Brooks Lee is Back, and His Back is Ready to Go

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins entered the 2024 Major League Baseball season with a stacked left side of the infield. Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis were ready to rock. Then, on Opening Day, the latter was headed for the injured list. That could have been to the benefit of top infield prospect Brooks Lee, but he was hurt himself. Now back and ready to roll, the season takes on a different tone.

 

Last season the Minnesota Twins saw Brooks Lee earn a promotion from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul. With Jose Miranda missing virtually the whole season, and Royce Lewis out for a considerable amount of time as well, there was a potential that Rocco Baldelli may need the services of the top infield prospect in his lineup down the stretch.

That never came to fruition, but Lee had completed the year with an .841 OPS at Double-A, and while his .731 Triple-A OPS wasn’t going to do him any favors, he owned an .829 mark over the final month and had a .529 slugging percentage. In short, 2024 was going to be a debut year for the top prospect, and it could happen quickly.

Coming out of spring training Lee experienced some pain in his back. Talking with him at the time he cautioned of having dealt with spasms in the past and playing through them. This was different though, and when the Saints broke for the regular season, he remained in Florida searching for answers.

“It was the most painful spasm I’ve had and I knew it was serious because of how locked up and protective my body became. In reality there’s not much to do other than be smarter with my total reps and learn some more recovery/exercises that could prevent it from happening again.” Having been diagnosed as a disc herniation, this certainly wasn’t something Lee had experienced before. A fierce competitor, this wasn’t something he would be able to play through either.

Being thousands of miles away from Minnesota, in Twins Territory south, Lee had to watch as Jose Miranda and Austin Martin were promoted following injuries to Lewis and Carlos Correa. It isn’t lost on him that those could have been his shot, but he knows his time is coming. “It sucks, but I don’t spend too much time dwelling on what could have been. I just try to focus on what’s needed each day, and I know my career will start when the time is right.”

Working through a rehab assignment, in part that took place alongside top prospect Walker Jenkins, Lee said the focus was trusting his body to play free. Having experienced similar injuries previously, this one was a different beast and was going to impact the way in which he moved forwards. Having met with a back specialist, Lee had new insight as to how he would operate going forward. That’s something he’ll now carry onto the field with him in St. Paul, and as he ultimately makes his way to Target Field.

While being shelved for over a month, the rehab assignment and trip to St. Paul essentially restarts his Opening Day. There’s still plenty of reason to believe a Lee jersey will need to be hung in the Twins clubhouse this season, but when that time comes is less certain. “My approach will stay the same as it has been, and that will include getting better every day in order to make an immediate impact when my time comes. I’m playing the same game, and I believe I can stick to my game plan and make adjustments as needed in order to get there one day. But for right now all I am focused on is playing and winning games here (in St. Paul).

What was scheduled to be his return on Tuesday night got thwarted because of inclement weather, but Lee has waited months to start his season, and he can certainly wait another day. Joining him up the middle for St. Paul is recently optioned Edouard Julien, and it isn’t lost on the youngster what some big league advice can provide.

“Eddy has been good to me and I enjoy trying to get some insight on how he’s had success so it’s definitely helpful. It’s enjoyable playing alongside him, like in spring training, and I’m excited to get some work with Tony Kemp too.”

Lee will jumpstart his season with St. Paul at home this week, and from there it will become a ticking clock between him forcing the issue and the Twins needing his services. For now, the back has stopped barking, and him playing without that weight on his shoulders will be nice to see.

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[MinnInPa]

within 2 weeks he should be starting 2B in the Bigs..hopefully he gets it going

[Doctor Gast]

Of the top 3 prospects, Lee is closest to the show. It's all a proccess & now we are waiting for him to knock down the door. With all the MLB ready talent down in AAA, it's long overdue to try to undo as many of the costly mistakes done this offseason as possible.

[Dman]

Hoping he stays healthy the rest of the season.  If he can I have to believe they make room for him at some point this season.

[terrydactyls]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Of the top 3 prospects, Lee is closest to the show. It's all a proccess & now we are waiting for him to knock down the door. With all the MLB ready talent down in AAA, it's long overdue to try to undo as many of the costly mistakes done this offseason as possible.

To paraphrase a famous saying.....

FROM YOUR COMPUTER TO ROCCO'S EARS

 

[KBJ1]

Well the Twins certainly need help on multiple fronts. Would like to see Rodriguez at AAA soon!

But I'll take Lee or Julien if they become legit.

Pitching?? How does Paddack give up so many runs on so few (comparatively) without  any HR's? Is Festa ready??

[TwinsDr2021]

4 minutes ago, KBJ1 said:

Well the Twins certainly need help on multiple fronts. Would like to see Rodriguez at AAA soon!

But I'll take Lee or Julien if they become legit.

Pitching?? How does Paddack give up so many runs on so few (comparatively) without  any HR's? Is Festa ready??

Can the Twins afford two of the 5 starters being pitchers that you hope can get you though 5 innings? In SWR's 9 starts only 5 have went 5. I am not saying SWR has pitched bad, but it is a fact that in most of his starts the Twins are asking the bullpen to pitch a lot. Festa has 11 starts in AAA and only 3 times has completed 5 and the most pitches he has had is 86. Paddack for example has completed 5 in 8 of his 11 starts and every start but 1 he has thrown over 82 pitches.

[LA Vikes Fan]

There's an opening at 2B. The Twins would be a better team with Castro in a super utility/4th OF role particularly now that Keirsey is hurt since Castro is really the only backup CF we have that can play at the MLB level. Lee and/or Julien can get to the MLB level with superior play over the next month. I hope one of them shows enough to make it up. 

In a perfect world, Julien gets back to where he was in 2023 and Lee develops into a solid ascending MLB level player. They take the spots currently occupied by Farmer and Santana in 2025.  It would be great if one could take one of those spots for the second half of 2024. Here's hoping . . . 

[farmerguychris]

Lee is one name I've seen quite a bit here on boards for being a player we can trade for immediate help. That is short sighted IMO.  I think he has the highest floor of our farm system and trading him for a middle of the order bat, or another #2 starter would be short sighted.  Excited to see what he can do when he's called up.  Hope that back injury is a one time thing.

[LambchoP]

Will be interesting to see who takes advantage of the second base opportunity,Lee or Julien. The starting job is their for the taking, someone just needs to step up and take it. At this point I think Paddack needs a 10 or 15 day IL stint to manage his workload. I say call up Festa for two or three starts and see what he's got. We already tried it unsuccessfully with Varland, give the next guy a try now. Move Varland to the bullpen where we can actually get something out of him hopefully.

[bean5302]

I see Brooks Lee as a slightly better Levi Michael right now. Levi Michael never received a single plate appearance at the MLB level if I recall correctly.

Lee's line from AAA last year:
168 PA, .237/.304/.428 OPS .732 wRC+ 78 doesn't impress me.
his splits across AA/AAA last year were
as LHB = .287/.366/.494 OPS .860
as RHB = .231/.266/.337 OPS .603

So, basically Lee was another lefty platoon bat, if he could even hit well enough to justify a utility role. Unfortunately, it's not like Lee has the raw athleticism to fall back on, either. He's graded as a poor runner with a fringe SS arm so he'd be expected to be more like Eduoard Julien than Royce Lewis in the field, making Lee's defensive utility role somewhat iffy as well.

Lee needs a few months of AAA time to prove he's potentially MLB caliber. A month of hitting burned out A+ pitchers on non-roster invites desperately working out for a last chance at an MLB roster in Spring Training isn't enough to get me on board.

[Ted Schwerzler]

1 hour ago, farmerguychris said:

Lee is one name I've seen quite a bit here on boards for being a player we can trade for immediate help. That is short sighted IMO.  I think he has the highest floor of our farm system and trading him for a middle of the order bat, or another #2 starter would be short sighted.  Excited to see what he can do when he's called up.  Hope that back injury is a one time thing.

He definitely has the highest floor, but he might have the most limited ceiling too. I think a lot about his future has to do with Julien too. If Julien can bounce back, can he go play 1B?

[Ted Schwerzler]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

I see Brooks Lee as a slightly better Levi Michael right now.

Yeesh, I definitely can't get on board with this.

Sure, might be a slow burn, but Michael was never close to Lee's level.

[ashbury]

4 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

within 2 weeks he should be starting 2B in the Bigs..hopefully he gets it going

[Oldgoat_MN]

For no particularly good reason I am not as bullish on Lee as many here.  I'm also not as knowledgeable, so that's good. 

All in for Lee being an instant asset when he gets to MLB.

Just some of the things Falvey has said sounded like he was trying to get another team interested in trading for Lee.

Very much hope I'm wrong. 

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

I see Brooks Lee as a slightly better Levi Michael right now.

"Slightly."  At age 22 Levi Michael was farting around in high-A and not putting up the numbers there that Brooks Lee did in AAA at the same age.

I suggest looking for a better comp.

[Ted Schwerzler]

35 minutes ago, Oldgoat_MN said:

For no particularly good reason I am not as bullish on Lee as many here.  I'm also not as knowledgeable, so that's good. 

All in for Lee being an instant asset when he gets to MLB.

Just some of the things Falvey has said sounded like he was trying to get another team interested in trading for Lee.

Very much hope I'm wrong. 

I don't know that it's trying to create a market as much as it is a willingness to move.

If the Twins are adding anything of substance, the conversation centers around Lee because Jenkins and E-Rod aren't being touched.

[Fatbat]

Lee is going to be in the show very soon and I predict that once he gets here, he will stay.  He wont be traded and he wont be hidden in AAA.  When he is ready, he will be a MN Twin for many years. 

[gman]

A big difference between Lee and Michael is organization. The Twins actually have both organization wide and level specific coaching and training programs. People may have forgotten but it's been less than 10 years since the organization has drastically upgraded the coaching and scouting area's. I also think Lee is smart enough to take full advantage of the programs.

Not that Michael wasn't smart. But if the roving hitting coach only shows up 1 day a week, it's pretty difficult to make progress.

 

[Jocko87]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

I see Brooks Lee as a slightly better Levi Michael right now. Levi Michael never received a single plate appearance at the MLB level if I recall correctly.

Lee's line from AAA last year:
168 PA, .237/.304/.428 OPS .732 wRC+ 78 doesn't impress me.
his splits across AA/AAA last year were
as LHB = .287/.366/.494 OPS .860
as RHB = .231/.266/.337 OPS .603

So, basically Lee was another lefty platoon bat, if he could even hit well enough to justify a utility role. Unfortunately, it's not like Lee has the raw athleticism to fall back on, either. He's graded as a poor runner with a fringe SS arm so he'd be expected to be more like Eduoard Julien than Royce Lewis in the field, making Lee's defensive utility role somewhat iffy as well.

Lee needs a few months of AAA time to prove he's potentially MLB caliber. A month of hitting burned out A+ pitchers on non-roster invites desperately working out for a last chance at an MLB roster in Spring Training isn't enough to get me on board.

Get Levi Micheal's name out your dang mouth. At a similar age Levi was slopping around in high A ball as a league average hitter.

You being worried about his AA/AAA splits in his first full year of pro ball is a good thing, actually.

Sheesh.

[LA Vikes Fan]

While I would rather keep Lee, I do think the Twins should be open to a trade but only if the is the primary return is a starting pitcher.  To me, the obvious target is Jesus Luzardo of Miami. Maybe of Lee plus a non-pitching B/B+ level prospect like Schobel, Martin, or maybe Helman for Luzardo makes sense. Try to then sign Luzardo to a multi year deal at 10-15m a year since he has 2.5 years of arb left and you have your top 4 starters set up for the next 3-5 years when you add in Ryan and Ober. 

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, gman said:

A big difference between Lee and Michael is organization. The Twins actually have both organization wide and level specific coaching and training programs. People may have forgotten but it's been less than 10 years since the organization has drastically upgraded the coaching and scouting area's. I also think Lee is smart enough to take full advantage of the programs.

Not that Michael wasn't smart. But if the roving hitting coach only shows up 1 day a week, it's pretty difficult to make progress.

 

It could be a difference in raw talent, though.  Michael was a late first rounder owing to their finish in the standings the prior year, while Lee was a top prospect who fell into their laps.  I'm not ready to extrapolate too far about organizational processes.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, ashbury said:

It could be a difference in raw talent, though.  Michael was a late first rounder owing to their finish in the standings the prior year, while Lee was a top prospect who fell into their laps.  I'm not ready to extrapolate too far about organizational processes.

according to Fangraphs, the organizational processes are much improved.....I linked to it in another thread (the other site's thread).

[Ted Schwerzler]

1 hour ago, LA VIkes Fan said:

While I would rather keep Lee, I do think the Twins should be open to a trade but only if the is the primary return is a starting pitcher.  To me, the obvious target is Jesus Luzardo of Miami. Maybe of Lee plus a non-pitching B/B+ level prospect like Schobel, Martin, or maybe Helman for Luzardo makes sense. Try to then sign Luzardo to a multi year deal at 10-15m a year since he has 2.5 years of arb left and you have your top 4 starters set up for the next 3-5 years when you add in Ryan and Ober. 

Someone is tracking!

 

[bean5302]

4 hours ago, Ted Schwerzler said:

Yeesh, I definitely can't get on board with this.

Sure, might be a slow burn, but Michael was never close to Lee's level.

4 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I respect your opinion Bean but you are comparing a very small sample size of Lee (168 PA's) to Levi Michael's much larger sample size (3,068 in 8 MiLB seasons)....

4 hours ago, ashbury said:

"Slightly."  At age 22 Levi Michael was farting around in high-A...

I suggest looking for a better comp.

3 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

Get Levi Micheal's name out your dang mouth...

Sorry, but you guys are misremembering almost everything about Levi Michael. Lee and Michael were very similar players with similar results.

• College SS's.
• First round picks.
• Switch hitters.
• Profile as near MLB ready.
• Limited athleticism expected to probably push both off SS
• Mediocre power.
• Lauded hit tools.

Twins fans lost their mind in the hype machines which told them what they wanted to hear, that Brooks Lee was a #1 overall pick (he wasn't)

MLB #7 https://www.mlb.com/news/final-mlb-mock-draft-2022,
CBS #7 https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/2022-mlb-mock-draft-orioles-take-termarr-johnson-with-no-1-pick-kumar-rocker-to-padres/
Fangraphs #8 https://blogs.fangraphs.com/2022-mlb-mock-draft/

Let's take a look at some Baseball America and Keith Law pre-draft reviews:
Player 1

Quote

xxxx has been the best pure hitter among college prospects this year, running a walk-to-strikeout rate over 2.00 all season and punching out well under 10 percent of the time. He controls the zone well and rarely misses fastballs within it, thanks to exceptional hand-eye coordination. His swing is unorthodox and kind of noisy, with some evident effort, but with all that hip and torso rotation he doesn’t always make the high-quality contact teams are looking for in elite prospects. I don’t think xxxx is a shortstop long term; he has outstanding hands that will play anywhere on the field, but his ankles are thick and he’s a 40 runner, so the lateral agility that position demands may just be beyond his physical ability. Put him at third base and he should be fine. It’s a bet on the bat, and that a pro department can take this foundation of contact skills and help him get to more consistent contact quality; it’s easier to teach someone to hit the ball harder than it is to teach him to hit the ball in the first place. xxxx should be a strong regular who makes some All-Star teams as a third or second baseman, but probably doesn’t project to be a superstar.

xxxx hit .342 to win xxxx co-player of the year as a redshirt freshman and torched the xxxx League with a .405/.432/.677 slash line for xxxx in the summer. He followed with a standout showing for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team and hit .357 with 15 home runs and a 1.125 OPS this spring, all career highs. xxxx is a gifted switch-hitter with exceptional hitting ability. He takes short, balanced swings with elite bat speed from the left side and laces balls hard to all fields. His righthanded swing isn’t as fluid or powerful, but he has the hand-eye coordination to make consistent contact and spray balls around the field. He has elite strike-zone discipline, crushes fastballs and drives pitches in all parts of the zone, projecting as a potential plus-plus hitter. He has rarely faced good breaking stuff and will need to prove he can handle that.

Player 2
 

Quote

xxxx has established himself as the best college shortstop in this year's draft, although the competition for that title wasn't very strong. But as a switch-hitter who can run and has shown he can handle the position he's almost certain to go in the first round.
xxxx has good bat speed and an excellent eye at the plate, producing contact and working the count well. He tends to meet the ball out front rather than letting it travel; between that and his size he doesn't generate much power even with some torque from his hips.
At shortstop, xxxx is solid-average, making routine plays with enough arm but will probably never be plus there. He's a well-above average runner with good feel for the game all around.
There are very few college shortstops this year who project to stay at the position and also project to hit. xxxx does, which puts him at the top of the category.

He missed a couple of games with an ankle injury and was still getting back to 100 percent, but he still showed ability in all facets of the game and was hitting .311/.461/.464 with 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts in 196 at-bats. He is a patient hitter with a good eye for the strike zone from both sides of the plate, with a 43-27 walk-strikeout ratio. He hits to all fields and could hit at the top of the batting order, though he shows pop and is naturally stronger from the right side. He's an above-average runner, though he hadn't quite returned to that level since the injury. Scouts don't view the ankle as a long-term concern.

First appearances over AA through first two seasons (cup of coffee + long season)
Player 1 - 307 PA .294/.365/.473 OPS .839 wRC+ 119, 10.1% BB, 16.0% K
Player 2 - 319 PA .278/.382/.415 OPS .797 wRC+ 130, 11.8% BB, 19.5% K

Michael (a23) was 1 year older than Lee (a22) when he started raking in AA. Lee is certainly better than Michael, though it's debatable how much at this stage, but you guys are already basically proclaiming Lee a superstar ready to replace guys in the MLB lineup, and he's only marginally better than a guy who was scouted the same, drafted first round, and had a similar performance to start his upper minors career at a similar age. A guy who never had a single plate appearance in MLB.

 

[Jocko87]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Sorry, but you guys are misremembering almost everything about Levi Michael. Lee and Michael were very similar players with similar results.

• College SS's.
• First round picks.
• Switch hitters.
• Profile as near MLB ready.
• Limited athleticism expected to probably push both off SS
• Mediocre power.
• Lauded hit tools.

Twins fans lost their mind in the hype machines which told them what they wanted to hear, that Brooks Lee was a #1 overall pick (he wasn't)

What happened in the year after that? 

Micheal OPS'd 650 at A ball and Lee OPS'd 839 making it to AA.  I also can't detect any "raking" in any of Micheal's six! (6!) seasons at AA. 

I'm going to regret asking, but what was Micheal's highest reputable national prospect raking? 

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

you guys are already basically proclaiming Lee a superstar

Stroman argument, as least where my particular post was concerned.

Pre-draft scouting reports hold no weight either, at this point in their respective careers. Performance is what counts.

Both first-rounders? That's just disingenuous.  #30 overall versus #8 isn't in the same realm, unless a team messes up.

I'm glad at least you replaced the silly modifier "slightly" with "certainly".  Lee looks better than Levi Michael, period.  Time will tell, as with all prospects.

[bean5302]

5 hours ago, ashbury said:

Stroman argument, as least where my particular post was concerned.

Pre-draft scouting reports hold no weight either, at this point in their respective careers. Performance is what counts.

Both first-rounders? That's just disingenuous.  #30 overall versus #8 isn't in the same realm, unless a team messes up.

I'm glad at least you replaced the silly modifier "slightly" with "certainly".  Lee looks better than Levi Michael, period.  Time will tell, as with all prospects.

First round is first round. #8 vs. #28 projected. You're arguing top 50 vs. top 100 as a different league. You can deal with reality or re-write the world to suit you ego. Up to you.

[bean5302]

6 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

What happened in the year after that? 

Micheal OPS'd 650 at A ball and Lee OPS'd 839 making it to AA.  I also can't detect any "raking" in any of Micheal's six! (6!) seasons at AA. 

I'm going to regret asking, but what was Micheal's highest reputable national prospect raking? 

Yes, 1st round draft picks get written off permanently if the have a hiccup in year 1. Back to reality now...

[Jocko87]

43 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Yes, 1st round draft picks get written off permanently if the have a hiccup in year 1. Back to reality now...

They get written off far more often than they become top 10-20 prospects in the game.  Something like 40% of them don't even see the league.

Lotta folks, including me, had hope for Micheal for quite a while.  He's never been on Brooks Lee's level, by any metric.  They have always been in a different tier, even before high school.  There is still room for Lee to stumble, no doubt, but the comp you are searching for isn't in the Twins organization.

You didn't answer my question, by the way.