Drafted in the 26th round (779th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 1999.
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A 260-pound load in high school, Tiffee pared down to 230 by the time the Twins drafted him in 1999, when he was MVP of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. Now at 215, he filled in capably for Minnesota when Corey Koskie was hurt in September. Tiffee had injury problems of his own in 2004, dealing with back and hamstring woes in the minors and dislocating his right shoulder in the majors. He still kept producing runs with a line-drive swing from both sides of the plate. He shows more loft power from the right side. Offensively, his greatest need is to show more patience. Though he's in much better shape than he was as an amateur, Tiffee still lacks the lateral mobility and first-step quickness to make anything more than routine plays. He has worked hard on his defense and has average hands and arm strength. With Koskie leaving for Toronto as a free agent, Tiffee's main competition for the third-base job is Michael Cuddyer. While Cuddyer is the favorite, Tiffee at least should find a big league role as a backup.
Tiffee has come a long way since being drafted out of Pratt CC, where he was the MVP of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in 1999. Out of shape at 260 pounds in high school, he was down to 230 by the time he was drafted and has trimmed his body to 215 these days. No matter how he looked, Tiffee always has been able to hit. He has a contact-oriented approach from both sides of the plate and produces consistent line drives. He displays more loft power batting righthanded, as opposed to a smooth, level cut form the left side. He's an aggressive hitter early in the count and had one of the lowest pitch/at-bat ratios in the system last year. Tiffee has worked hard to improve at third base, where he has an average arm and hands. He makes routine plays but lacks lateral mobility. The Twins have challenged Tiffee, who led the system in RBIs in 2003, to see more pitches and drive the ball for more power. After hitting .305 in the Arizona Fall League, he'll address those concerns in Triple-A.
Tiffee was an out-of-shape 260-pounder in high school. He weighed in at 230 when the Twins signed him out of junior college, just before he was to enroll at Louisiana State. Thanks to a strict conditioning program and hard work, he's down to a solid 210 pounds. Tiffee has natural hitting ability with a smooth, adjustable swing from both sides of the plate. Drafted as a first baseman, he's playing third base because of his arm strength. Due to limited agility, though, he's ideally a first baseman, which isn't where the organization needs him. Tiffee makes solid contact and drives the ball into the gaps. He's starting to figure out his power stroke. He's a smart hitter with a good idea at the plate. His lack of a defensive home could hinder his ascent, but he'll move to high Class A next season.
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