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A career .244/.332/.416 hitter against left-handed pitchers, Weeks found himself in a rigid platoon with lefty Scooter Gennett to begin the 2014 season. By the end of the season, the platoon had softened a bit, as Weeks logged a nearly even amount of plate attempts against right- and left-handed pitching (131 to 155). Even though Weeks had some success against righties (.294/.351/.395), all but one of his eight home runs came off lefties, against whom Weeks batted .256/.361/.504.
Much has been written about Weeks' defensive deficiencies, and 2014 provided more fodder. Weeks' above-average error rate combined with his limited range contributed to a -7.5 UZR this season. Basically, the statistics confirm what everyone intuitively knows, which is to say Weeks is a below-average fielder. Despite those troubles, Weeks was still able to accumulate 1.2 fWAR in 2014, which tells you how much he contributed with his bat.
2014 was likely Weeks' last year as a Brewer, ending a relationship spanning more than a decade. No doubt Weeks' departure delights some segments of the Brewers fan base, as the oft-injured second baseman has always been a lightning rod for criticism. Words like "bust" and "failure" have been unfairly lobbed at Weeks, who was drafted by the Brewers with the 2nd pick of the 2003 draft. This year Weeks drew plenty of fan ire for declining the team's invitation to learn left field in May.
Despite fan misgivings, Weeks was a consistently above-average player. He generated positive fWAR nearly every season of his career, accumulating a career 18.1 wins above replacement. Perhaps most importantly, he anchored second base as the team ended its 26-year playoff drought in 2008, and earned his first all-star berth as the team advanced to the NLCS in 2011. Perhaps not the flashiest of Brewers players, but a very solid overall contributor who didn't deserve half of the griping uttered over his play.
Best Game
By Win Probability Added, Weeks' best game came on May 11 versus the Yankees, when Weeks went 3-5 and keyed a bottom-of-the-ninth victory with a one-out double. But as for highlights, let's take a look at Weeks' role in acome-from-behind win against the Dodgers on August 8:
Contract Status
Weeks earned $12M in 2014, the final year of a 4-year, $38.5M contract. The Brewers held a $11.5M club option which they declined earlier in the offseason. The option would have vested had Weeks reached a designated number of plate appearances, which he came nowhere near doing. Weeks is now a free agent and can sign with any team.