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Sunday April 14, 2013

Rickie Weeks had a rough 2012 campaign, only hitting .230. He still managed, though, to slug 21 HR and knock in 63 runs.

Bernie Olshansky (Baseball Writer): Follow @BernieOlshansky

2012 was a long year for Rickie Weeks and the Milwaukee Brewers. Even after Prince Fielder left to sign with the Detroit Tigers, fans had high hopes for the 2012 season. Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks, and upcoming First Baseman Mat Gamel were all set to bring the Brewers back to the playoffs.

Unfortunately Gamel started the season and suffered a torn ACL, which caused him to miss the rest. Braun was caught up in a steroid scandal that threatened to suspend him but never did. Luckily Braun was not suspended and had a very good season.

Weeks, on the other hand, had a horrific first half of the year. The Brewers wound up just four games over .500 at 83-79 and finished third in the NL Central. Brewers’ fans hope that 2013 will be different.

Rickie Weeks 2012 Highlights – Mature Lyrics so Parental Guidance is advised:

Kyle Lohse has pitched pretty well in his 1st starts for Milwaukee, yielding a 2.08 ERA and allowing 0 Walks in 13.0 IP.

The team stayed virtually the same as last year, with the addition of starting pitcher Kyle Lohse. Lohse is coming off a great year with the St. Louis Cardinals, going 16-3 with a stellar 2.86 ERA over 211 Innings.

This signing was a bit surprising as it came towards the end of spring training. This 2013 Brewers team will need to compete with a strong NL Central containing the division-favorite Cincinnati Reds.

In my opinion, the Brewers will have no problem competing with the Reds, but they will need Rickie Weeks to step up.

Like I said at the beginning, Rickie Weeks struggled in the first half of 2012. He recovered a bit after the All Star Break, but still hit .230 with 21 HR and 63 RBI. Weeks’ career average is .251, so 2012 was significantly lower than normal.

Also interesting is Weeks’ number of games played. He played in 157 games in 2012. This was the second most Weeks has ever played in a season. He played in 160 games in 2010.

The reason why I mention this is because if you take away the two seasons in which Weeks played in 157 and 160 games, the most he has ever played in is 129. This is all over the course of his 10-year career.

If he could stay healthy this season (the reason why he missed many games in previous seasons) the Brewers should be able to win enough games to be in contention for the playoffs, be it via Wild Card or a division crown.

Weeks’ 21 HR last year were right on with his career average: 23. Although his average dipped, he was still able to maintain his power. Even his RBI numbers were roughly the same (33) to his career average: 66.

If Weeks plays in almost all of the games this year, it is safe to say that he will maintain his HR and RBI numbers, especially with Ryan Braun hitting in front of him.

What I think will determine the success of the Brewers this year is Weeks’ average. If he could raise it by 20 or 30 points, the Brewers should be in good shape.

Weeks is also counted on more with the injury to Aramis Ramirez being on the DL for 15 Days (April.6).

So far this year—although it is a small sample size—Weeks has not been the best. Through Sunday morning, he has hit .216 with one HR and one RBI. He started off hot though, going 8 for his first 19 with his HR and RBI. Since then, he has cooled off, going 1 for his last 22, getting that hit on Saturday.

It is entirely too early to panic, but if Weeks continues to slump and Strike out excessively, fans should prepare for something similar to Weeks’ first half of 2012. If he could get it together and hit the way he was for his first 19 at bats, the NL Central is in for major trouble. A lineup with a 3-4 combination of Braun and Weeks when both are firing on all cylinders is very dangerous.

The Brewers definitely have the pitching to be a playoff team – with Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse anchoring the Starting Rotation. The bottom line though, is that Rickie Weeks must step up and hit for average in order for the Brewers to win.

The team cannot expect its rotation to give up less than three runs every start. If the Brewers want to win, Rickie Weeks needs to return to form.

Ryan Braun’s 162 Game Average is scary for Pitches. .37 HRs, 118 RBI, 113 Runs Scored, 41-2B, 23 SB, 200 Hits and a .313/.374/.943 Slash Line. He has started the year with a .360/.467/1.067 in his 1st 7 games with a HR and 6 RBI. The Milwaukee Brewers have failed to capitalize on these numbers – beginning the year 2 – 8. The pitching has been atrocious – and the overall offense is not putting up its usual numbers thus far.

***The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com or their partners***

Today’s feature was prepared by our Baseball Writer Bernie Olshansky. We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers. You can also follow Bernie on Twitter. Follow @BernieOlshansky

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