The Grades: Short-Season Second Basemen

In our next installment of Rating Twins Prospects, we look at the short-season second basemen. In this article, we grade all those second base prospects who appeared on short-season team rosters in 2007, and talk about each prospects season. Take a look at the Twins second base prospects.

Ramon Santana: Gulf Coast League Twins, Beloit Snappers
Santana split time between low-A and short-season ball in 2007, and never really got off to a good start with the bat. He batted a lowly .211 in the Gulf Coast League, playing second base, shortstop, and designated hitter. Once promoted to Beloit, he batted a shade better, and actually drove in 13 runs overall in only 28 games total in his two stops. Already 21-years old, Santana needs to have a good season with Beloit next year if he wants to stick with the Twins organization.
Grade: D-

Jeanfred Brito: Gulf Coast League Twins
Brito had a good year with the stick for the Gulf Coast League Twins in 2007, batting a respectable .290 for the Twins Rookie League affiliate. Brito appeared in 51 games for the GCL Twins, playing both middle infield positions, and had it not been for a bad August, would have hit well over .300 for the season. His best month of the year was July, where he batted .330 in 21 games. He proved to be quite the utility player, playing shortstop, second base, all three outfield positions, and he even got some plate appearances as a designated hitter.
Grade: B

Eric Santiago: Elizabethton Twins
Though he batted only .240 for the Elizabethton Twins during the 2007 season, Santiago had a pretty decent July for E-Town. He batted a season-best .278 during that month, and finished the year driving in nearly a run every two games. He batted mostly at the bottom of the order for Elizabethton, and though he struggled with the bat for most of the season, he did play pretty well defensively. He’ll be 21 years old during the 2008 season, so he needs to try to make it to Beloit before the end of the season.
Grade: D

Matthew Lawman: Elizabethton Twins
To say that Lawman struggled at the plate would be an understatement, as he batted well below the Mendoza Line during the 2007 season. The season started off with much promise for Lawman, who hit safely in five of his first six games. After that start, in which he was batting .286, he took a big stumble, batting .167 and .156 respectively in June and July. He will likely be back in short-season ball in 2008.
Grade: D-

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