if you’re going to rank a short-season player in the top 50 at all, he better be a world-beater. I can’t say that I think Weeks should be a top-40 prospect. I don’t think Hicks should have been either. Dreaming on a guy is fun, but there isn’t much that separates Hicks from any other toolsy 1st round pick at this point. Obviously the Twins agree, or it wouldn’t have taken them until now to put him in A-ball when guys like Jaff Decker are already knocking on A+’s door.

I think the reason why we (because I did also) rated Hicks so much higher was because we hoped that he might develop more power. There are a number of similarities between Hicks and Weeks – they both have excellent plate control, they’re both very fast, they both play important defensive positions. That Hicks is doing this while 4 years younger (granted at a lower level) is impressive, but the real hope with Hicks was that he might add 20 or even 30 HR power to his excellent walk and strikeout and steal data. But Weeks seems to have stolen his thunder on that score.

I’m still wary of Weeks’ homer data – I think that Hicks is one of the best prospects in the game, and it wouldn’t shock me if by the time the year is over, he might move higher than his #40 place into the 20s. Weeks really could end up anywhere – if he continues to hit with this much power, with this plate control and this speed, then he could be one of the best, if not the best, 2B prospects in the game. But there’s a long way to go before he does that