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Tori Harrison
CSNCalifornia.com
In a time of uncertainty for the A's, one thing has remained absolutely clear -- Jemile Weeks is untouchable. The young second baseman played in only 97 games last season, but made an impression as a star-in-the-making and a crowd favorite.
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Weeks is regarded as the face of the franchise. As humble as he is talented, Weeks said the identity is "flattering." In 2011, Weeks became the first player in Oakland history to record 100 hits and 20 stolen bases in his first 80 games. He ranked second in stolen bases to teammate Coco Crisp.
The A's have plenty of speed with Crisp and Weeks in the lineup, and manager Bob Melvin plans to make it a big part of their game. Weeks can't wait.
"We are going to have to get runs different ways," Weeks said, "we are going to have to pick out our strengths. If running is our strength then thats what we have to do."
Crisp, who was second in the AL in stolen bases with 49, is convinced baseball is shifting from a reliance on power and emphasizing speed.
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"The power numbers are slowly dropping, and the speed numbers are picking up," Crisp said. "If we can get that balance where it will level off between speed and power I think that will make us a pretty competitive team."
Tori Harrison is an intern with Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and a senior at UC Berkeley.