Brooks Lee's Career is Off to a Rough Start. Can He Be Fixed?

[Riverbrian]

21 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

You gotta play Bader & Castro if Team is trying to win games…….. Bader in OF pushes Castro into the infield. Can’t make developing players a priority when still in a Playoff race.

And the end result of that is a severe lack of developed players that has built up over years of not making them a priority in a playoff race. 

 

 

[Edmond Dantes]

14 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Anyone giving up on a top 100 prospect after a year of ML playing is lacking in patience, and it is good they aren't a GM. 

To be clear, I'm not saying he's good or bad (he's not good), I'm stating that the lack of patience on this site is staggering. 

I don't think anyone is saying waive the guy, but I would ask: when was the last time a Twins draft pick turned into an above average MLBer, much less started slowly and turned into even an average player. Look at the roster -- has anyone other than Buxton been drafted in the last 10+ years and turned into an above average player? You can preach patience, but there is not much precedence of it working out.

[shimrod]

14 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I would be shocked if the Twins neglect to have their infielders run agility drills.

That would be as silly as not requiring infield drills before games.

[karcherd]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

At the end of June he had a .725 OPS and .311 OBP. Not great, but also not article worthy. Then looking at game logs, he hits a 1-12 skid at the plate and gets benched for two games and since then it's been a pattern of two games on, one game off. 

The only hitter who has reached his potential on this team is a 31-year-old who took 10 years in the league to do so. I just don't think this team has a manager that can or will do the things needed to develop young hitters. And if you're going to be a low payroll team, you have to have one of those.

He has actually only started one game since the ASB. He needs to play and be given one position with occasional starts at SS for Correa.

[karcherd]

55 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

You gotta play Bader & Castro if Team is trying to win games…….. Bader in OF pushes Castro into the infield. Can’t make developing players a priority when still in a Playoff race

Is this the same Bader that the Mets benched in the playoffs last year.  I like Bader but he is a fourth outfielder and is not an everyday player.  So you are going to hinder Lee's development for a player that is not an everyday starter for a playoff team.  This is why this team will continue to tread water 

[jjswol]

I perceived him as the second coming of Chuck Knoblauch but so far he has not shown me those skills. That said, I am not ready to give up on hime yet. 

[TwinsDr2021]

I have not given up on Lee, he should play (someplace) nearly every game the rest of the year. Same with Keaschall when he is called back up. If he continues on like he has then IMO he is a cheaper version of Castro, where he can be the infield utility player next year, but if another team thinks he is more than that and makes an offer, well I am listening, but it wouldn't come cheap because he is valuable to the Twins as a super cheap insurance/utility player. 

IMO they don't have much time to figure out Lee and Lewis, it has to be decided this year, With Keaschall and Culpepper knocking on the door, it can't be like Miranda, Julien, Wallner, Keirsay where they IMO left them in the minors longer than they should have. 

[NYCTK]

53 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

And the end result of that is a severe lack of developed players that has built up over years of not making them a priority in a playoff race. 

Who is this mystical player that the Twins have failed to give a chance to develop? I keep hearing from people on this website that the Twins are at fault for refusing to give their young players a chance, and for the life of me I can't begin to guess who the hell they're referring to. 

Or is this your "let Larnach hit LHP!" soapbox again? 

[LambchoP]

Lee has looked uncomfortable at the plate for awhile now. Tons of half swings and swords, getting fooled by curve balls. It's not time to give up on him, he's still young. If Keaschal hits really well upon his return, maybe Lee could use a reset in St Paul. That is, if Castro isn't traded. Keirsey has NO business being on this roster. Martin is hitting over .300 in AAA, call him up. He can be a corner OF and play second, plus he's not an automatic out like Keirsey. Seeing him come up to bat late last night just made me groan, seeing that .100 batting avg....

[NYCTK]

17 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

Martin is hitting over .300 in AAA, call him up. He can be a corner OF and play second, plus he's not an automatic out like Keirsey.

Martin could have been a decent major leaguer, but for the fact that he's another Twins player that can't play a competent defense at the major league level, making his 90 OPS+ pretty untenable. 

[darin617]

Lee just needs to play one position so he can focus on his hitting. I could care less about any power out of Lee, just let him spray the ball around the field. 

I think people are forgetting about him just being drafted in 2022 and he has been in the majors for 2 years. How many times have top picks never made it to AAA, let alone the majors?

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Who is this mystical player that the Twins have failed to give a chance to develop? I keep hearing from people on this website that the Twins are at fault for refusing to give their young players a chance, and for the life of me I can't begin to guess who the hell they're referring to. 

Or is this your "let Larnach hit LHP!" soapbox again? 

You consistently fail to understand my points. And you do so belligerently. Place me on block and stay clear. 

Asking me Who... Is another example of your failure to understand.

Who? Exactly!!! That's my point.

How can an organization with budget issues fail to produce sufficient numbers in comparison with their peers. Who? Exactly!!! You want me to name a player so you can tear them to pieces. I'm sorry I don't trust my opinion on Who? And I certainly don't trust yours. I don't even trust the front office to identify the player or players because here we are talking about Brooks Lee needing to be fixed while Brooks Lee is the only player they are investing playing time in, we are about to sell at the deadline and our budget is maxed out so we can't afford to sign players developed by other organizations. I just know that other teams are producing WHO'S. Therefore WHO IS MY POINT!!! You just keep tearing apart the individuals. 

You want to keep hammering on Larnach... Keep hammering... Your opinion has no interest to me. My point isn't about Larnach specifically... It's about Larnach, Wallner, Kirilloff, Julien and now Clemens over the past 3 years. It's about every left handed hitter to come through these doors in the past 3 years. Why can't we develop a left handed hitter that doesn't require a right handed hitting handcuff? Other teams can do this sort of thing... we can't. That's my point... It's not about Larnach but you want to hammer on Larnach. I have no interest.  

Jonah Bride... I could give a whatever about Jonah Bride... But I didn't give him a roster spot. When I talk about Jonah Bride burning a roster spot... I'm not pro Jonah Bride... I'm talking about the roster spot on a team that is failing to produce WHO's. Bride gets a roster spot because we have failed for multiple years now to develop a WHO!!! Why isn't there a WHO?

Go ahead and continue to lose your mind over Martin. I could care less what your opinion of Martin is... I don't care what my opinion of Martin is. If Martin is not the guy... OK... Fine... THEN WHO IS THE GUY!!! 

According to this article... Brooks Lee may not be the guy either. Which I find interesting because the Twins have clearly chosen Lee as someone to trust. If Brooks Lee doesn't work out... well there goes almost our entire development effort for the past 3 years down the drain. But... Hey Let's pull that plug at the first sign of trouble.

Now please... put me on block.  

[RpR]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

Martin could have been a decent major leaguer, but for the fact that he's another Twins player that can't play a competent defense at the major league level, making his 90 OPS+ pretty untenable. 

He is pretty good a 2nd but he keeps geting stuck where he is NOT very good.at fielding.

[Sjoski]

13 hours ago, Twinkie said:

worry more about the delicate back issues that Lee has

You've probably had back issues yourself and know how disabling it can be...this is a huge concern I agree. 

[twinfan]

1- The lack of plate discipline falls directly on the hitting coach. 2- We are not in a pennant race. 3- A .240 average for a limited power infielder is not terrible but his OBP makes it worse. 4- We are not in a pennant race. 5- It's too early to give up on Lee but, without consistent reps, it will be tough for him to develop further. 6- We are not in a pennant race (let's get this off our minds that we are).

So let's see what we have after the trade deadline.

 

 

[Pat]

I agree with patience but at the same time we should look at the Twins history of #1 draft picks.  One would hope that some of them would be high impact players.  Lee, Larnach, Lewis at this point just serviceable at best.  Buxton is finally producing consistently because he is healthy.

[DocBauer]

I LOVE so much of what our current FO has done. They've brought in analytics that didn't exist previously. They've made catching coaching so much of a priority that they lost Swanson to the Yankees as a coach. (There's a difference between catching and being able to hit out of a paper bag. And that's an entirely different discussion). They've done a hell of a good job taking arms and adding velocity and adding/deleting pitches to create some very good prospects. 

There have been past Twins players, most notably Trevor Plouffe, who have applauded a new approach with hitters not being pigeon holed with too many old school approaches, but treated as individuals with certain talents.

But SOMETHING is missing with MILB and/or MLB instruction. Part of that, IMO, is an IDENTITY of what the Twins are supposed to be as an offensive team. 

OBP and POWER ALWAYS lead to production and a productive offense. Whether you believe in modern day analytics or not, the numbers are there. All you have to do is look them up and grudgingly accept them. That DOESN'T MEAN you want a team filled by Gallo types! And that doesn't mean there isn't room for speed, athleticism and defense, something the current Twins team is lacking. 

FWIW, when the Twins were playing the power game, as iconsistent as they may have been, they were amongst the top 5-10 consistently in total runs scored. ALMOST as if they were listening to a certain segment of TD. LOL, they suddenly K'd far less, and the runs started to disappear.

Again, FWIW, and the players might be different, but the Twins AREN'T devoid of talent themselves, the Jay's are #1 in MLB offensive production with the FORMER Twins hitting coach and the Twins rank 21. Now, I'm not hating on Borgschulte who had a good reputation for the Saints and did some good things initially with the Orioles. 

But depending on who's stats you want to look at, the Twins were around 11-12 in 2024. And in 2023 they were top 5.

That's a HUGE difference from 21 to borderline top 10, and top 5 just 2yrs ago. So is that the players or the coaches or the FO?

Yes,  a COMPLETE lineup gives you a combination of a handful of guys who can run, you have a lineup that has a decent OB%, and you have a collection of XB power including a couple BIG BOPPERS. 

But that's the IDEAL fantasy console game you strive for best you can.

If nobody's noticed, the Twins still draft for power, as you should, but have also been looking for better contact bats and better athletes mixed in.

I really didn't mean to go on a tangent here, but I had to respond to several responses.

#1] Let Lee play daily. He's shown flashes. Let him figure it out! Unless the Twins hitting instructors are incompetent, he's got the mental ability and experience to grow. What does he possibly have to prove at AAA at this point. His glove? His glove is excellent. He's made rookie mistakes while feeling some pressure.

#2] The FO...or the next FO...needs to re-examine some of what's being taught. They are supposedly treating each hitter as an individual? Sounds great! But have too many prospects tanked because they just didn't have the "it" factor? Or are we missing something in our development process?

#3] PICK A PROCESS. I can clearly see from the last few drafts that you are trying to change the approach. You still need POWER, which hasn't been ignored. But you're also drafting more speed and athleticism and looking at basic contact/hitting approach at the same time.

Keaschall ending up with a broken arm and Rodriguez continuing to be injured messes with your plans no doubt. But don't stop with a PROCESS/APPROACH that makes sense.

Of course, that all goes out the window, potentially, when the team sells and whatever the new owners decide to do.

But it doesn't escape the fact that the FO either hasn't found a foundation to stand on, or hasn't had the players to actually do what they want to do offensively. Or that they have reacted too late, or poorly.

*Taylor and Bader brought some of what this team needs. But they were both more Buxton insurance initially. 

Lee should play daily because IDK what defensive metrics say or a few bad games, I've seen him play. His glove and instincts in the field work. Let's forgive a relative rookie figuring it out. And how about less than 500 AB for a relative rookie trying to figure it out batting wise.

I DO THINK the current FO has to answer some questions. THEY pick the MILB coaching staffs. THEY have at least partial control of the ML coaching staff. It's not all on Rocco. Its on the player, Lee in this case. But it's also on the coaches to bring out the best in a player.

[Rosterman]

Good or Bad, he may end up being another, say, Denny Hocking. Someone who can play a position fulltime if someone is injured, but not holding his own. He will be surpassed in the next two years by others who will regularly hold down second, shortstop or third base. 

His value may not be even as good as, say, Willie Castro right now. 

[Bodie]

21 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I would be shocked if the Twins neglect to have their infielders run agility drills.

 

Why???

They obviously don't do anything as far as flexibility goes!

Guys are regularly on the DL with injuries sustained running the bases (slowly) and playing basic defense (poorly)!

Not just a Twins thing, but I get a front row seat for grown men playing a kids' game.  And doing it with a kid's discipline. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Bodie said:

Why???

They obviously don't do anything as far as flexibility goes! 

What exactly do you think the three athletic trainers and two strength and conditioning coaches do all day? Are they just sitting in the clubhouse playing cards?

[The Great Hambino]

19 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

How come we never have 19-21 year olds come up and produce like several other teams do?

I think this is a spot where their recent failures to groom useful players from their international free agent classes shows up.  Those are the guys who you can control at the age of 16, which theoretically gives them more of a chance to debut in the majors at an earlier age.  

Right now, the only player on the 40-man they've acquired through international free agency is Emma Rodriguez.  Only two others - Duran and Pablo - came up through international free agency, and they were acquired via trade.  Almost the entire roster is American/Canadian/Puerto Rican and therefore came through the amateur draft.  And since most college players are getting drafted at 21, it's going to be pretty tough to have a 19-21 year old pop through when that's how you've built your roster.   It's been a long time since the Sano/Kepler/Polanco class.   This may be one of this front office's major weaknesses that sometimes gets overlooked.