We finish up the first half and infield portion of my "State of the Minor League System" with shortstop. If you haven't seen the other parts of my series, feel free to check out catcher, 1st base, 2nd base, and 3rd base. Just remember that I am providing the preseason rank that I gave to each player within the position (Pre Pos.), their pre-season overall rank (Pre Overall), and their current ranking within the position. An N/A next to their preseason rank means that a player is new to the Dodgers or new to the position since my preseason ranking, and I will only include guys who are under 28 years of age. Players who have been released or are no longer in the organization are also included at the bottom of the chart, and finally I have ranked each player at is the position that I believe is best long term position for the player. It may not be the players' current primary position, but it is where I believe each player will ultimately end up should they make the major leagues.
| Pre Overall | Pre Pos. | Current | Name | How Acquired | Age | Ht | Wt | Bats | Level |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Devaris Gordon | 2008, 4th | 23.25 | 5' 11" | 150 | L | AAA |
| 19 | 2 | 2 | Jake Lemmerman | 2010, 5th | 22.21 | 6' 1" | 192 | R | HiA |
| N/A | N/A | 3 | Justin Boudreaux | 2011, 14th | 21.80 | 6' 1" | 190 | R | Arz Rook |
| 48 | 3 | 4 | Justin Sellers | Trade w/Cubs | 25.47 | 5' 10" | 160 | R | AAA |
| 125 | 5 | 5 | Alexis Aguilar | Signed 2008 | 20.10 | 5' 11" | 162 | R | Pio Rook |
| 105 | 4 | 6 | Bryant Hernandez | 2009, 9th | 23.38 | 5' 8" | 170 | R | LoA |
| 165 | 9 | 7 | Charlie Mirabal | Signed 3/1/07 | 24.30 | 5' 11" | 164 | R | Pio Rook |
| 144 | 7 | 8 | Christian Lara | Trade w/Red Sox | 26.28 | 5' 11" | 150 | S | LoA |
| 175 | 11 | 9 | Faustino Oguisten | Signed 2009 | 20.51 | 6' 2" | 165 | R | Arz Rook |
| 176 | 12 | 10 | Delvis Morales | Signed 2010 | 20.90 | 6' 1" | 146 | S | Arz Rook |
| N/A | N/A | 11 | Wilberto Ortiz | Signed 1/18/11 | 26.47 | 5' 10" | 180 | R | AAA |
| 154 | N/A - 2B | 12 | Leo Rodriguez | Signed 2010 | 19.61 | 5' 11" | 160 | R | DSL |
| N/A | N/A | 13 | Kevin Thompson | 2011, 48th | 22.84 | 6' 3" | 185 | R | Pio Rook |
| 164 | 8 | N/A | Chris Gutierrez | Signed 3/1/10 | 27.36 | 5' 9" | 185 | R | Released |
The Dodgers might not have a whole lot of depth as the shortstop position, but they may not need it since they seem to have found their shortstop of the future in Dee Gordon. We got glimpse of what he can do earlier this season, and since Rafael Furcal won't be back next year Gordon will probably be our guy for years to come. Behind him we have Jake Lemmerman, who hasn't quite replicated his MVP season of 2010 but is still having a solid season with the Quakes in HiA. If Gordon fails for some reason then Lemmerman would be the next guy in line, but if Gordon thrives then I'm sure Lemmerman could play either 2nd or 3rd base which would give him a clear path to the big leagues. I'm keeping him in my shortstop rakings for now mostly because that is the only position he has played since turning pro, so I have a hard time putting him elsewhere.
2011 14th round pick Justin Boudreaux got a lot of love in his pre-draft Baseball America scouting report, and they basically said that he has solid speed and a legit bat which could get him drafted as early as the 6th round. The Dodgers seemed to have gotten a steal by selecting him in the 14th round, although it's he's only played in a few professional games so it's difficult to evaluate how his game will translate. Justin Sellers opened a lot of eyes last season with a solid campaign, and is posting an OPS above .800 again this year. However he has never shown much power outside the Pacific Coast League, so his success could simply be a product of his environment. He got some looks this past spring training and I could definitely see him making it to the show one day, but he'll probably never be a big league starter.
The talent drops off pretty significantly after the top four, as the next tier of players do not seem to have the talent to make it to the big leagues. Alexis Aguilar just recently had a big 6 RBI night for Ogden and is having an overall solid season in 2011, so hopefully he'll be a breakout guy by the time the season ends. He can play multiple infield positions but does seem to have the defensive ability to stay at shortstop. I had some hope for Bryant Hernandez when he was drafted in the 9th round back in 2009, but he's hit below .200 over the past two seasons and at 23 years old he isn't getting any younger. The remainder of the players on the list are either too old for the leagues or are just starting their career in the rookie leagues, so I'll stop with the analysis here.