Trevor Plouffe

I mentioned him in the "Guys you're watching" thread or whatever it was called a few days ago.

All reports indicate that he should be a fine, fine defensive player. The bat is going to need some time to mature, but obviously he's got plenty of that on his side.

My guess is that the Twins think his plate discipline/strike zone judgment is very, very advanced. Perhaps getting him at bats against some better trained competition will benefit him.

Is Plouffe supposed to be better than Paul Kelly? I know Kelly is a bit younger but both seem to be breakout candidates for Minn.

Plouffe has typically started seasons VERY slowly, so for me, this is great to see him playing so well right now, early in the season.

As for Kelly, he's on the DL. I think Plouffe's early season struggles have caused a lot of people to rank him higher than Plouffe (myself included). I have heard that as good as Plouffe is defensively, Kelly has some really soft hands and a strong arm too.

Kelly is on the Beloit roster, but I would almost think that he would move up to Ft. Myers when he is healthy. Steven Tolleson (son of former big leaguers Wayne) and Toby Gardenhire (son of Gardy) are playing SS there right now. Tolleson is hitting really well.

The Twins have some solid SS prospects. Matt Tolbert at Rochester could be good too. And, of course, Alexi Casilla is already with the Twins.

A lot of the folks that look at results have moved Plouffe down on their lists. The reason he has started slow every year is that the Twins have pushed him up the ladder pretty quick. Plouffe has been one of the youngest players in every league he has played in. The point of minor league ball is for players to improve over the course of the year. The fact that Plouffe has continued to do that even as a young player for the league is a very good sign.

Of course he still needs to hit at some point and he needs to cut down the errors. But he is likely going to have a spot in the Twins infield somewhere. He has the arm for third base, but whether he has the bat is questionable. Because of the turf at the dome, the Twins in the past have placed a premium on their shortstop's arm strength. But that may not continue in the new park.