The Twins are creeping up the AL Central and now Minnesota will get an injection of youth through Brooks Lee. The 23-year-old Lee has been promoted to the Majors, and he’ll get his first crack replacing one of the hottest players in baseball.
A Look at Lee
Twins infield prospect Brooks Lee was a contender to be taken first overall in 2022. While that didn’t happen, Lee wound up being the highest-selected play in Cal Poly San Luis Obispo history, when he was selected eighth overall that year.
A career .351 hitter in college, Lee did nothing but hit at the pro level to this point. Lee hit .303/.389/.451 over 31 games in 2022, then posted a .808 OPS and hit 16 home runs and 58 extra-base hits over 125 Minor League games last season. He missed a good chunk of this season thanks to a herniated disc but has been excellent in Triple-A. The former first-round pick netted 12 extra-base hits and a 1.029 OPS over 20 Triple-A games before his promotion.
Lee could be considered an ideal shortstop, from an offensive standpoint. The 23-year-old possesses a swing that doesn’t have too much length and plenty of bat speed. He didn’t produce a ton of heaters off the bat (10 batted balls of 105 MPH+ from 6/4-7/2, 145th in Triple-A) at least compared to his competition but his bat control and discipline mean few strikeouts and more walks.
The Twins infielder struck out 91 times over 125 games (16.0% K%) last season and walked 56 times (9.9%) last season in Triple-A.
Defensively, reports indicate he should be able to handle short, both from a range and arm standpoint. However, Lee did see time at second and third with St. Paul (AAA) this season, not much of a shock given that short is locked up at this moment by a resurgent Carlos Correa.
Brooks Lee will play at third base with the Twins on July 3, his MLB debut.
Analysis
Lee will join a strong Twins infield, one that includes the aforementioned Carlos Correa, Willi Castro, Carlos Santana, and Jose Miranda. But, one key piece is missing.
The move to promote Leew was necessitated in part by Royce Lewis heading to the IL yet again, this time with a Grade 2 right adductor strain. Lewis will be out through at least the All-Star break, although that was virtually a given since it begins on July 14.
In the long term, it’ll be interesting to see how Lee fits into the Twins’ future. Minnesota has Carlos Correa locked up for the long-term, as he’s signed through at least 2028 and could be a Twin until the end of 2023 should his vesting options activate. And at third, Royce Lewis looks like a franchise cornerstone — if he can stay healthy.
Lee could be a future second baseman for the Twins. However, the presence of Edouard Julien, who’s in Triple-A, will also be a factor. Julien, like Lee, is a high OBP infielder who can be an asset atop Minnesota’s lineup.
Nonetheless, good bats will always find their way into the lineup and should Lewis’ injury problems prolong, Lee could very well be the team’s everyday third baseman for the future, while the Twins can shift the former to a DH role.
Fantasy Outlook
Those who read our June hitting prospects watch list for fantasy noticed Lee and for good reason. The 23-year-old can hit and for someone who could hit .270-.280 in the Majors with some pop and play shortstop, it’s not hard to see why Lee would be valued from a fantasy standpoint.
Lee does garner value in mixed leagues.