2008 Organizational Rankings: Catchers

This is the first in a series of posts covering every player in the Twins organization who has played at least at the Rookie League level or higher, along with a few international players who have not yet reached that level. Here are the ground rules for these posts:

1.) Each player in the organization will be listed in only one of these posts. The determination of where to place a player was made based on the position at which the player received the most playing time during the 2007 season (with very rare exceptions), and I won't be moving players around during the season.

2.) These rankings are obviously being made prior to the start of the 2008 season, and I will not be updating them during the season. As a result, no matter how well a player performs in 2008, it will not affect his ranking.

3.) As with everything else that appears on this blog, these rankings represent my own subjective impressions. If you agree or disagree, feel free to respond with your own thoughts in the comments.

4.) Speaking of comments, I'm human and therefore make mistakes. If I've missed a player, added a player who is no longer with the team, incorrectly listed biographical information, or anything else, please let me know in the comments and I will address the mistake with a correction, if necessary.

5.) Players who leave the Twins organization (whether by release, trade, or any other circumstance) will remain in the rankings, but their listing will be in red font and the method by which they left the team will be noted. Players who join the Twins organization during the season will be added to the proper post, but will not be ranked; instead, they'll appear at the bottom of the list with the ranking of "NR," standing for "Not Ranked." This will be true whether the player is a 2008 draft pick or a former All-Star traded for at the deadline.

#1 - Joe Mauer
Is there really any doubt that Joe Mauer is the best catcher in the Twins organization? I'm not going to waste anyone's time going into details or trying to justify this ranking, because frankly anyone who disagreed with this wouldn't know the first thing about baseball.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 4/19/83
Drafted: 2001 (1st Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: None

#2 - Mike Redmond
I could see how someone could disagree with the decision to place Redmond second if there was a phenom in the system, but Redmond is a very good Major League-caliber backup catcher who has a distinguished career behind him. While there are a couple of interesting players behind Redmond in these rankings, there's no one who deserves to be ranked above a solid veteran.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/5/71
Drafted: Undrafted
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: None

#3 - Jose Morales
I ranked Morales 15th in the Organization last year after he missed most of 2005 with an injury and struggled at the plate in 2006. Last year Morales proved me wrong, as he had a phenomenal 2007 season with the Rochester Red Wings. That performance earned him a late season call-up with the Twins which, unfortunately, ended with an injury after he went 3-for-3 in his first Major League at-bats. By playing so well in 2007, Morales proved that he's still capable of putting up the kind of solid offensive numbers that he displayed early in his professional career. With the departure of Chris Heintz from the organization, Morales is now positioned as the Twins third-string catcher, and that fits in well with his third place ranking.
Bats/Throws: S/R
Birthdate: 2/20/83
Drafted: 2001 (3rd Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Optioned to AAA Rochester (3/9/08); 7-Day DL (6/12/08)

#4 - Wilson Ramos
I'm jumping on the Ramos bandwagon, moving him up two spots from the #6 ranking I gave him a year ago. That ranking was rather tentative, as it was based on just one year of professional experience -- but the catchers in the Twins organization last year were so weak that even that limited experience was enough to justify a relatively high ranking. Now, Ramos has another very good offensive season under his belt, having hit .291 with a 783 OPS in 292 AB's with the Beloit Snappers. That performance has placed Twins fans on notice of Ramos' abilities, and there's every reason to believe that he'll continue to perform moving forward. Despite his potential, I'm not willing to move him ahead any of the more established catchers at the top of this list -- yet.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 8/10/87
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Current Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08)

#5 - Drew Butera
Butera was acquired by the Twins in the Luis Castillo trade last July, and came billed as a defensive catcher who was a bit light with the bat. He actually hit a little better than expected (.260, albeit in just 50 AB's), but it's not like he's going to be challenging Joe Mauer for a batting title anytime soon. Nonetheless, he supposedly is strong enough behind the plate to be a potential Major Leaguer someday, so I'm placing him this high based largely on that skill.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 8/9/83
Drafted: 2005 (5th Round)
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings/New Britain Rock Cats
Current Team: New Britain Rock Cats
2008 Transactions: Assigned to AA New Britain (4/03/08)

#6 - Eli Whiteside - RELEASED (4/30/08)
Whiteside is a minor league veteran who was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent in November to provide some depth in the system. Whiteside has spent his entire career to this point in the Orioles system, working his way up to the AAA level, where he's spent most of the past three seasons. He's not a great hitter, but neither is he terrible; at the AA level last year, Whiteside hit .291 in 141 AB's, but he countered that with a .180 average in 61 AB's at the AAA level. Whether he sticks around in the organization is something of an open question, but considering his experience and the performance of many of the guys below him in this ranking, I think he belongs in this position.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 10/22/79
Drafted: 2001 (6th Round)
Status: 8th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: None
2008 Transactions: Released (4/30/08)

#7 - Danny Rams
The Twins added a number of catching prospects in the draft last year, and Rams was taken higher than any of them. While his 2007 season wasn't by any means eye-popping, he at least got a chance to experience the game at a pro level. Rams played with the low Rookie League GCL Twins, getting 97 AB's in 27 games and hitting .258 with a 672 OPS. In that time, he hit 8 doubles but no homeruns, struck out 22 times while walking just 5, and had an OBP of .311. In other words, there are some things for Rams to work on. His performance was, nonetheless, the best amongst the new catching additions to the team, and that coupled with his high draft position (an indication of the high hopes the Twins have for him) is enough to get him the #7 spot.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 12/19/88
Drafted: 2007 (2nd Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins/Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Elizabethton Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High R Elizabethton (6/17/08)

#8 - Jeff Christy
I ranked the University of Nebraska grad fifth last year, but 2007 wasn't a great year for Christy. He spent the vast majority of his season in Ft. Myers, hitting .225 in 227 AB's for the Miracle. He also had a remarkably successful brief stint with New Britain (hitting .368 with a 921 OPS in 19 AB's), but that's more than likely just statistical noise. Christy's fall in my rankings is partly due to his mediocre offensive performance last year with the Miracle, and partly because of the addition of new players to the organization who at this point have to be considered more promising than he is. This will just be Christy's third year in the Twins organization, so there's still plenty of time for him to develop offensively -- but to this point, with the exception of that exceedingly small sample size from AA, he hasn't shown that he can hit well enough to move up to the highest levels.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 4/13/84
Drafted: 2006 (6th Round)
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle/New Britain Rock Cats
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Assigned to AA New Britain (4/03/08); Promoted to AAA Rochester (6/12/08)

#9 - Gregory Yersich
As with Jeff Christy, Yersich dropped a couple of spots (from 7th to 9th) largely based on the addition of some new players to the organization. Last season was an odd one for Yersich, in that he had a horrible first half of the year before absolutely lighting things up in the second half. Yersich started off with the Beloit Snappers in 2007, following a moderately successful 2006 season in Elizabethton. Unfortunately, he hit just .180 in 122 AB's, and when the short season Appalachian League started up, Yersich re-joined the E-Twins. While there, he hit .312 with a 782 OPS in 186 AB's to demonstrate that he's perfectly capable of tackling Rookie League pitching. If he can take the next step this year, the 21-year-old Yersich has a good chance to move back up the charts next year.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 10/7/86
Drafted: 2005 (7th Round)
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low A Beloit (4/03/08)

#10 - Kyle Geiger (released c. 4/04/08)
Geiger has a very legitimate gripe about once again being behind Gregory Yersich in my rankings, after putting together a solid if unremarkable season with New Britain last year. Geiger hit .250 in 276 AB's for the Rock Cats with a 663 OPS. Nonetheless, I still believe that Yersich has a higher ceiling than Geiger does, and this season will go a long way towards proving me right or wrong. Additionally, Geiger is five years older than Yersich, so he should be at a higher level, and he should be performing reasonably well offensively. With minor league free agency looming for Geiger, this could be his last chance to prove himself to the Twins organization.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/8/82
Drafted: 2002 (42nd Round)
Status: 6th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: TBD
2008 Transactions: Released (c. 4/04/08)

#11 - Korey Feiner (released c. 4/04/08)
Feiner is becoming a minor league veteran, and while he seems to be moving along alright defensively he has shown no signs of being able to hit. Last season, Feiner spent most of his time in New Britain, where he hit .222 in 126 AB's. He also got 42 AB's with AAA Rochester, hitting just .119, and 27 AB's with High A Ft. Myers, where he hit .222. I'm keeping him up this high on the list because he is continuing to proceed through the organization, and his experience is worth something -- but his weak offensive output is not encouraging for his long term chances with the organization.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 9/25/81
Drafted: Undrafted
Status: 5th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: New Britain Rock Cats
Current Team: TBD
2008 Transactions: Released (c. 4/04/08)

#12 - Allan de san Miguel
When the Twins announced their 2008 Spring Training invites in January, one of the more interesting names on the list was de san Miguel's. The young Australian (he'll be 20 when the season starts) has never played above High A Ft. Myers, and his career batting average is just .204. Nonetheless, by all accounts he's an excellent defensive catcher, and the Twins clearly are hoping to get him some valuable experience around higher level players. Clearly, de san Miguel is still young enough to develop into something more than a defensive guru -- and hopefully 2008 will be the first step in that direction. To this point, however, I can't justify ranking such a poor hitting catcher who plays at such a low level in the organization any higher than this.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 2/1/88
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Invited to Spring Training (1/11/08); Reassigned to Minor League Camp (3/9/08); Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08); Demoted to Low A Beloit (6/16/08)

#13 - Danny Lehmann
Lehmann is another of the Twins 2007 draft acquisitions, but unlike Danny Rams he came out of the college ranks (Rice University, to be exact). Due to that extra experience, Lehmann started out his professional career with the High Rookie Elizabethton Twins rather than the Low Rookie GCL Twins. In 77 AB's, Lehmann hit just .221 with a 697 OPS, but he did hit 3 homeruns (power isn't usually displayed all that much in the rookie leagues). Lehmann has plenty of promise, but I couldn't yet justify ranking him ahead of the more experienced catchers higher on this list, or ahead of Danny Rams -- who was drafted higher, performed better, and is younger.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 9/5/85
Drafted: 2007 (8th Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins/Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low A Beloit (4/03/08); Promoted to High A Ft. Myers (6/15/08)

#14 - Daniel Rohlfing
Rohlfing is yet another 2007 draft acquisition for the Twins (notice how they all are Dan, Danny, or Daniel? Weird), and like Danny Rams he joined the Twins out of high school. In 56 AB's with the GCL Twins last year, Rohlfing hit .232 with a 563 OPS. Clearly, there's plenty of room to grow, which should start to happen in 2008 as he gets a little more experience with the wooden bat.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 2/12/89
Drafted: 2007 (14th Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)

#15 - Rodolfo Palacios
It's hard to know exactly where to rank Palacios. Last season, he got just 26 AB's (hitting .346 with a 962 OPS) with the Elizabethton Twins -- but that was one level higher than he played in 2006 (when he got 112 AB's with the GCL Twins and hit .277). Because he played so little in 2007, I moved Palacios down 6 spots, but his performance when he does play seems to be pretty solid. Maybe 2008 will be the year that he finally gets to play regularly and establishes himself as either a legitimate prospect or a low-level filler.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 6/26/85
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins/Beloit Snappers
Current Team: New Britain Rock Cats
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08); Promoted to AA New Britain (6/12/08)

#16 - Alexander Soto
Soto has been the property of the Twins since he signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2005, but he say his first action in the US last year when he got 66 AB's with the GCL Twins (where he hit .273 with a 777 OPS) and 24 AB's with the Ft. Myers Miracle (where he hit .250 with a 588 OPS). Those are decent numbers for a first impression, but the limited scope of his play so far leaves me hesitant to place him very high on the list. If he gets a full season of action in this year, he should move up the list.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 11/8/86
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: Elizabethton Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High R Elizabethton (6/17/08)

#17 - David Hernandez (released c. 3/22/08)
Hernandez (not to be confused with the David Hernandez who pitches in the Orioles organization) got his first action in the Twins organization last year, and he bounced around quite a bit. In 31 AB's with the GCL Twins, he hit .323 with an 852 OPS; in 26 AB's with the Elizabethton Twins he hit .192 with a 596 OPS; and in 21 AB's with the Beloit Snappers he hit .238 with a 666 OPS. What to make of that? How about this -- I have no clue. More information is needed to determine where exactly Hernandez belongs, which 2008 will hopefully provide.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/6/85
Drafted: 2004 (19th Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: TBD
2008 Transactions: released (c. 3/22/08)

#18- Jose Leger - RELEASED (c. 6/05/08)
This ranking is probably a little bit harsh, but it's based on the fact that Leger didn't play at all in 2007 and performed poorly at the higher levels (High A and AA) in 2006. However, his initial stretch in the Twins organization, with the Ft. Myers Miracle in 2005, was relatively promising (.279 with a 679 OPS in 179 AB's), and his performance at Beloit in 2006 (121 AB's, .248 average, 639 OPS) wasn't horrible. Nonetheless, with no indication of how he'll return from his injury, I'm sticking him low on the list.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/19/82
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08); 7-Day DL (c. 4/04/08); Released (c. 6/05/08)

#19 - Andres Diaz
Diaz got 10 AB's with the GCL Twins last season, getting 3 hits including a double. Beyond that, there's not much to say. He's still very young (19 at the start of the season), so there's no rush with him. It will be interesting to see how much he plays in actual games this season.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 7/22/88
Drafted: 2006 (32nd Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: GCL Twins
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)

#20 - Jae-Hyeong Jang
Jang is a South Korean player who has been playing in Australia at the MLB academy there. In 126 AB's, Jang hit .310 with 12 doubles and a homer, indicating that he at least has some hitting ability. I don't know if the Twins feel that Jang is ready to advance to the GCL or not yet this season, but if he gets to the US, that's almost certainly where he'll be.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 10/16/86
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: GCL Twins
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)

NR - Jair Fernandez
Fernandez was acquired by the Twins in exchange for knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who was drafted by the Mariners in the 2007 Rule 5 Draft. The Mariners wanted to keep Dickey, but also wanted to send him to the minors, necessitating the deal with the Twins for Fernandez. Fernandez comes from Colombia, and has limited experience in the US. He's likely to play at the A-ball level this season, and at this point it's really too early to tell whether or not he'll add anything to the organization.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 12/10/86
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Traded to Minnesota (3/29/08); Assigned to Low A Beloit (4/03/08); Placed on 7-Day DL (6/28/08)

NR - Ryan Jorgensen
Jorgensen was picked up by the Twins as a minor league free agent and spent the first month of the season on the restricted list serving out what remained of a 50-game drug suspension he incurred last season. His defense better be good, since he's a career .238 minor league hitter entering this season.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/04/79
Drafted: 2000 (7th Round)
Status: Rule 5 Eligible Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: No Projection
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
Transactions: Assigned to AAA Rochester (3/31/08); Placed on Restricted List (c. 3/31/08); Activated from Restricted List (4/30/08); Contract Purchased (9/02/08); Outrighted to AAA Rochester (10/24/08)

NR - Jeff Lanning
Lanning was taken by the Twins in the 8th round of the 2008 draft out of the University of New Orleans. Lanning had a great season in New Orleans, hitting .369 with 15 homers and 55 RBI's in 217 AB's. Incidentally, Lanning spent his first two seasons in college at the University of Nebraska before transferring to New Orleans this year. He's got good size, and should be a promising prospect.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 1/01/1987
Drafted: 2008 (8th Round)
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: Elizabethton Twins
2008 Transactions: Drafted (6/06/08); Signed (c. 6/14/08); Assigned to High R Elizabethton (6/17/08)

NR - Josmil Pinto
Pinto is a 19-year-old who spent the 2007 season in the Dominican Summer League. Since he hit just .193 in 171 AB's, he clearly didn't get added to the GCL roster this year for his offense.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 3/31/1989
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: No Projection
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)