This is What Makes Spring Training Fun

So there has been some talk of a prospect in the brewers system by the name of Alcides Escobar. The one article linked, at FoxSports...hope I dont get sued...suggests that Rickie Weeks be traded as soon as possible, move Hardy to 2b, and let Escobar come of age in the bigs. Couple of things about this...

First, Weeks has effectively played for three years. Lest us not forget that he was the number two pick overall. Marred by injury, his big league numbers arent that great. His minor league numbers however, are decent. Good OBP, good stolen base percentage. He does have some of the skills that make a good ball player. His OPS in the minors is almost 100 points better, so there is something there. The problem is that he has had his issues with the injury.

Second, why tinker any more for the sake of a 20 year old? Not worth it. Gone are the days of bringing in a really young, under the legal drinking age, player. The kid has been in the system since what, '04, so let him get to some of those AAAA pitchers in triple A. These days, you have to hit. Hardy was brought up based on his defensive play and potential, and in his one decent regular season playing, did nothing after the All-Star break.

I guess it comes down to how long you want to let Weeks "try out" at being a good ballplayer. Me...this is the last year. If he shows during the season that he does in fact have the "grit" and "hustle"(thanks Ned) to play big league ball, keep him around, and wait again. If not, it may not be a bad idea to package him and Sheeter, another glass body, and get something for him. Maybe a real catcher.