Rickie Weeks

Rickie Darnell Weeks (born September 13, 1982, in Daytona Beach, Florida) is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Weeks bats and throws right-handed. Weeks has a distinctive batting stance that is similar to that of Gary Sheffield, waggling his bat heavily before swinging.

He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA where he was a finalist for the 2004 James E. Sullivan Award as the United States top amateur athlete and was a two-time All-American. He was the recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy as the national collegiate player of the year during his senior year. In spring 2003 at Southern University he batted an astonishing .500.

Weeks made his major league debut on September 15, 2003, soon after inking a contract which included a $3.6 million signing bonus. Weeks did not become a full-time player for the Brewers until June 2005, when he was recalled from Triple-A Nashville, despite playing much of the 2005 season with a thumb injury. In his first full MLB season in 2005, Weeks had a batting average of .239 to go with 13 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 96 games. These HR/SB number are consistent with his minor league totals (playing in 209 games) of 21 home runs and 24 stolen bases. In 2006, Weeks hit .279 with 8 home runs, 34 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 95 games.

He returned to the Nashville Sounds on July 31, 2007, since he was batting below .200 after returning from a wrist injury.

In 2007, he had the lowest fielding percentage of all NL second basemen (.976), and the lowest zone rating among all major league second basemen, .737. His target at first base was Prince Fielder, who finished 2007 last of all eligible major league first basemen in range factor (8.49), and first in errors (14).

In 2008, he had the lowest fielding percentage (.975) and the most errors (15) of all NL second basemen. On offense, however, Weeks scored 46.6% of the time he reached base, second-best in the NL.

In Game 1 of the 2008 NL Division Series, Weeks made a key error in the third inning that led to three unearned runs scored by the Phillies in Philadelphia's 3-1 victory. In Game 3, Weeks injured his knee while trying to beat out a throw at first base. He underwent surgery the next day to remove torn cartilage from his left knee.

On February 3, 2009, Weeks and the Brewers reached a 1-year deal worth $2.45 million, thereby avoiding salary arbitration. Weeks can earn an additional $100,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances from 575 to 650.

In early 2009, sabermetrician Bill James wrote in John Dewan's "The Fielding Bible Volume II," that Weeks should be moved to a position other than second base. James said Weeks led the majors at his position in a category he calls defensive misplays (which does not include errors), with 44. An average second baseman has 28 defensive misplays a season. Dewan ranked Weeks the worst starting second baseman in the majors.

On May 18, 2009, Weeks was diagnosed with a torn muscle in his left hand, and declared himself out for the 2009 season. Recovery time is 4-6 months.

Weeks was born in Daytona Beach, Florida. He is the son of Richard and Valeria Weeks. His sister Kaisha was an NCAA Regional Finalist at Southern University in track. Weeks's brother Jemile Weeks was drafted by the Brewers in 2005 out of high school, but never signed with them, choosing to attend the University of Miami instead. The Oakland Athletics drafted Jemile in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft twelfth overall.

In 2005, Weeks signed a sponsorship contract with sportswear company 3N2, which designed a shoe for him. In 2009, Weeks was voted "Sexiest Baseball Player" by Cosmopolitan Magazine.