2008 Organizational Rankings: Shortstops

This is the sixth 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 - Brendan Harris
There were two choices in my mind for who I could list in the #1 spot at the shortstop rankings. The first option, which I obviously did not choose, would have been to put free agent acquisition Adam Everett into this spot based on his excellent defense and the fact that he'll be the Twins starter at short in 2008. The other option was to go with Harris, who is a much better offensive player than Everett but will be playing a variety of positions unless he wins the job as the starting second baseman over Nick Punto. If Harris does win that position, I'll move him to the second base rankings -- but for now I'm keeping him here, and giving him the nod as #1. Simply, his offensive is a bigger positive for me than Everett's defense is, so I view Harris as the best overall at the shortstop position in the organization. Harris has hit pretty much everywhere that he's played -- he's a career .273 major league hitter, including a .286/777 for Tampa last year. Now, .273 isn't great, by any means -- but it's significantly better than Everett, and he has a little power to go with it. In a relatively weak field of shortstops, that's enough to earn my #1 ranking.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 8/26/1980
Drafted: 2001 (5th Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: None

#2 - Adam Everett (Free Agent - 10/31/08)
Since I ranked Brendan Harris as my #1, Everett is the obvious choice for #2. His offense is anemic (.248/656 career average/OPS), but he's got a very solid glove and should be a solid presence up the middle for the Twins, which should comfort the very young starting rotation. A veteran major league shortstop -- even a light-hitting one -- is a useful commodity, and there's no reason not to consider Everett as worthy of a ranking this high.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 2/2/1977
Drafted: 1998 (1st Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: 15-Day DL, retroactive to 4/15/08 (4/19/08); Activated (5/01/08); 15-Day DL (5/22/08); Activated (7/30/08); Filed for Free Agency (10/31/08)

#3 - Trevor Plouffe
Many Twins fans had given up on Plouffe after he struggled in 2005 and 2006 (hitting .223/645 in 466 AB's for Beloit in '05, and .244/676 in 455 AB's for Ft. Myers in '06). I had my doubts as well, but still felt that Plouffe was talented (and young) enough to still develop into a solid player, and so ranked him 3rd in the organization. This year, he gets the same ranking -- largely because he showed some signs of life with New Britain last year. It wasn't an overwhelmingly great season, by any means, but Plouffe hit .274/736 in 497 AB's (his highest OPS as a professional, incidentally, thanks largely to 37 doubles). Plouffe's defense can be erratic -- he made well over 20 errors last year, although many of those were probably caused by poor AA infields -- but if he can get his offense back on track, he'll be in good shape. I won't yet say that Plouffe has rehabilitated his status completely, but last year was a move in the right direction. Hopefully he can continue making strides in 2008.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 6/14/1986
Drafted: 2004 (1st Round)
Status: 5th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: 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)

#4 - Steven Tolleson
Tolleson split his time in 2007 almost equally between second and short, but he played slightly more at short and so will get ranked on this list this year. His historical performance at a relatively weak position for the organization is good enough to get him this #4 ranking, following a season in which he hit .285/770 in 487 AB's for the Ft. Myers Miracle. As I've mentioned in previous posts, players often struggle offensively when they first head to Ft. Myers -- and Tolleson did just that, but back in 2006 when he got his first taste of Florida State League action (he hit .268/761 in 157 AB's). That taste of life in the FSL must have given Tolleson what he needed to adjust, and that bodes well for Tolleson's future, since it shows that he has the ability to learn from past experience. He should get a chance to try adjusting to a new team again this year, as a promotion to New Britain for the start of the season in likely.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 11/1/1983
Drafted: 2005 (5th Round)
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: New Britain Rock Cats
Current Team: New Britain Rock Cats
2008 Transactions: Assigned to AA New Britain (4/03/08); Placed on 7-Day DL (7/04/08); Activated from DL (7/24/08)

#5 - Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly was drafted the same year as Steven Tolleson, and for the first several years of his professional career, he slightly outperformed him. Unfortunately, Kelly suffered a setback last year due to an injury, and he picked up just 5 rehab AB's in the GCL in all of 2007. His last regular action was in 2006 with Beloit, where he hit .280/736 in 378 AB's. I would guess that he'll be back in Beloit at the start of 2008 as he works his way back into action, and if he performs well (as he should), a quick promotion to Ft. Myers will probably be in order. A solid 2008 could get him back ahead of Tolleson in my rankings, but more importantly for Kelly, it would mean that he was healthy and ready to re-start his march through the organization.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 10/19/1986
Drafted: 2005 (2nd 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); 7-Day DL (c. 4/04/08); Activated from DL (6/16/08); 7-Day DL (6/21/08); Activated from DL (8/03/08); 7-Day DL (8/11/08)

#6 - Tommy Watkins -- Minor League Free Agent (11/10/08)
One of the feel-good stories of 2007 for the Twins was the promotion of Tommy Watkins to the Major Leagues after 10 seasons in the minors. Watkins got a bit of a look in spring training, which has become a regular thing for him over the past few years (although his 28 AB's in 2007 was far more than he had ever previously received), but as expected he was sent to Rochester before the spring was done. When the Twins needed someone to play a little third, Watkins got the call -- and he actually performed very well, hitting .357/795 in 28 AB's before his season ended with an injury. Watkins was removed from the 40-Man roster after the season and became a minor league free agent, but the Twins brought him back into the fold, so he'll still be hanging around, hoping for another chance to get back to the big leagues. His is a good story, so I'm glad the Twins brought him back in. He's ranked as a shortstop because that's the position he received the most playing time at in 2007, but he can play pretty much wherever he's needed.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 6/18/1980
Drafted: 1998 (38th Round)
Status: 11th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Signed to Minor League Contract with an invitation to Spring Training (1/11/08); Reassigned to Minor League Camp (3/21/08); Assigned to AAA Rochester (4/03/08); 7-Day DL (c. 4/23/08); Activated from DL (c. 5/02/08); 7-Day DL (7/29/08); Granted minor league free agency (11/10/08)

#7 - Alejandro Machado
Remember Machado? He was a Rule 5 draft pick of the Twins in December 2006, but was injured for all of 2007 and never saw any action. While missing an entire season due to injury would normally require a player to satisfy the Rule 5 rules the next season (i.e. stay on the 25-man roster for the entire season or be offered back to his original team for half the price), that seems to have been avoided with Machado. I can think of two possible reasons why: either Machado became a minor league free agent after the season, which canceled out his previous Rule 5 status (this seems most likely); or the Washington Nationals disclaimed any interest in Machado (possibly as part of the LeVale Speigner deal -- this seems unlikely, however). If anyone knows for sure, a comment would be appreciated. Either way, Machado is back in the organization under a minor league contract, and the career .288 minor league hitter will get a chance to prove his usefulness in Spring Training. He could be a useful component, but I'm guessing he's more likely to end up in Rochester than in Minnesota.
Bats/Throws: B/R
Birthdate: 4/26/1982
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 9th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Reassigned to Minor League Camp (3/9/08); Assigned to AAA Rochester (3/29/08); 7-Day DL (3/30/08); Activated from DL (c. 6/12/08)

#8 - James Beresford
Beresford is a young Australian (he just turned 19 in January) who was signed as a 16-year-old back in 2005 and finally made his first appearance in the US last year for the GCL Twins. He hit .288/651 in 139 AB's, which seems like a solid enough start for a guy who is still very young. Beresford could have turned into a pitcher (I had him listed as a reliever last year), but it seems pretty clear that the Twins have moved in the direction of treating him as an infielder instead. A trip to Elizabethton is likely in 2008 as Beresford takes another step up the ladder.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 1/19/1989
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)

#9 - Starling de los Santos
After a rather miserable 2006 season with the GCL where de los Santos hit just .195/546 in 82 AB's, Starling received something akin to a "social promotion" to Elizabethton last year, and he delivered a much stronger performance, hitting .264/704 in 284 AB's. While that's not great, it's a far sight better than his 2006 numbers -- and it's probably enough to get him a promotion to full season Beloit this year.
Bats/Throws: B/R
Birthdate: 1/20/1987
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low A Beloit (c. 6/10/08)

#10 - Yancarlos Ortiz
Ortiz's best season (2005 in Elizabethton, when he hit .289/672 in 187 AB's) is now 2 full seasons behind him, and so far he hasn't been able to demonstrate that he can hit in Beloit. Ortiz spent part of 2006 with the Snappers, hitting .200/530 in 65 AB's. Last year, he improved very slightly, hitting .212/519 in 288 AB's. Another season in Beloit would normally be in order, because Ortiz hasn't earned a promotion based on his play -- but that idea of a "social promotion" is probably in order for Ortiz, since there are other players in the organization to accommodate. As a result, expect Ortiz to play with Ft. Myers this season -- with the pressure on to deliver some positive offensive results.
Bats/Throws: B/R
Birthdate: 9/15/1984
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 5th 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)

#11 - Chris Cates
Cates, who was drafted by the Twins last year out of the University of Louisville, spent most of his first professional season with Beloit. Unfortunately, he wasn't particularly successful as he attempted to adjust to wooden bats, as he hit just .202/487 in 129 AB's. Another year in Beloit is virtually guaranteed for Cates. As a 38th round draft pick, I imagine that whatever the Twins get out of Cates is a bit of a bonus -- but never forget that Tommy Watkins was also a 38th round draft pick, and he's still sticking around the organization and made his big league debut last year, so anything is possible for Cates' future.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 4/15/1985
Drafted: 2007 (38th Round)
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Beloit Snappers
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low A Beloit (4/03/08)

#12 - Ramoncito Santana
Santana was signed as an 18-year-old out of Venezuela back in 2004, and last year marked his debut in the US. Santana picked up 57 AB's in the GCL, hitting .211/639. He also got 40 AB's in Beloit, where he hit .225/672 in 40 AB's. That's simply not enough for me to fairly evaluate Santana, so he probably would have been at the bottom of my list no matter what -- but considering that his offensive performance wasn't all that good, I feel even more justified having him at the #12 position. We'll see how he performs in 2008.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 6/20/1986
Drafted: International Signing
Status: 2nd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: Beloit Snappers
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low A Beloit (4/03/08); 7-Day DL (c. 6/09/08); Activated from DL (7/15/08)

NR - Sergio Santos -- Minor League Free Agent (11/10/08)
Santos was acquired by the Twins off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-May. The light-hitting shortstop is more than likely just filler for an organization that lacks depth up the middle. He's not that good with the bat, he doesn't have a lot of speed, and he doesn't appear to be all that great defensively -- so don't expect him to crash the big leagues anytime soon. His stint with the Twins could be relatively short, but then again I said the same thing about last year's perplexing middle-infield waiver claim (Chris Basak), and he's still in the organization.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 7/4/1983
Drafted: 2002 (1st Round)
Status: Rule 5 Eligible Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: No Projection
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Optioned to AAA by Blue Jays (3/11/08); Designated for Assignment by Blue Jays (5/09/03); Claimed off waivers and assigned to Rochester by Twins (5/13/08); Outrighted to AAA Rochester (10/24/08); Granted minor league free agency (11/10/08)

NR - Tyler Ladendorf
The third time was the charm for Tyler Ladendorf, who signed with the Twins after being drafted in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft. Ladendorf had previously been drafted by Yankees in the 34th round of the 2006 draft and by the Giants in the 34th round of the 2007 draft. Ladendorf comes to the Twins out of Howard College (JC) in Texas, and was drafted as a shortstop. Indications are, however, that he is likely to shift elsewhere as he moves through the minor league system.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 3/7/1988
Drafted: 2008 (2nd Round)
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Drafted (6/05/08); Signed (c. 6/10/08); Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)

NR - Javier Brown
Brown, drafted by the Twins in the 37th round of the 2008 draft out of Grossmont College in California, is a bit of an unknown quantity. I wasn't able to find any stats on him for this season, but I suspect they wouldn't be great -- he was, after all, drafted in the 37th round. He might be in contention for lowest pick drafted to actually sign with the Twins this year -- we'll see!
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 6/24/1987
Drafted: 2008 (37th Round)
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: GCL Twins
Current Team: TBD
2008 Transactions: Drafted (6/06/08); Signed (c. 6/12/08)

NR - Herbert Lara
Lara spent 2007 in the Venezuelan Summer League, putting up a .300 average in 240 AB's while stealing 16 bases. He comes to the Twins out of Pito Ordaz, Venezuela.
Bats/Throws: B/R
Birthdate: 6/29/1988
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)

NR - Juan Sanchez
Sanchez was signed by the Twins all the back in 2004 when he was all of 16 years old. He didn't make much of a splash last year in the Dominican Summer League, but he nonetheless was moved up the GCL for this season. He'll try to improve on his .263 average, compiled over 224 AB's.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 1/16/1987
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)