Jemile Weeks

Jemile Nykiwa Weeks

• Bats Both, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 180 lb.
• School University of Miami
• High School Lake Brantley High School
• Debut June 7, 2011
• Final Game May 7, 2016
• Born January 26, 1987 in Orlando, FL USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Jemile Weeks was a first-round draft pick in 2008. He is the brother of Rickie Weeks.

Weeks hit .472 as a high school junior and was an All-State shortstop as a senior. The Milwaukee Brewers took him in the 8th round of the 2005 amateur draft but he opted for college. Jemile hit .354/.448/.564 as a college freshman and was a first-team Freshman All-American according to Baseball America. The switch-hitter led the Atlantic Coast Conference in triples with 8. He tied the school record for longest hitting streak at 16 games, matching Jim Maler's 29-year old mark. Weeks lost Freshman of the Year honors in the ACC to Allan Dykstra. He hit .308 in the 2006 College World Series.

Weeks was one of several freshman on the USA college national team that year, joining two other infielders, SS Brandon Crawford and 3B Pedro Alvarez. Jemile hit .343 for the national team, good for third, and was second with 29 runs. His 14 steals tied Julio Borbon for the lead. His 23 walks led the club. The US won the 2006 World University Championship.

Jemile hit a disappointing .298/.393/.489 in a sophomore slump for Miami.

The Oakland A's took Weeks with the 12th pick of the 2008 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Trevor Schaffer for $1.91 million and debuted in professional baseball with the Kane County Cougars on July 9, going 0 for 3 with 2 walks and a steal against the Peoria Chiefs. He hit .299 with the Stockton Ports in 2009, and then .321 for the Sacramento RiverCats in 2011 to earn his first shot at the big leagues.

Jemile made his major league debut with the A's in 2011. he had an excellent first year, playing 97 games with a batting line of .303/.340/.421 with 50 runs scored and 22 steals. The Athletics thought they had found their second baseman for the future, but he slumped badly in 2012, just as the team began to rise in the standings. He hit only .221/.305/.304 in 118 games, with 54 runs and 16 steals. After posting an OPS+ of 110 as a rookie, it fell to 79 as a sophomore, and he was no longer the starter when the postseason rolled around, having been replaced by Cliff Pennington. He had a chance to redeem himself in 2013, after the A's had traded Pennington in the off-season, but he started the season back in the minor leagues, with Eric Sogard getting the bulk of the playing time in Oakland. He was back in Sacramento, where he played 130 games, hitting .271/.376/.369. he scored 96 runs, hit 10 triples, stole 17 bases in 19 attempts and drew 80 walks, showing the sorts of skills that could again make him a useful major leagues. The A's called him up in September, and he went 1 for 9 with 3 runs scored in limited playing time. On December 2nd, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in return for closer Jim Johnson, with the anticipation that he had the inside track to be Brian Roberts's successor at second base in 2014.

Related Sites

• Jemile Weeks on mlb.com
• Profile from USA Today