By John Manuel
February 13, 2003

At first, Roger Cador wasn’t sure what to make of Rickie Weeks’ frequent visits to the baseball coach’s office at Southern.

The freshman was hanging around whether the Jaguars had practice that day or not. It seemed when he wasn’t in the weight room or on his way to class, Weeks was stopping by to talk baseball with Cador and to raid the coach’s refrigerator.

"Rickie and I have always had a good relationship, and it starts with those visits," Cador says. "It seemed like he came by almost every day. We’d talk about things other than just baseball, so now our relationship goes beyond just being a player and a coach.

"At first, I thought he was just coming by for the PowerAde. But he kept coming even when I didn’t have any PowerAde. He still lives on campus and he still comes by a lot, whether I have PowerAde or not."

Why change a winning routine? After all, Weeks has gone from a good high school player whose small frame kept him from being drafted or recruited heavily to being college baseball’s most devastating hitter. He enters his junior season as the top prospect in the college ranks and as a strong candidate to go No. 1 overall in the 2003 draft.

"He has the potential to be a great hitter," one American League scouting director says. "I saw him with Team USA last summer, and he looked like a professional hitter. He has a great swing and he has a plan when he’s up there.

"You have to wonder sometimes why he wasn’t drafted, but the fact that he wasn’t recruited very heavily out of high school might get some area scouts off the hook, because it looks like a lot of people missed on him."

Just two colleges offered Weeks a baseball scholarship out of Lake Brantley High in Altamonte Springs, Fla. He chose Southern over George Washington–an unlikely pairing at that–in part because of the relationship his mother Valeria established with coach Cador.

"It seemed like whenever he would call, I wouldn’t be at home," Weeks says. "He’d end up talking to my mom a lot, and they made a connection. Once I researched it on my own and found out about the baseball tradition at Southern and the school, I decided to go there."

The choice has worked out well for Weeks, who has helped the Jaguars to a pair of Southwestern Athletic Conference championships. Southern has won 11 of the last 18, and has produced pro talent such as Lou Brock (class of ’64) and a pair of high draft picks the last two years–Tigers first-rounder Michael Woods in 2001 and Giants second-rounder Freddie Lewis in 2002.

A generation ago, in 1975, Southern catcher Danny Goodwin was the No. 1 overall pick. Unlike Goodwin, who also had been the No. 1 overall pick in 1971 as an Illinois prepster, Weeks wasn’t a premium player out of high school.

"Rickie was much smaller when he played here–you could really see a difference when he came back during his freshman year," says Lake Brantley coach Mike Smith, who has coached such future big leaguers as Brad Rigby and Jason Varitek. "He works at my Christmas camps, and when he came back during his freshman year, he had put on a lot of muscle just in a few months."

Weeks also didn’t get to play much infield in high school, as Smith had plenty of talent at second base and shortstop in current South Carolina infielders Justin Harris and Kevin Melillo and Duke shortstop Bryan Smith, the coach’s son. Weeks instead played mostly center field, with some unsuccessful experiments at third.

However, it’s not like Weeks was an unknown. He had gone to the 1998 Junior Olympic trials with his Lake Brantley teammates, where he was listed on the roster as 5-foot-8, 160 pounds. Weeks also was an all-conference defensive back as a senior, his only year on the football team.

Cador said Miami expressed interest in Weeks as a recruited walk-on, and the coach really thought he would lose Weeks when he saw him face 2000 Angels first-round pick Joe Torres in a prep all-star game.

"There were all these heavyweight scouts there, and I thought, ‘This is it.’ Then he ran to first in 4.1 (seconds) from the right side, and now I’m really afraid," Cador says. "But there was little fanfare. People just missed him."

Through his own hard work in Southern’s weight room (and maybe some help from those sports drinks), Weeks is harder to miss now. He’s grown into a powerful 6-foot, 205-pound frame. "He definitely looks the part," another AL scouting director said. He has powerful wrists and incredibly quick hands that help him generate excellent bat speed.

His other numbers are equally impressive. Weeks batted .425-14-70 as a freshman, leading the SWAC in homers, triples (12, which also led the nation), runs (78) and hits (77) while stealing 28 bases. He was even better in 2002, when his .495 average, .995 slugging percentage, 96 RBIs and 12 triples all led the nation, while his 20 homers and 98 hits paced the SWAC.

"When I came here, I was maybe 5-foot-10, 175," says Weeks, who still lives on campus and has since been joined by his sister Kaisha, a freshman. "I think maybe half of the story is I’m a late bloomer and half of it was people weren’t really watching enough. I guess I was undersized, but I’ve hit the weights hard, so I don’t think that’s an issue now."

No one questions whether Weeks is a Division I player anymore, but scouts still have questions about his future position. He played roughly 20 games at shortstop his first two seasons for Southern but primarily has worked in center field, where his above-average speed and arm play well. However, Weeks doesn’t see himself in the outfield.

"I always knew I had the talent to play the middle infield, and I think it’s just a matter of getting more repetitions," he says. "Whether it’s second base or shortstop, I know I have the ability to play middle infield well, and I’m glad coach Cador is going to play me at second base this season."

Weeks started to make some believers of his infield abilities last summer, his second with Team USA. In 2001, he made the team based on his numbers and his tools, and the national team was in a developmental mode. He overcame the initial awe factor of playing with major college players by hitting .277-2-10, ranking fourth on the team in batting.

In 2002, he was a veteran of the team and a leader, according to Team USA national team director Steve Cohen. When shortstop Dustin Pedroia (Arizona State) had to leave the team with a fractured orbital bone, Weeks moved in from the outfield to play second base, with Georgia Tech’s Eric Patterson moving over to short.

"He was taking infield all year with us but playing in the outfield," Cohen says. "When Pedroia got hurt, the logical thing was to move Rickie to the infield. We had some questions when he struggled in the trials turning the double play, and that’s what made us play him in the outfield.

"When he had to play second, though, the staff did a great job with him. Every time they took infield, every ball was live and had to go to second to turn two. It really helped, and Rickie is very teachable. He worked hard, and you could see his range improving and see him gaining more confidence."

Almost every scout contacted for this story believes Weeks, who hit .273-2-14 over the summer for Team USA, has the athletic ability for second base and just needs time there. He could become the first second baseman ever drafted first overall when the Devil Rays go on the clock in June.

"I don’t think Rickie is too far off from the major leagues," one AL scouting director says. "He doesn’t need too many refinements as a hitter. I think it’s fair to say he’s the closest thing to a five-tool player coming out of college since J.D. Drew."