Brooks Lee is better than you think

[Mike Sixel]

After 11 games at third, he's 19th among 3b in fwar. Give him just five more starts at this pace, he'd be in the top ten and on pace for nearly five fwar on the year. 

Giving up on top prospects after a handful of games is a bad idea. When Lewis comes back, I'd put Lewis at second or first.

[Jocko87]

I been saying. He's just a good ball player. It will be interesting when Lewis comes back but without Keaschall in the mix it seems like he would play second just for the sake of Lewis.

He's going to be better that Lewis at either position and Lewis is likely better at third than second. Good problem to have if folks can get healthy.

[stringer bell]

Pretty small sample size, but I think Lee is a good ballplayer, capable at third and second and acceptable as a backup at shortstop. However the pieces fit together in the future, I think Lee is part of the plan. 

 

[RpR]

Lee is a very good 3rd baseman, leave him there and do not screw things up.

[Mike Sixel]

56 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Pretty small sample size, but I think Lee is a good ballplayer, capable at third and second and acceptable as a backup at shortstop. However the pieces fit together in the future, I think Lee is part of the plan. 

 

Definitely small sample size! I doubt he'll ever accumulate five war in a season. My main point was that way too many here said he couldn't hit. 

[thelanges5]

We’ll have to watch where Lewis starts in St Paul but my bet is mostly 3B. They will probably mix in some DH as well so Lee will be bouncing back and forth between 2nd and 3rd. Lee owns an .849 OPS in the past seven games. 

[NotAboutWinning]

Lee strikes me as a well rounded Baseball player. This team could use a whole lot more of that!

[Linus]

If Lee continues to hit he would be my long term third baseman. I think he could be really good at third. Having said that we have to let him show he is going to hit so in the short term he can play second and Royce can play third. If the Twins aren’t in contention later I would switch them or do it next year where Royce can have an off season and spring training to get used to second. Royce is the better athlete and will get a chance to show that more at second. 

[stringer bell]

22 minutes ago, Linus said:

If Lee continues to hit he would be my long term third baseman. I think he could be really good at third. Having said that we have to let him show he is going to hit so in the short term he can play second and Royce can play third. If the Twins aren’t in contention later I would switch them or do it next year where Royce can have an off season and spring training to get used to second. Royce is the better athlete and will get a chance to show that more at second. 

The long-term plan probably should be written in pencil. Right now, the Twins have Julien, Lewis, Lee and Keaschall to fill second and third base long-term. Even using one of the guys at DH leaves a projected long-term starter on the bench. Somebody is going to have to play first base. I'd pick Lewis today for first base, with Keaschall at second and Lee at third, but a month (or maybe a week) from now that might not look like a very good plan. I didn't mention Miranda either and about ten months ago he looked like an All-Star hitter. 

I do know I'd like to see more speed and athleticism in the infield. Lee kind of makes up for lack of speed with other traits, as does Carlos Correa. Maybe Keaschall transitions to the outfield after his arm fully heals. An aside here, can he work on strengthening his throwing with a broken arm? I would guess not.

I don't think the Twins should mess in-season with Lewis. Let him play third and DH and then assess his future in the off-season. Lee absolutely needs to establish that he can be average or better as a hitter before he is assigned a position of his own. Julien has looked better than last year, but hasn't hit enough to merit full-time and maybe even platoon usage. 

[Linus]

This makes sense. One difference I have is putting Lewis at first. He’s the most athletic of the bunch so second makes sense to me. I would like to see Keaschall in left field eventually. Like always this stuff usually sorts itself out and if Miranda and Julien hit then we can swing a trade. 

[Mike Sixel]

8 minutes ago, Linus said:

This makes sense. One difference I have is putting Lewis at first. He’s the most athletic of the bunch so second makes sense to me. I would like to see Keaschall in left field eventually. Like always this stuff usually sorts itself out and if Miranda and Julien hit then we can swing a trade. 

Let's hope Jenkins is in left field....

[Brock Beauchamp]

I watched Brooks Lee field about two groundballs before I was convinced he's a better option at third than Lewis.

[bean5302]

Brooks Lee got great results out of the gate last year, too. He doesn't look helpless at the plate like he did after his first 5 games last year, but there's plenty of reason to question the sustainability of his production. These kinds of "I told you so!" posts after a 5 game hot streak don't do you any favors if you're looking to help build positive opinions for a guy you're a fan.

From athletic limitations to raw power, swing speed, exit velocities, line drive rates and more, there's a cap on him. I still think Lee ends up as a utility guy, but he's looking a heck of a lot better at the plate this year. 

[stringer bell]

26 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Brooks Lee got great results out of the gate last year, too. He doesn't look helpless at the plate like he did after his first 5 games last year, but there's plenty of reason to question the sustainability of his production. These kinds of "I told you so!" posts after a 5 game hot streak don't do you any favors if you're looking to help build positive opinions for a guy you're a fan.

From athletic limitations to raw power, swing speed, exit velocities, line drive rates and more, there's a cap on him. I still think Lee ends up as a utility guy, but he's looking a heck of a lot better at the plate this year. 

A week or so ago, Lee was hitting .100 or close to it. Yeah, it's too early to declare he's anything but hitting decently right now. I think his ceiling is above average OBP, above average defense and average power. If he could do that and stay healthy that would make him very valuable, particularly as a switch hitter. All of these things are speculation at this point. He does have to hit to be valuable IMHO.

[Linus]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

Let's hope Jenkins is in left field....

Whatever are we going to do with all this talent?😀