Earlier this week I discussed the Oakland A’s and why they ought to consider moving Andrew Bailey if and when he comes back healthy and pitches like we are used to seeing. They are at .500, just a game out of first powered almost exclusively by their great pitching, both starters and relievers. Moving Bailey for the right bat would be an excellent upgrade to their lineup, but the 23rd-ranked offense (by runs) needs more than one move to make them a legitimate contender.
I mentioned that another move can be made from within the organization and I was referring specifically to second base prospect Jemile Weeks, brother of Rickie Weeks. The 2008 first round pick out of the University of Miami has really struggled to stay healthy as a pro which has slowed his progress a bit, but he has been healthy so far this year showing why he was a first round pick and leading to his best season yet 29 games in.
Hip and leg issues have limited to just 77 and 80 games in his two full seasons as a professional. When he is on the field, he shows an all-around game including speed, discipline, a quick bat and more power than you would expect from someone who is 5’9 and 160 pounds. His stolen base numbers don’t suggest massive speed, but that is certainly tied to the hip and leg issues.
His .325/.418/.467 line includes 10 extra base hits and 18 RBIs from the leadoff spot. I asked Ben Badler from BaseballAmerica.comwhat he thought of this production from Weeks and he said it’s “what he’s capable of when healthy. [He] has to show he can stay that way still.”
Weeks at AFL 2009 (Photo courtesy of Amanda Rykoff)
His ceiling doesn’t quite have the near-30 home run power like his brother, but in exchange for that he shouldn’t have the same strikeout issues that does Rickie does which often drain his batting average. Badler and colleagues compared Weeks to Ray Durham in this year’s handbook and Durham was a mid-teens home run hitter and a career .277 hitter so that fits the trade of power for batting average as compared to Rickie.
It’s only 29 games of elite production, but it’s health not talent with him so there shouldn’t be a fear that the bottom will fall out on his stat line. He wouldn’t even need to be playing this well to merit a call up when you consider the “production” the A’s are getting at second base right now. Mark Ellis has a gawd-awful .204/.229/.279(!!!) line in 147 at-bats with no home runs, 11 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has had some pretty decent years in the past and he was never at risk of losing his job because he was an elite defender. Maybe he is hiding an injury because he looks completely lost at the dish.
His defense is still strong, but the bat is just so bad that no amount of quality defense can offset the hit their lineup is taking primarily because Ellis isn’t the only gaping hole in their set of nine. And at 34, he isn’t going to be a major part of their future so it is time to get the 24-year old up and into the lineup. Weeks’ defense isn’t up to Ellis’ caliber, but it’s passable especially if he is contributing with the bat. I asked Adam Foster of ProjectProspect.com what he thought of Weeks and he said, “[He] is off to a hot start. I think he’ll cool off a bit, but if the A’s want an offensive upgrade at 2B, he is certainly an option.”
If you have an open bench spot, I would definitely speculate on Weeks in an AL-Only league and possibly in deeper mixed leagues if I really needed a middle infield boost in my lineup. The A’s certainly do so they shouldn’t hold Weeks back too much longer as they are clearly contenders in that AL West with their ridiculous pitching. A lot of times these call ups happen without warning so if you grab him early, he will be very cheap which is also good insurance because if it doesn’t work out for some reason then you can cut him with minimal damage to your FAAB budget.
Baseball By Paul 