2005-2008. Injuries to his left knee (2008) and left ankle (2011) may be a factor, and overall it’s not surprising to see a player run less as he ages.
Weeks has been bad defensively throughout his career, leading the National League in errors made by a second baseman multiple times. Not surprisingly, he is also the active leader in errors made at the position (131) in all of baseball. A position move looks like a certainty at some point, but the Brewers are fairly well set at most other positions on the diamond and Weeks has had to stay at second base.
Weeks is slated to make $11 million in 2014 as part of the four-year deal he signed with the Brewers in 2011, so the team is stuck with him for better or worse until they have a decision to make on his option for 2015. He will turn 31 in September, so barring an unlikely turnaround in the coming years Weeks’s career is on track to be remembered for unfulfilled potential.
Brad Berreman is a contributing writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradberreman24.
