With the winter leagues beginning play, continuing the review of each position will make the Saturday reports a bit long.  So it may be best to continue them as individual reports.  I will review the shortstops today then continue with another position once or twice a week until they are completed late next month. 

Shortstop is a position of immediate need in the Twins organization.  Is there a shortstop capable of helping the Twins next year?  Is there someone lurking in the lower levels of the minors who has shown that they could become a future star?

Many of the shortstops in the organization also played several other positions including the tenth ranked shortstop, Brian Bistagne.  Bistagne, 21 was signed as a free agent this past spring following his senior season at Lee University where he holds the all-time record for being hit by pitches (33 times in two years).  Bistagne won the 2008 NAIA World Series Gold Glove and was considered by Twins scouts to have the "whole package: speed, arm and quickness."  Bistagne played both second base and shortstop for the GCL Twins, hitting .228/.278/.289 in 114 at bats.  Bistagne was my 78th ranked player in 2009. 

Jairo Perez, 21, moved up to the GCL Twins this season following a 2008 season when he led the DSL Twins in hitting at .338/.437/.525 and doubles (18) while tying for the team lead in home runs (4) and RBI (36).  Perez, who played both shortstop and third base, had a solid rookie season for the GCL Twins hitting .217/.324/.317 in 120 at bats to rank as the 69th best player and ninth ranked shortstop in the organization. 

Our eighth ranked shortstop is the ultimate utility player who played nearly every position this season for the New Britain Rock Cats, Toby Gardenhire.  Gardenhire was my 58th ranked player in 2008 following an excellent season at New Britain where he hit .261/.348/.292 in 284 at bats.  Although Gardenhire's numbers improved slightly this season to .265/.326/.305 in 200 at bats, his ranking dropped seven spots to #65. 

The seventh ranked shortstop would rank significantly higher if we were only considering defense.  Likely the top defensive shortstop in the system, Yancarlos Ortiz had a solid season with his bat at Ft. Myers where he hit .251/.308/.292 in 343 at bats to rank #76 in 2008.  He moved up to New Britain this year where he was the Rock Cats starting shortstop much of the season.  Making only 16 errors in 106 games, Ortiz hit .223/.307/.260 in 327 at bats to move up thirteen spots to #63 this year.

The sixth ranked shortstop is another player who played several positions for the Ft. Myers Miracle, Chris Cates.  Often referred to as the shortest man in baseball (Cates is listed at 5'3"), the former University of Louisville star moved up two spots this year to rank as the 52nd best position player in the organization.  Cates hit .251/.317/.278 in 370 at bats with 34 walks and only 27 strikeouts.  Last season at Beloit, Cates hit .252/.330/.284 in 408 at bats with 45 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Our fifth ranked shortstop takes us back to the GCL Twins for another player who moved up this year from the DSL Twins, 18-year old Daniel Santana.  Santana hit a respectable .274/.343/.426 in 190 at bats in 2008 with a team high 10 triples while stealing 15 bases in 19 attempts.  This year Santana was my 50th ranked player, hitting .265/.302/.418 in 170 at bats for the GCL Twins.  

The fourth ranked shortstop is Brian Dozier, who was the Twins eighth round pick in the 2009 draft.  Dozier played a few games for the GCL Twins (he was 4-14) before moving up to Elizabethton where he took over the regular shortstop job after the Twins traded Tyler Ladendorf to the Oakland A's.  Ladendorf's trade gave Dozier an opportunity he didn't waste as he went on to be the Appy League's second best hitter, .353/.417/.431 in 218 at bats with a league second best on base percentage and number of hits (77), tied for tenth most runs (38), and sixth most doubles (17) with 23 walks and only 26 strike outs.  Dozier's excellent season at Elizabethton earned him my #41 ranking.  Will he be able to maintain this level of performance next summer at Beloit?  

My Number 40 ranked player is our third best shortstop, Estarlin De Los Santos.  De Los Santos moved up 39 spots following a 2008 season when he was the #79 ranked player after he hit .242/.304/.309 in 236 at bats with 15 stolen bases for the Beloit Snappers.  Although he missed part of the 2009 season on the disabled list De Los Santos had what may prove to be his breakout year, hitting .290/.330/.397 in 262 at bats with 11 stolen bases in 15 attempts.  Should he continue to hit like this year next season at New Britain, Twins fans will have to start watching him as he just might be someone who will battle for a role with the Twins a few years from now.

Our second ranked shortstop is another player who took a huge step forward this year moving up thirty four spots to my #28 ranking.  Because he is 23 years old, many discounted Ramon Santana's performance this year when he hit ..296/.384/.453 in 371 at bats for the Beloit Snappers before going 4-15 in a brief late season promotion to the New Britain Rock Cats.  Regardless of his age, his perfomance at Beloit had to be rewarding for Santana after hitting .241/.316/.404 for the Snappers in 2008.

Our top ranked shortstop is a name we are all familiar with, 2004 first round pick Trevor Plouffe.  Plouffe returned to Rochester this season following a half year stay in AAA last year when he hit .256/.292/.420 in 259 at bats with 17 doubles, 3 triples, 6 home runs and 39 RBI.  Combined with his .269/.325/.410 in 227 at bats at New Britain, Trevor was my 16th ranked player.  Plouffe, who didn't turn 23 until mid season, returned to Rochester this year where he put up numbers similar to last year at .260/.313/.407 in 430 at bats with 23 doubles, 5 triples and 10 home runs.  Plouffe's defense is debated by many as he is often referred to as having excellent defensive abilities, yet, usually has a lot of errors (26 in 2009 following 18 in 2008 at Rochester and New Britain).  Plouffe is my twelfth ranked player this year.

After earning praise from Ron Gardenhire in spring training last year, Plouffe is certainly a player the Twins are talking about at their organizational meetings in Ft. Myers this week.  He hasn't put up offensive numbers like Jason Bartlett did at Rochester, yet, is Plouffe someone the Twins believe could battle for the starting shortstop job next spring?  Perhaps the most intriguing prospect is Yancarlos Ortiz who is considered the organization's best defensive shortstop.  A special defensive shortstop can be an asset without being a great hitter.  Can Ortiz improve his hitting enough so that his bat won't keep his glove from earning a spot with the Twins? 

Although Brian Dozier was in his first season of professional ball, his performance at Elizabethton was so good that he could become a special player some day for the Twins.  However, we all must remember that he was in the Appy League and we need to see him repeat his performance in a full season league next summer.  Can Estarlin De Los Santos follow his break out season with another similar year at New Britain? 

Although there are several shortstops who could continue their development to earn a spot with the Twins, the most exciting shortstops in the organization will both be at Ft. Myers next summer playing in the GCL.  Although recent International signees Jorge Polanco and Miguel Angel Sano have yet to play their first professional game, both sixteen year olds are considered the type of prospects who could some day be superstars.  With these recent signings, shortstop may have gone from one of the organization's weaker positions to one of its strongest.