Today In Brewer History: Happy Birthday, Rickie Weeks

On this day in 1982, Rickie Darnell Weeks was born in Altamonte Springs, Florida. He won back-to-back batting titles, a Golden Spikes Award and Baseball America's College Player of the Year Award at Southern University before being drafted with the #2 overall pick in the 2003 draft. In hindsight, the Brewers made an excellent choice: Weeks was drafted after California high school outfielder Delmon Young (0.2 career rWAR) and only one of the four players selected after him (Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer, selected fourth) has reached the majors at all.

Weeks made his major league debut later that same season, making seven appearances for a 2003 team that lost 94 games. He was back in the big leagues for good in 2005 and, when healthy, has been with the team ever since. He made his first All Star appearance this season but his best year was 2010, when he hit .269/.366/.464 and led the NL in at bats and plate appearances.

Sometime this week Weeks is going to become the 22nd player in franchise history to appear in 750 games. He's six runs away from passing Gorman Thomas for tenth place on the Brewers' all time runs list, is 13th all time with 348 walks, ranks tenth with 100 stolen bases and second with 94 HBP. He'll be a Brewer through at least the end of the 2014 season, so he'll have more time to work on those records.

Weeks turns 29 today. With help from Brewerfan.net and the B-Ref Play Index, we'd also like to wish a happy birthday to:

• Nashville Sound Justin James, who turns 30.
• 1991 Brewer Rick Dempsey, who turns 62.