Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #15 Trevor Plouffe

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #15 | Trevor Plouffe

Position | Shortstop

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | June 15, 1986 (West Hills, California)

School | Crespi Carmelite High School

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 200 lbs.

2008 Ranking | 8




Breakdown
Trevor Plouffe was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 draft. His time in the Twins organization has not been great, by any means. He has a career hitting line of .255/.319/.388 with his highest OPS being .736 at any stop. The reason why I personally have him rated this high is because he is still young, he plays shortstop (albeit he's not a stout defender), but in his last two years, his numbers have improved and has given the Twins a reason to feel optimistic in regards to him ever being able to help them at the major league level. Once thought to be a 'lost prospect', Plouffe has turned his career around hitting .268/.312/.413 with 71 doubles, 9 triples and 18 home runs in the last two seasons. Those numbers aren't great, but they are much better than in his previous seasons. He has shown that he can certainly drive the ball, and even shows that he has adequate power for being an infielder. He has been experimented with at shortstop, second base and third base, but he has been primarily a shortstop. Many don't believe that he has the range to play that position at the next level, but the same thing has been said about other players such as Jed Lowerie of the Boston Red Sox. I know that comparing Lowrie to Plouffe may sound ridiculous, but having the opportunity to see both play, I believe they are pretty similar defensively. Offensively, that's a whole 'nother story. I believe that Plouffe will only continue to improve, and since he's young, the Twins can still be patient with him. I believe we'll see him in Minnesota at some point this season, likely as a September call-up.

2008 Statistics

Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR      K

AA        58    249    .269    .325    .410      23      3     43
AAA       66    272    .256    .292    .429      26      6     47

2009 Outlook
Plouffe will be in Rochester for most of the season and I expect him with the Twins as a September call-up.

Video



Estimated Time of Arrival
2009