Rickie Weeks is a Sleeper to Win the Home Run Derby

Many non-Brewers fans derided Prince Fielder for selecting teammate Rickie Weeks to participate in tonight's Home Run Derby. Most of those people cried favoritism without really knowing anything about how Weeks might fare in the contest. Those of us who have shared the privilege of watching Weeks grow into the player he is today know that he certainly has the skills and power to compete in the derby, and are excited to watch him share the limelight with household names like Fielder, David Ortiz, and Adrian Gonzalez. Granted, he's facing several people who have competed in the contest before and, along with home run machine Jose Bautista, are likely considered the favorites to win in 2011.

Still, those who have seen him know what he can do. Highly respected baseball analyst, Peter Gammons, has noted Weeks' power, referring to his batting practice on Twitter twice over the past several months. On March 21st he said: "Only more [devestating] BP I've seen than Rickie Weeks was Mike Stanton," comparing Weeks to the young Marlins powerhouse, and on June 18th he continued: "[Rickie] Weeks' BP is a [baseball] destination. 3 different people think his batspeed exceeds Gary Sheffield in [his] prime." High praise from one of the best minds in baseball.

Of course there's no guarantee Weeks will win tonight, or even make it past the first round, considering the competition. He will, however, surprise and impress many across the nation unfamiliar with his strength and bat speed. He's played like an All Star and deserves to start in tomorrow's game and compete in tonight's contest as much as anyone. I'm excited to see him take center stage alongside some of the game's top names, and I know I'm not the only one.