The second one makes Rickie about average. I’d guess his average of hit balls that find gloves is low and that is likely to turn around. I guess I would ride him a bit longer.

No easy alternative. I’d say there is not much chance that Escobar comes up and plays second.

Nunez sucks in general and has done nothing in AAA this year to change that perception; if he didn’t make the team out of spring training, he’s not going to make it now. Escobar is a shortstop whose defense is highly regarded, so I doubt he’d be shifted to second, and I doubt Hardy would change positions mid-season.

Far more likely in my opinion is Hernan Iribarren.

I’ve been hanging on for Weeks for a while now. Yes, the OBP is about league average for NL leadoff hitters, but it really isn’t that good. Do NL managers not see the connection between avoiding outs and scoring runs?

I just can’t see Weeks’ OBP coming up unless he starts to hit. And I don’t see him starting to hit for more average at the rates he strikes out and pops up.

Like 80badger I [heart] Hart, and I’d like to see him in the leadoff spot. I’d also like to see Braun and Fielder hitting 2 and 3, respectively. But what do I know? I guess I’m just a stupid fan who’d like to see the team’s best 3 hitters get more plate appearances.

age, obp
——
22 .333
23 .363
24 .374
25 .379 (projected)

what these graphs fail to capture is the number “hard outs” rickie has been making. this cannot be overlooked. find me a graph that shows these and i will start paying attention

per the JS Blogs:

Weeks is batting .187 with a .315 on-base percentage yet somehow has managed to score 31 runs. Yost continues to insist that Weeks has hit into so many hard outs that his numbers are deceiving.

He’s OK with me, Yost said before the Brewers’ interleague game with Boston was postponed by rain. “I’m happy with it. He’s hitting the ball hard; he’s walking.

His walk-to-strikeout ratio (23 to 30) is so much better than it’s ever been. He’s hitting in very bad luck. The low percentage of balls put in play being hits says that he’s hitting in bad luck.”

(Of course, we have another option in Corey Hart, and this isn’t the first time for a Rickie Weeks/Corey Hart debate.)

More from Ned:

“The worse thing you can do, especially with no viable options, is flopping guys around,” he said. “It disrupts everything. Guys start looking over their shoulder.

“It just makes for an uncomfortable situation. I refuse to do that. Guys need to settle in. There’s no reason not to.”

I’m not really clamoring for a change at leadoff, but if this is the reason why Rickie is still leading off, because it would make for an “uncomfortable situation,” then make room on the bandwagon. We’re a quarter of the way through the season already. Given that we have Corey Hart and ample evidence that Rickie responds to a proverbial kick in the butt, I think it’s OK to risk an “uncomfortable situation” if it keeps us out of last place in the NL Central.

My kingdom for Jerry Royster.