Jemile Weeks gets advice on base stealing, sliding

Jemile Weeks can steal bases, no question. It's staying there that's the problem.

The rookie has sailed right past the bag three times this season, twice head first and once, Friday night, feet first. So on Saturday, manager Bob Melvin, special adviser Phil Garner and first-base coach Tye Waller had Weeks out early, working on technique.

"They're trying to get me to slide a little bit earlier, make sure I'm in front of the bag or hitting on top of the bag and stopping my momentum," Weeks said. "It's just getting back to fundamentals."

Melvin said that they showed Weeks video of some successful base stealers who also start their slides on the late side, including Boston's Jacoby Ellsbury, who pops up when he reaches the bag, a tactic that might help Weeks.

Weeks has 21 steals, making him the seventh rookie in Oakland history to reach the 20-steal mark. He has seven steals in the past 10 games after 14 in his first 66.

Weeks extended his career-high hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the third.


(sfgate.com)