The Natural: Brooks Lee Is Special, and the Twins Know It

[Nick Nelson]

FORT MYERS, FL—The 2022 first-round draft pick is seeing plenty of action in early spring training, and building upon the stellar impression he made during last year's pro debut. Rocco Baldelli and Carlos Correa are among those who've taken notice. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

"He makes it look easy" is one of the highest compliments you can pay a person when it comes to something so immensely challenging as playing baseball at the highest level. 

And yet, that's Brooks Lee in a nutshell. The 2022 first-round pick has handled everything thrown at him with such a sense of grace and nonchalance that it's easy to see why the Twins keep throwing more.

Selected eighth overall out of Cal Poly, Lee impressed the organization enough with his smooth transition to the pro game that they advanced him rapidly over a two-month span. Following a brief opening stint at rookie ball, where he batted .353 in four games, Lee skipped right past Low-A and went straight to Cedar Rapids. 

In 25 games with the Kernels, the switch-hitter slashed .289/.395/.454 with four home runs and an 18-to-16 K/BB ratio. His performance was so impressive that he received a late promotion to Double-A, where he went 11-for-26 (.423) in six contests, including four playoff games.

This spring, the Twins are showing a ton of faith and belief in Lee. Oftentimes when a prospect drafted nine months earlier is invited to big-league camp, it's used as an opportunity to soak in the experience and acclimate to major-league surroundings. 

Not in Lee's case. They're throwing him right into the fire. Through the first four days of spring training games, Lee made three starts and handled the assignment with aplomb, notching four hits in nine at-bats.

"He’s clearly not overwhelmed with the situation," observed manager Rocco Baldelli after Lee went 2-for-3 against the Braves on Tuesday. 

For his part, Lee says he wasn't quite expecting to get this much early-spring action ... not that he's disappointed. "It's pretty surprising, but I signed up for it. I'm having a lot of fun."

For those familiar with Lee's background, his ability to take it all in stride and enjoy the moment shouldn't come as a huge shock.

The Coach's Kid 
The narrative about a coach's kid with supernatural baseball aptitude can be an overplayed trope, but in Lee's case it is impossible to deny. After starring for San Luis Obispo High School in California, he was considered a top name in the 2019 draft, but withdrew his name the day before, informing teams he intended to play at Cal Poly for his father Larry, who'd served as Mustangs head coach for nearly two decades. 

A 2020 season lost to injury and COVID was followed by an excellent 2021, where he batted .342 with a 1.010 OPS, and then an even better 2022, which featured a .357/.462/.664 slash line and cemented his status as a top-10 draft pick. 

Growing up as a coach's kid creates a deep and unique connection to the baseball field, and the fundamentals of the game. It's apparent to Lee's current manager, who himself was coached by his father as a youth. Rocco has credited Dan Baldelli with developing his love for the game, so he can relate to this special aspect of Lee's makeup.

"He’s a very relaxed guy when he’s at the ballpark," Baldelli said. "He gives off the impression that he is a coach’s son and he spent many, many, many years of his life at a baseball field, and he knows everything that goes on at the baseball field. It doesn’t feel like there’s a ton going on here that he’s completely unfamiliar with."

In particular, Baldelli has been impressed by Lee's ability to process information and adapt on the fly.

"The at-bats look good. He makes really good adjustments during at-bats, he finds a way to get his barrel kind of on a good plane. Depending on what’s going on in the count, depending on the pitcher he’s facing, he’s not a one-trick pony at the plate, that’s pretty clear from watching him."

This crucial quality helps explain why Lee emerged as a top 2022 draft prospect – MLB.com had him ranked as the fifth-best draft prospect ahead of time – and why the Twins were so delighted to get him with the No. 8 pick. 

So far he's been everything they could've hoped, with his initial performance standing out so much that Lee managed to sneak (ever-so-slightly) past Royce Lewis to claim the No. 1 spot on our latest Twins prospect rankings. 

Now all he has to contend with is a troubled history for those who've been in this position before.

Breaking a Pattern of Top Prospect Letdowns
I wrote recently about the track record for Twins prospects who've topped our rankings over the past 10 years. It's a list that includes:

• Most recently, Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff, who are both grappling with potentially career-threatening health issues as we head into this season. 
• Austin Martin, who plummeted in the rankings following a tough encore season at Double-A in 2022.
• Fernando Romero, who fizzled out and never came close to reaching his high-end starter potential.
• Byron Buxton, whose career thus far has epitomized the disruptive power of uncontrollable forces impacting elite athletes, even when their on-field play matches their promise.

Can Lee break the spell? His skill set is so advanced, balanced, and resilient that it feels almost impossible to envision a Martin-esque performance drop-off. Injuries are of course less predictable, and Lee hasn't been able to totally avoid their grip – he suffered a hyperextended knee in 2020 that required surgery – but he's fully healthy and without any restriction this spring.

That differentiates them from so many other players in camp, and has probably contributed to the number of opportunities available to him here in the first week of games.

The natural question now, for The Natural, is what comes next.

What's Ahead for Brooks Lee?
I'm assuming Lee will open the year at Double-A. That's a semi-aggressive assignment on its face, but so send him back to Single-A would feel almost unfair to the pitchers there.

Once he's settled in Wichita, Lee is instantly in range of a big-league promotion, and his showing this spring helps build confidence he'll be ready for the call whenever it comes. "Offensively, defensively, everything we’ve thrown at him, he’s handled it, done it, excelled at it, and he looks good," said Baldelli.

Assuming he picks up where he left off in the minors, it becomes a matter of when and where Lee's opportunity will arise in the majors. The Twins are hoping it won't come anytime soon at shortstop, where Correa is penciled in for years to come. 

The more imminent opportunity figures to come at third base, and it sort of feels like the organization is planning around such a scenario, maybe sooner than later. Playing third would be a relatively new experience for Lee, who played shortstop exclusively in college and has yet to appear anywhere else defensively as a pro. 

He said short is his favorite position, but added, "I love third too." Maybe it's meant to be. After all, Lee was named after legendary Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. In the past, he's set his sights on an accordingly ambitious career path.

"Honestly, I think I should be a Hall of Famer when I grow up and be in the talk for one of the greatest of all time," Lee said back in 2021 as a redshirt freshman at Cal Poly. 

These days, he's a little more subdued in his goal-setting. Asked what he hopes to accomplish this year: "Just be satisfied with how I did at the end of the season, that’s all I care about. Haven’t really thought about stats or anything like that, or where I’m gonna be."

Sounds like a coach's kid. And while he doesn't have his dad in the dugout anymore, Larry is never too far away – Brooks says he talks to him "every day." Upon reaching the big leagues, Lee will have the luxury of a more contemporary mentor close at hand.

After Correa exited his spring training debut on Wednesday, I asked for his impressions of Lee thus far. 

"Man that kid is a stud," Correa said, with an added emphasis on the last word. "I really, really, really like this kid. I’m very high on him. Don’t be surprised if we see him up this year, he’s very, very good man. Everybody I talk to about him, it’s high praise. I don’t get impressed very easily. That was definitely a great pick by the Twins."

Just a couple of first-round shortstops who make it look easy.

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[Cory Engelhardt]

2b or 3b will be his for a long time. Excited to see him

[wsnydes]

Great write-up, Nick!  I think it's hard to understate how great it is to have a player of Correa's caliber taking the time to help prospects like Lee.  I tend to think that the best teacher is a fellow player.  Coaches and managers are a good source too, but some things just seem to be absorbed more from another player.  Particularly a guy like Correa.

[Nashvilletwin]

Barring injury (loud knock on wood), 2024 is virtually a no lose proposition as a Twins fan.  We win, great - winning is always fun, We lose, we get to see Lee, Lewis, Julien, and Martin (plus others, including pitchers) sooner rather than later. That’s a lot of fun too.

I guess the only downside case is if we kind of contend, the FO gets delusional about our chances, and we end of flailing while not seeing much of the youngsters. 

[dxpavelka]

Said this from day one and will say it again.  The Orioles will rue the day they passed on a guy named after Brooks Robinson.

[jmlease1]

There's very little not to like about Brooks Lee. He's had about as good a start to his professional career as you could ask for. I love the fact that he's a switch hitter, he can/should be a superior defender at 3B/2B, and I wouldn't be surprised if he adds a little more power as he matures. The approach at the plate is terrific.

I honestly think the only reason he's not ranking higher on global prospect lists is he was a college player and many prospect rankers tend to value younger players with tools that they can "project" over older ones with demonstrable production.

[Doctor Gast]

Lee has been very fortunate. The year he got hurt was during covid. Being a coach's kid he has a very good understanding of who he is. So he won't take everything in, he'll take in what is pertinent to who he is & let everything else roll off him. Plus his great ability to adapt, I expect him to have even better year. 

Being a switch hitter, he'll bring a great LH bat to left side of the INF. He'll be a great asset very soon. He'll settle in at 3B & be a HOF next to his name sake.

[Fatbat]

The Varsity team hasn’t looked this good in years with Lee and co. coming up soon.  What a great time to be a twins fan!!

[CRF]

Really looking forward to seeing him make it to the bigs, and I don't think it'll be very long. He looks to be a good one. 

[MGM4706]

Great. Twins have a legit prospect and of course he has to be a SS!! Maybe spend this year learning a new position!!

[Trov]

It should not be a huge surprise he could crack soon.  If he would have signed out of HS, he could have been high draft pick if his dad was not a college coach, he would be talked about ready to break with a team this year.  If he lights up AA like he did every level after draft last year, he will be taking some at bats at MLB level this year.  

[mikelink45]

I love it - let the prospect rise as quick as his talent and attitude allow.  I would love to see him at 2B with Miranda at 3B, Polanco trade bait.  Then what to do with Lewis - what a good problem.

[HrbieFan]

Our 3B for the next 10 years, hopefully! Move him off SS now and let him get comfortable playing 3B. We have some fun minor leaguers knocking really loudly on the big clubs door 

[Dave Overlund]

Awesome post. Looking forward to watching this kid rake for years to come! 

[tony&rodney]

College pitchers have the same relative velocity and breaking stuff as pitchers in MLB. There is, however, a huge separation in how a pitcher below the majors leagues controls and commands their pitches. A guy like Brooks Lee with his mental approach seemingly higher than many can adjust quicker to the pace of play at the top level. It is a big plus that Lee keeps his bat on plane and looks to make contact in pitcher's counts while looking to rip on mistake pitches early in an at bat. The repetitions this year will help him and I believe he could move quickly through AA and AAA.  He will be a fun player to follow this season. 

[terrydactyls]

The signing of Correa is looking better every day.  He is a top tier SS, a great mentor for the younger players, and it appears that he is also an assistant coach and assistant general manager.

[twinstalker]

I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves wrt Lee.  He had a debut at A+ that's in the normal range for a high pick without a ton of upside left.  A few games at AA mean nothing.  Coach's kids don't often have a lot left to learn.  He's no doubt a major leaguer waiting to happen, but how good is very much yet to be determined.  We always judge our prospects by their 99th percentile outcomes, their best-case scenarios.  That's the main reason for both the disappointment and delusion that we're cursed.  We also forget about the success of a meh prospect like Luis Arraez as if we deserve him getting close to his 99th..

[Hannytwinsguy]

The future looks good with Lee(3rd, SS), Correa, Julien(2nd), Kiriloff(1st), Lewis(2nd, SS, 3rd), Miranda(3rd, 1st, DH).  Excited for the future of the team.

[Monkeypaws]

I remember one of the Twins 1st rounders in the late 90s, I believe it was Ryan Mills, was also the son of a manager. Didn't work out in his case.

[saviking]

Yes, 3ed base but don't forget he can back up correa at short. But what do we do with Miranda? Slide between third, first and DH?

[roger]

Those of you who recall my comments over the past decade will remember that I often ask: "why can't Twins prospect X be the next Acuna or Robin Yount or whomever fits?"  I will continue to dream and ask this question, which has yet been answered with prospect X being that star.

Although their age is different, why can't Lee be the Twins Robin Yount?  If memory serves, Yount was drafted at 18 and called up during the following season.  Can Lee be called up this year?  Certainly.  Will he?  Now that's another question.  And if he is, where does he play?  With Lewis also on the horizon the Twins certainly have their backup for Correa should he be injured.  If not, gonna have to fit this duo into second and third?  Don't know what that means for Julien, Miranda or Polonco.

[Stan Fluitt]

I umpired Brooks' games from Youth Ball, into Babe Ruth and through high school.  When he went to college, I got behind the plate during Fall Ball.  Brooks has an incredible eye and command of the strike zone.  In high school he just overpowered the opposing pitcher.  In  college he became a very disciplined hitter.  Can't wait to see what he does next.  Twins are now my favorite team...right behind my Giants.  In my opinion, you drafted a really good player and a great person.    

[chpettit19]

4 minutes ago, Stan Fluitt said:

I umpired Brooks' games from Youth Ball, into Babe Ruth and through high school.  When he went to college, I got behind the plate during Fall Ball.  Brooks has an incredible eye and command of the strike zone.  In high school he just overpowered the opposing pitcher.  In  college he became a very disciplined hitter.  Can't wait to see what he does next.  Twins are now my favorite team...right behind my Giants.  In my opinion, you drafted a really good player and a great person.    

Welcome to Twins Daily, and Twins territory! Thanks for this inside look into our next star!

[Drew]

49 minutes ago, twinstalker said:

I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves wrt Lee.  He had a debut at A+ that's in the normal range for a high pick without a ton of upside left.  A few games at AA mean nothing.  Coach's kids don't often have a lot left to learn.  He's no doubt a major leaguer waiting to happen, but how good is very much yet to be determined.  We always judge our prospects by their 99th percentile outcomes, their best-case scenarios.  That's the main reason for both the disappointment and delusion that we're cursed.  We also forget about the success of a meh prospect like Luis Arraez as if we deserve him getting close to his 99th..

You're allowed to have fun. It's one of my favorite things to do, is have fun. I urge everyone to try it. 

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

Brooks Lee reminds me a little of when Joe Mauer was coming up although he was not a college player.  He was a can't miss player that moved up pretty fast the way Brooks appears to be doing and we were all excited to see him.

What other Twins prospects fit into this category?  Rod Carew maybe?  I can't think of any of others off the top of my head, but I'm sure somebody on this forum will.

[DJL44]

I think the Twins best 3 infielders are Correa, Lewis and Lee which pushes Miranda and/or Julien to 1B and Martin to the outfield. I'm not sure Correa is going to be a better SS than Lee for much longer. I need to see some reps but usually you bet on the young player at SS and move the older player to 3B. Lee might start at 2B - he has range and he's smart - because Lewis and his twice repaired ACL makes more sense at 3B.

These are good problems to have.

[tony&rodney]

Brooks Lee has a plus hit tool tag and thus far we have seen it in a limited sample. I'm a big believer in his future because of his unique package of skills. That said, Lee seems like a solid player who may be a long time regular at the top of the lineup, but he does not have the freak skills of a Robin Yount or Joe Mauer. We just may have that guy in Emmanuel Rodriguez.

It is natural to look at prospects and hope for the best; fans. I could see Lee forcing the Twins hand by late July. If the stars align we could also see the rise of Emmanuel by next season. In the meantime it is nice to have the depth and experience on the current roster. This allows the younger players an opportunity to prove themselves in a more relaxed fashion as opposed to how the Detroit and Kansas City teams need production now from their young guys. Lee, Lewis, Rodriguez, and Julien are coming along nicely.

[aberamsey]

1 hour ago, twinstalker said:

I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves wrt Lee.  He had a debut at A+ that's in the normal range for a high pick without a ton of upside left.  A few games at AA mean nothing.  Coach's kids don't often have a lot left to learn.  He's no doubt a major leaguer waiting to happen, but how good is very much yet to be determined.  We always judge our prospects by their 99th percentile outcomes, their best-case scenarios.  That's the main reason for both the disappointment and delusion that we're cursed.  We also forget about the success of a meh prospect like Luis Arraez as if we deserve him getting close to his 99th..

You can say this about every single player, so what is your point? Do the few games at AA really mean nothing? if he would have gone hitless and looked overmatch I guarantee those games would have been a hot topic among the naysayers. Those games mean something because it shows that the player is able to adapt easily and immediately to a higher level of baseball, something that might show the ability to continue to advance quickly. 

[Squirrel]

1 minute ago, aberamsey said:

You can say this about every single player, so what is your point? Do the few games at AA really mean nothing? if he would have gone hitless and looked overmatch I guarantee those games would have been a hot topic among the naysayers. Those games mean something because it shows that the player is able to adapt easily and immediately to a higher level of baseball, something that might show the ability to continue to advance quickly. 

Welcome to Twins Daily! Great first post!

[Trov]

2 hours ago, twinstalker said:

I wouldn't get ahead of ourselves wrt Lee.  He had a debut at A+ that's in the normal range for a high pick without a ton of upside left.  A few games at AA mean nothing.  Coach's kids don't often have a lot left to learn.  He's no doubt a major leaguer waiting to happen, but how good is very much yet to be determined.  We always judge our prospects by their 99th percentile outcomes, their best-case scenarios.  That's the main reason for both the disappointment and delusion that we're cursed.  We also forget about the success of a meh prospect like Luis Arraez as if we deserve him getting close to his 99th..

I would disagree the games at AA mean nothing.  When in the past have you seen the Twins move a guy so quickly?  The hype was big on Lee before the draft.  Many said he could go number 1, and could not believe he fell all the way to us.  I do not think anyone is trying to say he will be best in the game or HOF bound even, but he has shown that he clearly can handle himself very early on.  Yes, he may be more advanced and not a lot left to learn, which is even more of a reason to move him faster.  

I am not reading from people saying he will be MVP or anything.  He very well may be or may get overpowered when he makes MLB debut.  I believe the hype for him though.