2008 Organizational Rankings: Third Basemen

This is the fifth 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 -- including one in this post), 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 - Mike Lamb (Designated for Assignment - 8/25/08)
There are some really exciting prospects who play at the hot corner in the Twins organization, but for the #1 slot in my rankings I'm going with Mike Lamb, a consistently good Major League ballplayer who will start at the position for the Twins this year. Lamb picked up between 278 and 381 AB's each season for the past four years in the Astros organization, and in three of those seasons he hit at least .288 (he hit just .236 in 2005). He has moderate power, doubles a fair amount, doesn't strike out overly much, and generally fits the mold of a workmanlike Major Leaguer. Considering that the rest of the names on this list are still just prospects, that places Lamb at the top of the charts.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 8/9/1975
Drafted: 1997 (7th Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Minnesota Twins
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: Designated for Assignment (8/25/08)

#2 - Daniel Valencia
Valencia, a 2006 draft pick out of the University of Miami, has performed at every level to which he's been assigned so far in the Twins organization so far. He started off with Elizabethton in 2006, and hit .311/870 in 190 AB's. Then, last year he saw action in both Beloit (where he hit .302/874 in 242 AB's) and Ft. Myers (.291/754 in 230 AB's). Considering that a lot of players suffer significant setbacks in performance when they go to the Florida State League, Valencia's solid performance there is encouraging, and helped him vault to such a high spot in my rankings. I could see Valencia being asked to stay in the FSL for more seasoning, or being promoted right away to New Britain. Either would make sense, so we'll see what happens.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 9/19/1984
Drafted: 2006 (19th Round)
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Current Team: New Britain Rock Cats
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08); Promoted to AA New Britain (6/16/08)

#3 - Deibinson Romero
Much like Valencia, Deibinson Romero has performed effectively at every level he's been asked to play at -- but he is a bit behind Valencia in the system, and so I'm keeping him behind Valencia in my rankings as well. Romero was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2004 as a 17-year-old. He got his first action in the US in 2006 with the GCL Twins, where he hit .313/825 in 176 AB's. That was more than enough to get him promoted to Elizabethton last year, where he hit .316/912 in 247 AB's. He also picked up 10 AB's in Beloit, picking up 3 hits (although he also struck out 4 times in those 10 AB's). A full year at full season Beloit should be in Romero's future, and we'll see if he can continue to perform at the high level at which he's started off his career.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 9/24/1986
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 (4/03/08); 7-Day DL (4/24/08); Activated from DL (6/16/08)

#4 - Brian Buscher
Buscher was something of an afterthought in my rankings last year, after being picked up in the minor league phase of the rule 5 draft out of the Giants organization. After I ranked him 11th, Buscher went out and put up his best season as a professional, hitting .308/869 in 247 AB's for the New Britain Rock Cats before being promoted to Rochester, where he hit .311/897 in 132 AB's. He then received an even more unexpected promotion to the Twins, where he hit .244/652 in 82 AB's at the big league level. Even though the big league performance wasn't great, it was still a mighty successful season for Buscher -- and it earned him a much better ranking this time around. He has to be considered a possible callup in the event of an injury, but I remain skeptical about his long-term potential as a big league player, but it's hard to argue with his minor league numbers from last season.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 4/18/1981
Drafted: 2003 (3rd Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: Optioned to AAA Rochester (3/24/08); Recalled to Minnesota (4/19/08); Optioned to AAA Rochester (5/01/08); Recalled to Minnesota (6/13/08)

#5 - Matt Macri
Macri was picked up from the Colorado Rockies last year in the deal that rid the Twins of Ramon Ortiz. Honestly, that's a pretty good deal for the Twins -- Macri is a decent infielder who can play at 2B, SS, or 3B, while Ortiz was nothing more than a failed experiment with the teams. The bulk of Macri's time last year was spent with AA Tulsa, where he hit .298/851 in 275 AB's. The year before, Macri hit .232/663 in Tulsa -- so there is some question as to which player Macri will eventually settle into. Either way, he clearly has some hitting ability, and his flexibility makes him even more valuable.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 5/29/1982
Drafted: 2004 (5th Round)
Status: 40-Man Roster
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Minnesota Twins
2008 Transactions: Optioned to AAA Rochester (3/14/08); 7-Day DL (c. 5/01/08); Activated from DL (5/17/08); Recalled to Minnesota (5/23/08); Optioned to AAA Rochester (6/05/08); Recalled to Minnesota [optioned and recalled on same day due to injury to Nick Punto] (6/05/08); Optioned to AAA Rochester (6/23/08); Recalled to Minnesota (9/02/08)

#6 - Matt Moses
What to make of former #1 draft pick Moses? He's underperformed consistently since being drafted, with just two good half-seasons under his belt (2003 in the GCL, where he hit .385/909 in 65 AB's; and 2005 in Ft. Myers, where he hit .306/829 in 265 AB's). Other than that, it's been a series of forgetful performances that currently leave his status with the organization in doubt. In fact, Moses has fallen far enough that the Twins failed to add him to the 40-Man Roster this winter, despite the fact that he was eligible to be drafted for the first time. The risk of losing him was slight, to say the least. Nonetheless, Moses was once a very good ballplayer, and there is at least the possibility that he will somehow find his form. This year is probably the last chance for Moses -- not just in the Twins organization, but in professional baseball. With Brian Buscher now ahead of him in the organization, Moses will probably start the season in New Britain to guarantee playing time.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 2/20/1985
Drafted: 2003 (1st Round)
Status: 6th 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)

#7 - Howie Clark -- Free Agent (10/04/08)
I'm not sure what to say about Clark. He's a veteran minor leaguer (to say the least -- he's played 16 seasons in the minor leagues) with a career minor league average of .284. He's also picked up 294 AB's in the big leagues, batting .262/685 in that time. The question with Clark is what the Twins were hoping for by signing Clark -- he's not going to end up with the big league club, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of reason to give precious at-bats to Clark over some of the younger players already in the organization. We'll see how he's used this year, but I doubt I'll change my mind.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 2/13/1974
Drafted: 1992 (27th Round)
Status: 17th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Rochester Red Wings
Current Team: Rochester Red Wings
2008 Transactions: Reassigned to Minor League Camp (3/14/08); Assigned to AAA Rochester (4/03/08); Contract Purchased (5/16/08); Designated for Assignment (5/31/08); Cleared Waivers, Assigned to AAA Rochester (6/03/08); 7-Day DL (c. 6/08/08); Activated from DL (7/02/08); Granted Free Agency (10/04/08)

#8 - Chris Basak (Sold to AAA Scranton - 6/19/08)
Basak is a veteran minor leaguer who got his first taste of the big leagues last year when the Yankees purchased his contract and let him pick up an at bat. His career minor league average is .264, he has little power, and his primary skill is that he's capable of playing pretty much anywhere that he's asked. I was baffled when the Twins claimed Basak of waivers from the Yankees last summer, and I was even more baffled when they re-signed him after he became a minor league free agent. I'm not sure what the Twins expect Basak's role to be in the organization, but perhaps his invitation to spring training was just provided as insurance in case a rash of injuries leaves the team short-handed. Other than that, I can't see an advantage to having him around. Incidentally, he's ranked 8th on this list because he's managed to hang around the AAA level for most of the past 6 years -- that's got to count for something.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 12/6/1978
Drafted: 2000 (6th Round)
Status: 9th 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 (3/14/08); Assigned to AAA Rochester (4/03/08); Sold to AAA Scranton (6/19/08)

#9 - Garrett Olson
Olson seemed like he was on a solid trajectory after his first season of professional baseball with the GCL Twins in 2006, where he hit .313/777 in 176 AB's. Last season, however, Olson regressed significantly in Beloit, hitting .219/591 in 416 AB's. That should mean a return engagement in Beloit for Olson. Incidentally, his relatively high draft status suggests that the Twins are high on him, so don't bet against his picking up his this season to be more in line with his 2006 numbers.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 3/10/1985
Drafted: 2006 (4th Round)
Status: 3rd Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: 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)

#10 - Juan Richardson
Richardson was signed by the Twins out of the Dominican Republic, and picked up his first action in the US last season when he played with the GCL Twins. His numbers were very solid -- .317/765 in 202 AB's, and only 16 strikeouts. Looking at that OPS and his 12 SB's, I'd guess he's more of a speedy, high average, low power guy, but we'll see how he develops going forward. As for why he's ranked so low after such a solid first season, the answer is simple -- I need to see more than one good GCL season to rank somebody high on my list.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 12/27/1986
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)

#11 - Reggie Williams
Williams was the Twins fourth round draft pick in last year's draft, and signed late enough that he wasn't assigned to play with a team last year. There's not much else to say until we see him play.
Bats/Throws: L/R
Birthdate: 11/4/1988
Drafted: 2007 (4th Round)
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: GCL Twins
2008 Transactions: Assigned to Low R GCL (6/19/08)

#12 - Toby Gardenhire
Is it piling on to rank Toby Gardenhire behind a player who hasn't had so much as an at bat as a professional? Considering Gardenhire's career minor league numbers, I don't think it's an unfair ranking. I've never seen Gardenhire play, so I can't say a lot about his defensive skills -- but his offense leaves a whole lot to be desired. Last season was actually his best as a professional, as he put up a .212/501 in 222 AB's for Ft. Myers. Yes, .212 is his best average as a professional. At that level, even if his defensive skills are spectacular, he's not going to make it as a professional. For his sake, I hope he figures some things out this year with his bat -- but I'm not optimistic about that.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 9/11/1982
Drafted: 2005 (41st Round)
Status: 4th Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Ft. Myers Miracle
Current Team: New Britain Rock Cats
2008 Transactions: Assigned to High A Ft. Myers (4/03/08); Promoted to AA New Britain (4/28/08)

NR - Nathan Hanson
Hanson was taken by the Twins in the 28th round of the 2008 draft out of the University of Minnesota. Hanson, a junior, hit .359 with 6 homers and 22 doubles in 217 AB's this season. He's also a Minnesota high school product, coming out of Chanhassen.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 2/08/1987
Drafted: 2008 (28th 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 - Nick Romero
Romero was taken by the Twins in the 5th round of the 2008 draft out of San Diego State University. Romero had a .335 average with 10 doubles and 12 homers in 2008 for the Aztecs, and should be a solid prospect for the Twins.
Bats/Throws: B/R
Birthdate: 7/15/1987
Drafted: 2008 (5th Round)
Status: 1st Year Minor League Player
Projected 2008 Team: Elizabethton Twins
Current Team: TBD
2008 Transactions: Drafted (6/05/08); Signed (c. 6/18/08)

NR - Rory Rhodes
Rhodes was signed out of Australia, and while he is listed as a third baseman by Baseball America, I've seen some evidence in old Australian box scores that he's also pitched and played some 1B. Other than that he's very young and is primarily a corner infielder, I know little or nothing about him. There's a good chance he'll get into the GCL next year, but sometimes young international signings take awhile to get stateside.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Birthdate: 7/28/1991
Drafted: International Signing
Status: Yet to Play
Projected 2008 Team: None
Current Team: None
2008 Transactions: Signed (c. 7/15/08)

NR - In Kyun Kang
Thanks to Baseball America, I know that the Twins signed Kang. Unfortunately, I can't find any other evidence anywhere online. For now, then, he's a blank slate.
Bats/Throws: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Drafted: International Signing
Status: Yet to Play
Projected 2008 Team: None
Current Team: None
2008 Transactions: Signed (c. 7/10/08)