The Race to Be First: Which Twins Top Prospect Will Lead the Way?

[Ted Schwerzler]

Over the past couple of months, the Minnesota Twins have traded a plethora of their young talent. The top of the farm system is still relatively rich. When looking at who emerges mid-summer in 2023, it’s worth questioning what name appears from the top. Does Brooks Lee or Royce Lewis appear in the new Minnesota threads first?

 

Image courtesy of Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Royce Lewis has long been the organization's shortstop of the future. That may be why the Twins haven't signed Carlos Correa yet (although the fact that a potential deal for a dozen years and upwards of $350 million, or that Scott Boras is his agent and several other organizations are also interested might have a bigger role in that). There are also very real questions as to how Lewis looks returning from a second torn ACL.

If you missed Cody Christie’s discussion back in November pondering who Minnesota’s top prospect is, then maybe you aren’t aware of the speed in which Brooks Lee is expected to blitz the minors.

Now to be fair, Lewis has already appeared at the Major League level. He filled in admirably last season when Correa went down with an injury, and he was only in centerfield because the coaching staff saw his talent to be so immense they needed him in the lineup. It was just a 12-game cameo, but Lewis slashed .300/.317/.550 (.867) with four doubles and a pair of dingers. If he was healthy to begin spring training, he’d be on the Opening Day roster.

Because Lewis is not healthy, there’s a real question as to whether or not it could be Brooks Lee who appears ahead of Lewis for Minnesota in 2023.

I’m not certain that the Twins view Lee as a clear cut answer at shortstop. There were thoughts he could move to third base when he was drafted, but purely from an appearance standpoint, it shouldn’t be out of the question that he emerge before the former number 1 overall pick that has already made his Major League debut.

As mentioned, the timeline in which Lewis returns remains to be seen, and you can bet the Twins will be cautious. On the flip side, Lee’s promotions have been incredibly aggressive and he’s done nothing to show he can’t handle them. Playing just four games in the Florida Complex League before skipping Low-A entirely, Lee then jumped to Single-A Cedar Rapids and posted an .848 OPS in 25 games. His eight extra-base hits, four of which were homers, was hard not to notice, but it was the 18/16 K/BB that truly stood out.

Looking to get Lee an even more advanced exposure, and utilize his talent for a playoff run, he was promoted to Double-A Wichita as they looked to win in the Texas League. Coming into 2023, it would not at all be surprising if he began the year where he left off, even with how aggressively he was pushed to get there. Starting at Double-A Wichita would mean that Lee could presumably force Minnesota’s hand sometime in the summer.

Maybe he would benefit from some final tweaks at St. Paul before traveling across town, or maybe he would be ready to skip a level and jump straight to the big leagues. Either way, the bat profiling as it did going into the draft has only continued to gain steam, and it’s carried his meteoric rise through the system.

We’ll see how things go in year two as the opposition makes adjustments and Lee settles in, but regardless of which Twins prospect is the top one, I think there’s a case to be made that it could be Lee who debuts in the season ahead prior to Lewis.

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[Mike Sixel]

They could be aggressive like ATL was last year, with their elite players.....

I'd bet on Lee in AA to start, and in STP by June. I doubt Lewis is running full speed by early June. I hope to be wrong.

I have no idea if Lee can play SS, so I won't say what they should do. Given what little we know, I'd move him to 3B or RF because you are really hoping Lewis is your SS. Miranda can play 1B or DH if Lee is at third. I'd put Martin at 2B or LF or CF at this point. He's not a SS given Lewis and Lee.

[SanoMustGo]

If the FO isn't serious about improving the club through trades/FA, would rather let the kids play and lose 95-100 then watch a bunch of washed up retreads(Gallo, Pollock, Turner, etc...) lose 85-88.

[Old fox]

I could see 6-7 prospects making it to the big yard in 2023. To get the quality to make a difference will require trading some good Twins players such as Kepler,Arraez, or other players.

[chpettit19]

I'd be absolutely shocked if it were Lee. Not that he doesn't potentially have the talent, or that it wouldn't be the right move, to be in the majors in less than a calendar year after he was drafted, but that'd be lightning fast. We see some college arms show up in the bigs as relievers crazy fast, but even the elite college bats tend to take a little longer than that. I could be forgetting someone, but I don't believe any 2021 drafted bats have reached the majors yet. Torkelson made his debut last year after being picked in 2020, but that didn't go great. Maybe there's someone else from the 2020 draft, but I'm not thinking of them right now.

I'm super high on both Lewis and Lee and expect them to be the left side of the infield starting in 2024 sometime, but Lee making the majors before the draft, or even the trade deadline, would be incredible. Not sure the Twins have the aggressiveness in them to make that happen. AA to start and he's more likely moving to AAA around the time Lewis is returning and hitting the major league field. All my money would be on Lewis in this one.

[Nashvilletwin]

1 hour ago, SanoMustGo said:

If the FO isn't serious about improving the club through trades/FA, would rather let the kids play and lose 95-100 then watch a bunch of washed up retreads(Gallo, Pollock, Turner, etc...) lose 85-88.

Couldn’t agree more. I was thinking about what is going to get me to watch another 150 games this upcoming season, and I was dreading the prospect of not only the names you mentioned, but also Kepler, Garlick, and, yes, even Polanco.  I’ve seen all those guys and to be honest I’m not all that interested in seeing them a lot more.  Don’t get me wrong - they are excellent ball players and worthy of tremendous respect. Max and Jorge are two of my favorites. It’s just that I don’t see much excitement in tuning in to see them when the team is a non-contender and they probably won’t be around when the new core arrives. I mean, watching Max hit 0.225 is just not interesting anymore.

Now, give me Lee, Lewis, Martin and Julien and I’ll be tuning in every day - even if they have their struggles.  By August, they should be on the field pretty regularly.

 

[Dman]

Lee would need a Monster AA start to the season and then conquer AAA for at least a month to get a chance.  Not sure he is gonna be ready that fast. They both look more likely to get called up in August or September.  Not sure how long until Lewis can get started this year but since he already proved he can handle AAA he still looks first in line to me.  

I do hope Lee is ready sooner rather than later.  We need both of those players to be success stories ASAP or it is going to be hard for this team to compete in the short term.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, Dman said:

Lee would need a Monster AA start to the season and then conquer AAA for at least a month to get a chance.  Not sure he is gonna be ready that fast. They both looks like more likely to get called up in August or September.  Not sure how long until Lewis can get started this year but since he already proved he can handle AAA he still looks first in line to me.  

I do hope Lee is ready is ready sooner rather than later.  We need both of those players to be success stories ASAP or it is going to be hard for this team to compete in the short term.

I don't see this FO bringing up Lee this year. Not with Miranda at 3rd and hopefully Lewis at short at some point. 

[farmerguychris]

If we can't get anyone to play for us in FA, I'd prefer to not make trades so can keep our farm as it is, and then sure - lets let the kids play!  Would be fun to watch the next core come up and work with the existing one.  Sure they may have some hard times, but they will learn on the job also.

[Nashvilletwin]

Hoping to see a lot of new faces this year: Lee, Lewis, Julien, Wallner, Martin, SWR, Winder, Varland, Henriquez, Sales, and maybe Balazovic.  Hope to see a lot of some somewhat new faces too: Kiriloff, Larnach, Miranda, Alcala, and Ober.

Yep, looking forward to see who emerges as the new young core out of that group of 16 to augment Buxton, Arraez, Gordon, Jeffers, Vasquez, Ryan, Duran, and Jax. 

[gman]

I think Lee is more the long term third baseman. If 2023 is a year of the kids I'm okay with that. At least its a direction the team can sustain. Leave all of Lewis, Lee, Martin & Julian in triple A until mid June, then bring them in to play out the year.

[tony&rodney]

I have zero confidence in the Twins ability to develop players right now and also have questions about their ability to evaluate talent. That said, I do like Brooks Lee. I just worry about how he may be handled by the Twins.

[mikelink45]

I am all in on Lee - I was in on Griffey, Soto, Acuna...go for it.  While I am still gagging over Gallo, a young dynamic player is just what I hope for. 

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

I don't see this FO bringing up Lee this year. Not with Miranda at 3rd and hopefully Lewis at short at some point. 

We need MLB INF depth desperately, we don't even have an INF utility player yet. I was hoping that this FO would pick a SS to platoon with Farmer via trade.  Farmer would then be utility/ SS platoon.

But gauging by their last action I wonder if they really know what this team needs. I'm afraid that what happened in '21 where we had very little OF proven depth. Quickly everything became unraveled where they threw Celestino into the fire long before he was ready and got burnt. The same scenario could appear in the INF this season & Lee could very likely come unto the scene long before he's ready with similar results.

Under the ideal situation, Lewis should be the 1st to enter the '23 season because he is the future leader of the team and I'd like to see Lee to be seasoned a little more in the minors. Lee, Martin & Lewis could make a pretty good future trio

[jmlease1]

I hope Royce recovers quickly and completely from the ACL and Brooks hits so much that it's a real question. I do think Lee's bat is special and he's got that same kind of makeup that Lewis has where the stage is never too big for them. I hope Royce Lewis still has that special speed that makes his bat even more exciting.

Force me to bet, and I go with Royce, just because I think the Twins won't rush Lee just for funsies, and I'm thinking that the infield will be relatively healthy the first half of the season. But I wouldn't be shocked at all if Lee goes full Miranda on us, destroys minor league pitching, and becomes the guy who gets called up when one of our middle infielders goes down for extended time.

[Mike Sixel]

If I ran the team, Lee would be playing third in AA. Lewis would be the shortstop when healthy. Martin would be in LF or second depending on how they feel about Julien at second. AK would get every chance to be healthy. If so that works, Miranda is your DH and backup at first and third. 

[weitz41]

After seeing the Gallo signing I want to thank Ted for the welcome distraction. I think Lewis will get to the bigs 1st. Lee has a lot to prove in AA next season. There is a lot to like about the Twins infield and outfield prospects. But another full season will make it a bit clearer.

[jrod23]

Lewis and Lee are definitely the future of the Minnesota Twins.  Lewis has really taken an unfortunate path to the majors, and I tip my hat to how he's handled every bit of it.  Two ACL's by the time he's 24 is not something you're able to advertise to sell at market, but it is something one person can rise and overcome and beat the odds.  I'm in favor of the latter.  This kid can lead and I'm beyond excited to see the locker room chemistry when Royce has a corner locker. 

Lee is the player you see with momentum and you can't help but root as a player.  He's got the pedigree, ability, maturity, and aggressiveness.

Lee and Royce are only going to compliment each other.  In a humble fan's opinion, it doesn't matter who gets there first.  I just want to see them play together.

[DocBauer]

First and foremost,  if Larnach is healthy...and his injuries have been of the freakish nature and not chronic...he makes a big difference going forward. IF...and it's a big IF at this time, Kirilloff could be a huge difference maker based on potential and what he's shown. And if he needs a month or two to get settled and ready, I'm OK with that.  Wallner needs to work some on his defense. His bat can play, and at some time you HAVE TO PLAY your top prospects. But it's OK if he spends a little more time at St Paul to just round of the rough edges. The signing of Gallo....(shudder)...allows Wallner the luxury of rounding those rough edges. (Still want to trust in the kids at this point and hate the Gallo signing).

Dare I say it, Julien ALMOST appears to be a clone of Arraez after two milb seasons with more power and speed. Not exact, but similar. While the AFL is hitter friendly, he was robbed of MVP. Still not sure why he spent the entire season at AA. And he's not yet ML ready, but he's damn close. Just need to find his best spot. Seems to be 2B, but it would be awesome if he could be OK at least another position.

I was down on Martin. And then he finished his AA season strong. He was also very good in the AFL, again, a hitters environment. But he just might be ready to explode playing the OF, with the ability to cover 2B/3B and be an emergency SS. But he's not ready yet.

We're looking for #1? Lewis all day long. Athleticism, guts, determination, skills, he's my #1. The Twins will be cautious, which is fine, but June or July, I believe he's going to be fine even if outstanding speed and quickness drops half a point.

I believe Lee is a sort of Correa, Ripken type at SS where smarts, instinct, positioning, arm, makes him a viable ML SS. But Lewis should be just a little better. And despite a great debut, there is no reason to rush him. He's going to force his own way. Let him start at AA and let's see what happens.

Lewis is #1, Lee a close #2.

Miranda will turn out to be a good 3B, But he will give way to Lee at 3B, Lewis at SS, and swap back and forth at  1B and 3B along with, hopefully,  Kirilloff at 1B.

[Mike Sixel]

19 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

First and foremost,  if Larnach is healthy...and his injuries have been of the freakish nature and not chronic...he makes a big difference going forward. IF...and it's a big IF at this time, Kirilloff could be a huge difference maker based on potential and what he's shown. And if he needs a month or two to get settled and ready, I'm OK with that.  Wallner needs to work some on his defense. His bat can play, and at some time you HAVE TO PLAY your top prospects. But it's OK if he spends a little more time at St Paul to just round of the rough edges. The signing of Gallo....(shudder)...allows Wallner the luxury of rounding those rough edges. (Still want to trust in the kids at this point and hate the Gallo signing).

Dare I say it, Julien ALMOST appears to be a clone of Arraez after two milb seasons with more power and speed. Not exact, but similar. While the AFL is hitter friendly, he was robbed of MVP. Still not sure why he spent the entire season at AA. And he's not yet ML ready, but he's damn close. Just need to find his best spot. Seems to be 2B, but it would be awesome if he could be OK at least another position.

I was down on Martin. And then he finished his AA season strong. He was also very good in the AFL, again, a hitters environment. But he just might be ready to explode playing the OF, with the ability to cover 2B/3B and be an emergency SS. But he's not ready yet.

We're looking for #1? Lewis all day long. Athleticism, guts, determination, skills, he's my #1. The Twins will be cautious, which is fine, but June or July, I believe he's going to be fine even if outstanding speed and quickness drops half a point.

I believe Lee is a sort of Correa, Ripken type at SS where smarts, instinct, positioning, arm, makes him a viable ML SS. But Lewis should be just a little better. And despite a great debut, there is no reason to rush him. He's going to force his own way. Let him start at AA and let's see what happens.

Lewis is #1, Lee a close #2.

Miranda will turn out to be a good 3B, But he will give way to Lee at 3B, Lewis at SS, and swap back and forth at  1B and 3B along with, hopefully,  Kirilloff at 1B.

Larnach is now a backup. Or in the minors. 

[Otaknam]

Just hoping the FO doesn’t trade any more young talent, especially Lee, Lewis, or Julian, in an effort to win 5 or 6 more games. 

[Craig Arko]

Why not both? I wouldn’t count Martin out either.

[Hannytwinsguy]

I couldn't agree more with getting some of the young guys up and playing them.  Enough of the retreads and finishing just below .500.  Signing Gallo was an awful signing.  There are lots of young guys that need playing time and would bring fans to the park to see the future of the Twins.  Looking forward to Lewis, Lee, and Julien.  Martin has a chance to be good in the Nick Gordon role in a year or two.