Despite his lack of success, Rickie Weeks still has the support of his teammates. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Weeks, who was finally dropped in the order last night, is having another abominable season. He’s hitting just .188 with nine RBI’s while his strikeout precentage (28.7%) is through the roof. Weeks must have rented the movie Dazed and Confused before the season started because that’s exactly what he looks like at the plate.

In a recent poll on Reviewing the Brew, the majority of fans thought that the struggling second baseman should be benched for a few days. However, an alarming amount said that trading Weeks was the best move. While the latter will never happen, sitting Rickie should be on the horizon. Here’s what Ron Roenicke had to say about the possibility of sitting his former All-Star down:

When he’s sitting on the bench, he’s not a guy that’s like, ‘Whew, man, am I glad I have a night off.’ That’s not him. He’s thinking, ‘If I’m in there right now, maybe I would get it going.’ You have to know the personalities.

It sounds like Roenicke doesn’t think benching Weeks will do any good. Add that to the list of reasons why the manager isn’t incredibly popular in Milwaukee.

Weeks believes he is close to breaking out of his slump (if you can really call it that) and his teammates support him wholeheartedly. Corey Hart says hearing the boos aimed at Weeks is tough.

Baseball fans, they want things to happen. It’s tough. But Rickie is really confident that he’s close. That’s what he told me.

Jonathan Lucroy took it a step further, claiming that he will never give up on Weeks and still has unbelievable talent.

I’ll take him to battle with me any day. The guy has some of the best power and bat speed I’ve seen, ever, playing this game.

If his teammates still have his back, don’t you think Weeks should have the fans as well?

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Weeks’ batting average is dreadful, his strikeout numbers are in the heavens, and his defense has been lackluster so far in 2013.

We want to hear from you, the fans. Whether you’re a die-hard Weeks fan or a raging lunatic every time he strikes out, we want to know: Is Weeks the answer at second base or should his time in Milwaukee be coming to an end?

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Rickie Weeks is struggling, but Scooter Gennett is not the answer. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

There has been a vendetta against Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks during the last couple of weeks. Whether it’s fair or unfair, it’s ridiculous. Absolute hogwash.

I, along with many, have been a devoted Weeks supporter since his first game in 2003. But after a couple of injuries and a miserable campaign in 2012, the Rickie Weeks bandwagon has emptied quite a bit. But I’m still here. I may as well be driving.

Before you continue reading, make sure you check out Senior Staff Writer Lou Olsen’s critique of Weeks (here) and then come back to see my rebuttal.

Our rants will follow three basic points: Bat, Glove, and Presence.

Bat

People must understand that Rickie Weeks is a career .249 hitter, so expecting him to hit in the upper .200’s is unrealistic wishful thinking. For Weeks, last season was a fluke. He was still battling an ankle injury and didn’t turn it on until the second half of the season, ultimately batting .261. Don’t think any more about it.

In his article, Lou talked a lot about Weeks’ statistical struggles this season (batting .169) and how he’s currently mired in a long slump. Let’s break his season down even further.

Weeks will start hitting once Ramirez is back in the lineup. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Before Aramis Ramirez was placed on the disabled list on April 6^th, Weeks was 7-for-15 (.467) with one home run and only two strikeouts. But since Ramirez has been out of the lineup, Weeks is only 6-for-62 (.097) with no home runs and 26 strikeouts. It’s clear that having Ramirez and Ryan Braun hitting behind Weeks in the order drastically improves his performance. When Ramirez returns, hopefully sometime during the next home stand, Weeks’ bat will rise from the dead and he will be the hitter he is capable of being. His power will come back and his strikeouts will fall, even if it is slightly. Though Jean Segura has been raking of late, putting Weeks back in the two-hole will not only get Weeks back on track, it will provide the offense with more firepower at the top of the lineup.

Weeks has been down in the count far too often this season. His first pitch strike percentage is 61.4% – his highest since his rookie year. He’s hitting .162 with 14 strikeouts when he’s down 0-1 this season.  To have success, Weeks must become more aggressive at the plate, a trait that will return with more protection in the lineup.

Lou is a big Scooter Gennett fan and thinks he deserves his spot in the sun. With all due respect to Lou, I find that laughable. Yes, Gennett is hitting .386 in Triple-A and yes, he has struck out only eight times. But so what? Gennett has absolutely no power and is basically the same type of hitter as Logan Schafer and Jean Segura – a contact hitter who’s not a home run threat. Substituting Gennett for Weeks would be overkill and would greatly diminish Milwaukee’s offensive output. Sorry Scooter, it’s just not your time yet.

Glove

Remember when Weeks was a defensive liability and we all cringed every time the ball was hit in his direction? That’s no longer the case. While he is definitely not a fielding stud and occasionally boots a routine ground ball, he gets the job done. He doesn’t make the mental mistakes that a rookie like Gennett would. While Gennett and Segura might have a strong connection on the field, Weeks and Segura look pretty fluid as well.

Weeks’ fielding ability has improved since his rookie season. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Weeks’ defense has been spotty the last couple of games (two errors in Wednesday’s loss to the San Diego Padres) but his mind was probably focused on his hitting woes. Plus, his family attended the game and there’s nothing worse than having your parents intently stare at you in pressure situations.

Nobody else seems to be worried about Weeks’ defense and, as far as I’m concerned, it’s been a non-issue for a while.

Presence

Rickie is a leader, just not a vocal one. There’s no doubt he’s already helped Segura’s progression as a shortstop. They look like two peas in a pod out on the field. In an article by Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he explains why younger players look up to Weeks.

One of Weeks’ most valuable attributes can’t be measured by numbers, and that’s leadership. While he is quiet by nature, the presence he creates by being in the lineup every day, being prepared and being professional is invaluable.

Weeks shows up to work every day and almost never needs a day off. Just recently, when Roenicke wanted to give Weeks a day off, he talked his way out of it. No matter how bad he’s struggling, you won’t hear Weeks complaining or making excuses. He played in 157 games last year, a team high. He’s one of, if not the, hardest working players on the Brewers.

Roenicke had this to say about Weeks’ presence via Todd Rosiak:

Everybody knows how tough he is. But just the way he goes about his job and the way he plays makes him a big leader, and a big part of what we do.”

Weeks may not be boisterous and have the swagger Lou is looking for, but his presence is monumental in the Brewers clubhouse.

Before the season started, I predicted that Rickie Weeks would bounce back and be selected to the 2013 All-Star Game in New York; I still believe that. The injuries that have hurt the Brewers have also negatively impacted Weeks’ performance. I expect him to raise his batting average and start hitting the ball with more vigor within the next couple of days. Keep the faith, people.

In case you missed it, you can find Lou’s article on why Weeks’ time in Milwaukee should be over, here.

With whom do you agree? Leave comments and questions below.

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This is what an error looks like. It is painful, no?
Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Fellow RtB contributor Justin Schultz and I seem to agree on most things Brew Crew.  We both agree that Ron Roenicke is awful at managing his pitchers.  We also believe that Jean Segura is going to follow in the footsteps of a long line of terrific Brewers shortstops. 

However, there is one particular player who we seem to have some differing views…    

It is no secret that I am not a Rickie Weeks fan.  While I believe that he does have some talent, I feel like injuries and inconsistency have made him more of a liability than an attribute.  Which is why I have been attempting to #freescooter for the past few weeks.  (P.S. Gennett is batting over .500 so far in his first full season at Triple-A)

Many of you do not share this opinion, including my friend Justin.  Therefore, we must settle this in the most dignified way possible….an opinion piece disguised as some sort of court room drama. 

Our rants will follow the guidelines of 3 vague and fairly generic points: Bat, Glove, and Presence.  Once you finish reading my nonsense, you can immediately go over and read Justin’s counter-rant.  No doubt it will be more elegant and pro-Weeks then the rant you are about to read.  I would apologize, but again…this is an opinion piece, and I am trying to start a fight with my friend. 

Bat:  There is no time like the present…unless you are Rickie Weeks.  Right now he is in the midst of a slump that would make a T-Baller start drinking (for the record: I do not condone children drinking after T-Ball games…at least not without parental consent).  I don’t know the exact number…and I don’t want to know.  But for the sake of argument, let us just say he is 5 for 60-ish.  That is not even the most disturbing part about his current slump.  What is most bothersome to me, his sudden lack of power and pathetic at-bats.  Over the course of that impressive 9 game winning streak, Weeks struggled to get a baseball into the outfield grass.  Monday night was the best example yet of Weeks’ inability to produce offensively, scoring 2 runs (both via fielders’ choice) and striking out twice for another 0-for-4 evening…his third 0-for in a row, for those of you following along at home.  This time you can’t blame it on batting behind Ryan Braun either, as he was batting 2^nd.  Then on Tuesday he racked up his 4^th consecutive 0-for, going 0-for-3 with 2 more strikeouts batting 5th. 

Now, as recently as a few weeks ago (no pun intended) people were telling me, “Oh well Rickie’s value is his ability to get on base.”  Ok, so what happens when that is gone too?  Sure his season OBP is around .275, but that is not great.  It’s mediocre.  It’s ‘Community’…you watch it because it is on before ‘Parks and Recreation’, it isn’t good or bad it’s just…there. 

His at-bats seem to be shorter and shorter each game, while his personal strike zone gets larger.  By personal strike zone I mean, the area where a player believes they can make solid contact with the ball.   On Monday night I watched him swing at a breaking ball 2 feet off the plate and in the dirt, followed by a pitch at his knees down the middle of the plate…that he watched go by and then pretended like it was a bad call. And for an encore on Tuesday night, he was swinging at every pitch he saw…although swing is not the right word, flailed is probably more accurate.  These are habits of a bad hitter.  It is time for RW to take a game or two off, because he is adding nothing to the team offensively.  With both RW and Alex Gonzalez on the team, it is hard to know who to throw our beer bottles at.  During that winning streak, Rickie was making Adam Dunn look like a disciplined hitter.  So if Weeks can’t bat clean-up, he can’t bat in the two hole, and he can’t bat 5^th…are we really paying a 6,7,or 8 hitter almost $10 million a season?  Kind of looks that way right now.     

Glove:  At least his glove can’t strike out, right?  We all know that defense has never been his best attribute, but right now it is his only attribute.   There was that stunning botched pop-up at Wrigley Field a few weeks ago, but that could have happened to anyone considered legally blind.  Other than that booboo and the 2 errors on Wednesday night, he has played a pretty solid 2^nd base so far this season.  RW and Jean Segura seem to have some above-average chemistry, but it is not anywhere near the type of chemistry Segura was rumored to have had with Scooter Gennett.  But that’s not what I am here to rant about.  Personally, I have never taken issue with his spotty defense.  At times he looks like a gold glove caliber 2^nd baseman, while in other instances he looks like a career Catcher who, due to injury, has been forced into the position.  For the most part, he is solid and occasionally looks like a grown man who lit his pant leg on fire and can’t figure out how to extinguish himself.  But now that the bat has gone to sleep, is his defense good enough to keep him on the field 6 days a week?  I don’t think so. 

Presence:  This is where things are going to take a turn for the negative.  I don’t think that at any point in his Brewers career, Weeks has been classified as a leader.  Maybe I am wrong (wouldn’t be the first time), but I do not ever recall reading anything about how Rickie is the rock of the clubhouse.  So, I am going to remove that from the table now.  However, that does not mean you cannot carry yourself as if you are the baddest man (feel free to insert adult themed profanity) on planet earth.  On Tuesday night, Weeks approached the plate like he knew he was going to either ground out or strikeout.  You could see it on his face.  And it is not like he was facing Justin Verlander or Clayton Kershaw, although he was facing a Clayton….Clayton Richards, who left the game after recording 5 outs and giving up 6 runs.  Granted, Weeks was able to coax a walk out of Richards, but that was the high point of his evening.  The point is, when you walk up to the plate to face young guys you must have swagger.  It is imperative.  Even if you don’t feel it, you can fake it.  Or at the very least buy some body spray made by Old Spice…which is called “Swagger”, or the one where hawks follow you around to poker games.  Baseball is 80% mental and 40% physical (thank you Little Giants, starring Rick Moranis). 

My point is, at this very moment…I have more presence in the batters’ box than Rickie.  And I just play beer league softball…so how can this be?  I am fairly confident that anyone reading this might be able to beat RW in a home run derby.  That is how little presence the guy has today.  Imagine a kid who lost his favorite blanket, a dog who buried a bone in the backyard that he can no longer find, or even a pastry chef who ran out of flour…these are all moments that exist on this earth, that carry the same presence as Rickie Weeks has through 4 weeks of April. 

Alright Schultz…your witness.

Oh yeah!!! And this “amazing” defensive play happened too!! Photo: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

If you were (un)fortunate enough to watch the past few games, you have no doubt noticed that our 2nd baseman has some anxiety at the plate.  Strangely, this issue does not show itself unless there are other Brewers on base.  If the Brewers are down a run in the bottom of the 9th, and Weeks is leading off, there is no reason to suspect that he will not deliver.  However, if there are two outs and the bases loaded, I will take anyone else on this roster over Weeks.  That guy is the anti-Batman.  Imagine if at the end of The Dark Knight Rises Gotham gets blown up because Batman isn’t quite good enough to defeat Bane.  Pretty crappy movie right?

Now, so far I am just being a blow hard, allowing my anger and irritation to get the best of me.  So, I did what any sensible person would do….took to social media.

It became very clear yesterday, via Twitter, that I am in the minority when it comes to content for Rickie Weeks.  A few brave souls spoke up and agreed with my #scootertime campaign, but for the most part I received people who think that just because Weeks bats .300 he should stay in the middle of the lineup.  I just don’t see what you good people see.  

Look, it is one thing to make outrageous claims without having any evidence to back them up.  I have proof pudding though (get it…the proof is in the pudding, that is still something people say, right?). 

Over the course of his career, Rickie Weeks seems to have stayed the same.  A once promising young talent has now budded into a B defensive player and B+ offensive talent…as long as no one is on base.  In my mind, when you take a guy with the 2nd overall pick in a draft, you should get more from him in big game situations.  Clearly based on my grades, I think Weeks is a good player.  But Weeks is paid like a big time star and big time stars should be expected to deliver in big moments.  Weeks has never shown me that he can give us those clutch hits when we need them most.  The first week of the season should be proof enough…but just in case…. 

Below you will find Weeks’ batting averages with runners in scoring position (RISP) since he first started playing everyday in 2005. 

2005 - .234 BA                    2009 – .313 BA  (a miracle)

2006 – .260 BA                    2010 – .304 BA (double miracle!)

2007 - .178 BA                    2011 – .213 BA  (crashing back down to earth)

2008 – .240 BA                    2012 – .201 BA

So far this season, he has had 9 AB’s with RISP, struck out 4 of those times, hit into a double-play yesterday, and has a batting average of….nothing (0.000). 

Still not convinced that Rickie Weeks is arguably the least clutch hitter on the Brewers roster:

Career Postseason: 14 Games, 45 AB’s, 6 hits, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, .133 BA, and a .204 OBP

STILL not convinced…fine, this hurts me more than it hurts you:

Yuniesky Betancourt – 2011 RISP Batting Avg. – .237  (24 points higher than Weeks)

Mark Kotsay – 2011 RISP Batting Avg. – .323 (110 points higher!!!!

By that math, your odds were better putting in Kotsay or Yuni B to win a game rather than Weeks?!?!!?  Is this some cruel joke that the baseball gods are playing on me?  No.  Has the world started spinning backwards, creating an alternate universe where up is down and sidewalks are centerwalks?!?!?! No.  It is simply the numbers of the game. 

Say whatever you want to me about how Weeks still hasn’t hit his full potential, but know that he will be 31 in September.  Also know that when the chips are down, he is going to disappoint us. 

Scooter Gennett is batting .474 in Nashville right now…that is a 1.000 in OPS.  So….there’s that to consider.

Rip me apart if you feel that is the right thing to do.  I may be a blow hard, but the numbers have no reason to blow hot air up your Brew-holes. 

I owe a special thanks to Rickie for his horrific performance the last two days, without it I wouldn’t have done the research and thrown up all over our new living room couch.     

This could be a home run or a pop out, my money is on pop up. Photo by: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

This is something way outside of the norm for a blog, but I wanted to try it and see how it would go.  A very dear friend of mine recently decided to open up their own practice.  This particular friend is a very gifted speaker and in everything that I can surmise, a very good therapist.  (For the record, they have asked to remain nameless…so I will be avoiding any and all descriptions.  Sorry). 

Recently I was over at their house and we were talking about baseball and therapy, when I uttered the phrase “I wish that I could have baseball therapy”.  To which my friend replied, “Well, why can’t you?”. 

That exchange lead to my friend agreeing to do a free therapy session with me over the phone, as well as agreeing to let me post it on this site.  My goal, over time, is to show how truly neurotic I am about the Brewers and hopefully to work out some of my issues with specific players, coaches, and past team decisions.  I thought it best to start with the person on the roster who has caused me the most grief personally, and as of recently, professionally.  This weeks therapy session (no pun intended) revolves around my feelings towards Rickie Weeks.

**Please keep in mind that I did remove some of the “session” because it was way too long.  Even what I kept is too long, but wouldn’t make sense if I left any more out**

I will be the L and I will notate the Doctor’s dialogue in a D.

D: Let’s start with something simple.  When I say the name Rickie Weeks, name the first thing that pops into your head.

L: Overrated

D: That was a pretty quick answer.  Why do think that is the word you associate with him?

L: Every year the “experts” (actually did quote signs) talk about how this is going to be his breakout year.  The guy has been in the majors for almost a decade now and I still have not seen him break out.  I have seen him break…over and over again, but I have never seen him put together an entire season of solid, consistent play.  It is never a matter of if he is going to get hurt, it is just a matter of when.  And over the past couple of years, it feels like more and more people are crazy about him…I don’t understand why?  Am I missing something? 

D:  Have you ever met him?

L:  No

D:  Do you think that the reason everyone likes him, might have something to do with who he is as a person, rather than what he does on the field?

L: Maybe, but there are a lot of nice guys who are terrible baseball players, so why should that matter?

D:  Some people attach themselves to the personal side of the athlete.  That can be easier than attaching to the performance they give on the field.  Does that make sense?

L:  Sure.  I can see that.  Weeks seems like a perfectly nice guy.  

D:  I have been to games with you before and you seem to be more concerned with performance than you do with how nice the person is.  Do you remember the time you got us in trouble for screaming at Guillermo Mota? 

L: Yes.  I’m still sorry about that. (This is a story for another day)

D:  No need to apologize, but let me paint a picture for you.   Imagine you are playing professional Monopoly, in front of fans. 

L:  Monopoly fans?

D:  Dude, do you want to keep doing this or not?

L:  Yes, ok.  I got it.  Monopoly spectators.

D:  Imagine that you pick the thimble game piece and people immediately start to boo you.  Then that putters out.  You roll a few times and then you land on the Go To Jail space.  Boo’s rain down on you, people start to chant “Thimble sucks, thimble sucks, thimble sucks”.  Then when you get out of jail you land on someone’s property and have to pay them, more booing.  How does that make you feel?

L:  Well, it isn’t the thimble’s fault.  So I guess I would be confused and maybe a little upset.  But it’s just a game, so I guess I would be…

D:  You with me now?

L:  I see the point that you are trying to make.  It is just a game, so why waste your time and energy being negative.  But that doesn’t totally apply to my feelings about Rickie Weeks. 

D:  Do you grasp the overall concept that Rickie Weeks can only control what he can control?  Disliking him because of injuries is foolish.  Those are out of his control, just like going to jail in Monopoly is often out of your control, or which game piece you pick…

L:  I can appreciate that point.   

D:  Can you ever envision yourself getting over the fact that he rarely makes it through a season due to injury? 

L:  I can’t promise that Doc.

D:  How about this…would you rather he have a high ankle sprain, or miss 50 games due to a positive PED test?

L:  Ankle sprain

D:  Look Lou, the guy isn’t Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez.  His style of play lends itself more to injury, then that of a guy like Aramis Ramirez who trots around the base paths.  Rickie Weeks goes 100% all of the time, just like Carlos Gomez.  Do you have these same feelings for Carlos Gomez?

L: No

D:  But he is injured quite a bit, right?

L:  Yes

D:  Ok then…  How do you feel about where we are at so far?

L:  I do feel a little bit better (laughter).      

D:  Now, there were two things I identified right away.  We addressed the first one, so let’s go over the other glaring issue I see with your dislike for Rickie Weeks, which is the national media perception of him.  

L: Ok

D:  I already know the answer to this, but what comes to mind when I say ESPN?

L:  Fake journalism

D:  Why?

L:  I do not have enough time to go over all of that with you.  

D:  Let’s go another route.   Which baseball specific writer…journalist bothers you the most?

L:  Buster Olney

D:  Why?

L:  I never really cared for him, but then last off-season he Tweeted that the Brewers were the front-runners to sign Jose Reyes.  The problem with that was that Jose Reyes signed with the Marlins like 20 minutes before he posted that to Twitter.  The guy takes his opinions and tries to spin them as fact and the people who employ him do the same thing.  I never trust anything that comes from ESPN or anyone associated with the Mickey Mouse Sports Network.

D:  Would you ever work for ESPN?

L:  Absolutely not.

D:  Under ANY circumstance?  Million dollar salary?

L:  I don’t think that I could look at myself in the mirror, so I am going to stick with no. 

D:  Slightly off-topic, when did the MLB Network start? 

L:  Maybe 2009 or 2010.  Not sure exactly. 

D:  How do you feel about them?

L:  Good.  No real beef with them other than a lack of Brewers coverage, but I do not think that is their fault. 

D:  When Rickie Weeks was a “up and comer”, do you know roughly when that would have been? 

L:  His rookie year was 2005, so I guess from that season up until about 2009 or 2010. 

D:  And the “experts” you referred to earlier, is it possible that most of those people were employed by ESPN?

L:  It’s probable and likely. 

D:  Have you ever considered the possibility that you have nothing against Rickie Weeks? 

L:  Nope

D:  I think that your issue with Weeks stems from a hatred for ESPN and their baseball coverage and your spite for frequently injured players. 

L:  The ESPN hatred is right on, but I do not have spite for all oft-injured players. 

D:  That may be, or maybe you are angry because the team continues to stand by a player who is often hurt.  I am going to venture out and say that the organizations refusal to try and add depth or competition at the position, is what bothers you.  Which has nothing to do with Weeks.

L:  You are some kind of sorcerer…but, I still don’t like him and think that his days are numbered.

D:  That’s fine.  But I wanted you to understand that your mind’s eye can view things however it so chooses.  You chose to dislike a man…a ballplayer, when really you dislike the circus that surround him.  I think that you need to re-evaluate your reasons for disliking Rickie Weeks.  The reasons you laid out for me, do not add up.  You can change your perception of him, if you want to.  The question is, do you want to Lou?

L:  I don’t have to pay you for this right?

D:  No you do not.

L:  Ok.  In that case, you are absolutely right doctor!!!  I am cured.  I want to love Rickie Weeks.  I will learn to appreciate Rickie Weeks and his glorious Predator moster hair.   

A very special thank you to my therapist, who is an amazing person and I could not be happier about their willingness to do this.  Now, my doctor has agreed to do more, but I don’t want to bother them if no one enjoyed this.  Please leave a comment about whether or not you found this interesting, loved it, hated it, want more breakthroughs, whatever.  Any input is good input.  This is an experiment and the only way an experiment works is with test subjects.  So please, leave some thoughts.  Thank you. 

Some Brewers fans are calling for the removal of Weeks after one significantly bad season. Forget about 2012. Erase Weeks’ pathetic excuse of a season where he posted a .230 batting average and struck out a whopping 169 times and take this into consideration. Weeks was coming off a gruesome ankle injury in 2011 that clearly bothered him during the first half of the season. As a result, he got into some bad habits and slightly (but enough to do some damage) altered his swing. This new swing contributed to his worst season in his major league career.

Rickie Weeks is primed for a bounce back season. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

But as his ankle improved so did his play. After hitting .183 in the seasons first three months, Weeks finished strong, batting .270 the rest of the way. This is the Weeks we can expect in 2013. If his ankle holds up and if the rest of his body doesn’t let him down, he’ll hit around .270 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs.

Even Ron Roenicke believes that Weeks will bounce back nicely.

I think Rickie will be back to being Rickie. I truly think the ankle injury messed up Rickie for not just the end of that season but the first half of the season last year. It’s a tough injury to come back from when you depend a lot on your stride and how you land. There’s a lot of things there that led me to believe that was the reason.

However, Roenicke must find a different spot for him in the lineup than leadoff. Weeks is by no means a true leadoff hitter; in fact, he’s probably one of the worst. His strikeout numbers are too high and his on-base percentage, which ranked 41st in the National League last season, is too low to be taken seriously as the first man up. With his power and ability to drive the ball, batting him fifth would be ideal, at least until Corey Hart recovers from knee surgery. Leave the leadoff position to Norichika Aoki and stick Weeks in between Aramis Ramirez and Jonathon Lucroy, and watch him flourish.

I can understand the notion that Weeks is overpaid (he will make $10 million in 2013), but suggesting that he should be replaced by Gennett is ridiculous. I mean, you must be joking, right? Weeks’ combination of power and speed is rare, especially when talking about a second baseman. Organizations don’t just throw away that skill set after one lousy season.

Lasy year was a bump in Weeks’ career but he should in no way be judged on that alone. If he turns in another insufficent season to forget, then we can talk. But that won’t happen. Weeks is primed to return to the All-Star game.

Mark my words.

Do you believe Rickie Weeks will bounce back in 2013? Leave comments and questions below! Follow Justin and @ReviewngTheBrew on Twitter. Be sure to like us on Facebook, too.

Milwaukee’s attitude towards Rickie Weeks appears to be that the ankle injury he suffered in 2011 left him less than 100% through his slumping first half in 2012. Ron Roenicke himself even said that he expects ”Rickie will be back to being Rickie.”

Even with that being said – is Rickie right for the lead-off?

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Rickie Weeks is one of the best among them, and through his efforts he has been nominated for Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award – honoring the off-field contributions of baseball players in both leagues.

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