Could it be? Could the Milwaukee Brewers actually have a legitimate leadoff man on the team now with the acquisition of Ray Durham?
On the surface, this appears to be just a SOLID trade. One could make the argument that 2nd base was the one GLARING hole that remained on the Brewers roster. Dick Weeks just has not been getting the job done since...um...well...since he joined the team 4 years ago.
So this is awesome for us right? I mean...this means Ray Durham is going to be playing every day right? If you listen to Ned Yost and Bill Schroeder though...Dick is still the team's starting 2nd baseman. Let's run through a few quotes:
Brewers manager Ned Yost said initially Durham would play a couple of days a week, with Rickie Weeks remaining the starter at second.
Manager Ned Yost said he hadn't thought it out yet but would probably play Durham at second base "a couple of times" a week. That obviously would cost Rickie Weeks playing time but Weeks kept a stiff upper lip about the deal and said he still considered himself the team's second baseman.
Bill Schroeder also reiterated this point after the telecast today...that he thought Durham's acquisition was for a few spot starts and to provide another left-handed at bat at the end of games.
Give me a break. If there is one thing Ned Yost always talks about...it's trying to play the "hot hand." Well if that's the case, then Durham needs to be getting 4 out of 5 starts the rest of the way:
2008 Stats:
Ray Durham - .293/.385/.404
Rickie Weeks - .218/.322/.367
Come on Ned. You can only stick up for Rickie for so long. Eventually he has to be held accountable for his stinkablility. Please give Ray the starts........pleasssssssssssse.
But what am I saying? This is Ned Yost were talking about here...
Yost said he does not plan to install a platoon between Durham and Weeks.
"I will not, probably, right now," Yost said. "Rickie's doing fine. I'll play Ray a couple days a week, maybe. We'll see how it goes. I'll take it day by day.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Yost added. "We'll find out when it happens."
I don't like this...it appears Ned is thinking again...
Sunday, July 20, 2008
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6 comments:
Ned is just saying the right things so that Rickie doesn't ask for a trade tomorrow. He'll instead ask for one in about 2 weeks when he's been replaced in the lineup.
Rickie Weeks is primed to have a breakout year. He has underperformed a bit, but he has all the tools to put it together. He's only 26 so he has a lot of development left. He's got all the tools. He's a potential 30/30 guy and a run scorer.
In Doug I Trust!
I thought Weeks was fine? Ned kept saying that he's among the league leaders in runs scored, and as a leadoff guy, that's what he's supposed to do. Hmmm.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3497321&POLL348=20000000000000000000000000
click the poll and see what everyone else thinks
This trade shifts the balance of power in the NL Central again. Look for the Cubs to counter this move by picking up Mark Grudzielanek.
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