It's Back to the Drawing Board at Shortstop for the Minnesota Twins

[Major League Ready]

16 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

Thank you! I am reading these comments (and my twitter replies) and am legit blown away by the amount of slack Brooks Lee gets. Is it just because he looks like a ballplayer? Or doesn't strike out? The guy has shown no ability to control the zone, his bat speed is bottom-tier and he can. not. run. He's been sub-replacement level with no signs of improvement. Yet typically demanding fans are okay with saying, "Yeah he's our starting shortstop next year. Whatever." 

I don't get it.

What really highlights your point is that you included very objective measures in the form of his baseball savant rankings.  Yet, somehow 4 posters looked at the facts and gave you a thumbs down.  The numbers are not just bad, they are pretty brutal.  We even know for a fact the result of these measures by looking at wRC+ that shows his offensive production is 24 percent below league average.  So, we know the result has been a well below average hitter.  Yet, people are giving you thumbs down.  I don’t get it either.  It’s a refusal to acknowledge all the measures by which we evaluate players.  The only way I can explain it is he's a guy you want to root for. 

Culpepper is a very important prospect because we don’t have other SS prospects anywhere near ready.  He has the potential to be a big upgrade and Brooks Lee becomes a back-up at 3 positions which is a role that suits him very well especially given he is a switch hitter.  He would have value in that position.  Hopefully, Culpepper is here before the midpoint of 2026.
 

[NYCTK]

8 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm not super confident in Lee, but there is a zero percent chance I sign a bad veteran to play SS next year. Lee or Culpepper are your SS next year.

People here said this exaxt same thing about Emmanuel Rodriguez for this season as a reason not to sign Bader. 

First, we don't know Culpepper is actually ready and there's no benefit in forcing him to the majors.

Second, depth is important because small injuries happen all the time and add up. And if you don't have organizational depth you have a team that opens the season with Mickey Gasper and DaShawn Keirsey on the roster. 

Third, Brooks Lee may be complete **** that takes a Julien path, or need a reset in AAA like Wallner. Right before the trade deadline I remember folks asking for Brooks Lee to be sent to AAA to help him get his swing fixed. Without any depth in the organization, how are they filling those holes 

There's nothing hurt by signing a player like Farmer to a $4M contract. 

[Major League Ready]

17 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

People here said this exaxt same thing about Emmanuel Rodriguez for this season as a reason not to sign Bader. 

First, we don't know Culpepper is actually ready and there's no benefit in forcing him to the majors.

Second, depth is important because small injuries happen all the time and add up. And if you don't have organizational depth you have a team that opens the season with Mickey Gasper and DaShawn Keirsey on the roster. 

Third, Brooks Lee may be complete **** that takes a Julien path, or need a reset in AAA like Wallner. Right before the trade deadline I remember folks asking for Brooks Lee to be sent to AAA to help him get his swing fixed. Without any depth in the organization, how are they filling those holes 

There's nothing hurt by signing a player like Farmer to a $4M contract. 

You and I were not on the Bader bus alone last winter but there were plenty of open seats.  The difference this year is there is no illusion of contending.  IMO, we should avoid signing any vets (except perhaps RPs) for 2026 because they take up a roster spot that could be used to audition players that could be part of the solution.

[stringer bell]

8 hours ago, Maybe Next Year said:

Ridiculous article. Lee has been moved all over the infield and never given a chance to play ss day in and day out. The number of games he has played at ss at the major league level cannot be more than 15. To judge him on these few games is absolutely ridiculous. Play him every day at short and watch his confidence build both in the field and at the plate. Enough of the Rocco platooning bs. Let the kid play every day and watch him become an exceptional ss. 

Lee is a switch hitter and really hasn't ever been platooned. He just hasn't performed well enough to merit everyday play and he wasn't as good a shortstop as Carlos Correa. Lee was used at all three of his positions pretty much equally. As of yesterday, he had 424.1 innings at short, 381.2 at third and 319 innings at second. My eye test says Lee looks most comfortable at short, but his lack of athleticism makes me believe that he would be best at third base. He hasn't looked good at second base and it appears Luke Keaschall might be making a claim at that position.

My thought before the Correa trade was that Lee could be the backup at his three positions and take over one position in the event of injury or ineffectiveness by Royce Lewis, Correa (previously) and Keaschall. He now has the opportunity to establish himself as a shortstop. 

[NYCTK]

Just now, Major League Ready said:

You and I were not on the Bader bus alone last winter but there were plenty of open seats.  The difference this year is there is no illusion of contending.  IMO, we should avoid signing any vets (except perhaps RPs) for 2026 because they take up a roster spot that could be used to audition a player that can be part of the solution.

Just saying, if you want to completely punt on the season, I think that's fine. But if you want to spend the first half seeing if you might be able to compete (ramping up for 2027 contention) that it would be very, very beneficial to have a veteran MIF on the roster and it's not expensive. 

It's insurance against entering the season with a Brooks Lee that proves he's overextended at the position and then goes down for a month, with Culpepper starting his season with a 600 OPS in AAA. What would the Twins do then?

Depth is important. Injuries are inevitable. 

[stringer bell]

5 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

Just saying, if you want to completely punt on the season, I think that's fine. But if you want to spend the first half seeing if you might be able to compete (ramping up for 2027 contention) that it would be very, very beneficial to have a veteran MIF on the roster and it's not expensive. 

It's insurance against entering the season with a Brooks Lee that proves he's overextended at the position and then goes down for a month, with Culpepper starting his season with a 600 OPS in AAA. What would the Twins do then?

Depth is important. Injuries are inevitable. 

Yeah, the Twins are too thin in the infield right now. Lee has played second, short and third and could move into full-time play at any of the three. Lewis has almost exclusively played third base and seems to have made strides on defense there. Due to arm injuries, Keaschall has been limited to the right side of the infield. It would appear that a left handed or switch hitter who can play all three positions would be needed at the minimum. Would a Kiner-Falefa reunion make sense? 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

16 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

The free agents at shortstop this offseason, FYI 

Shortstops

Tim Anderson (33)
Orlando Arcia (31) – $2MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Bo Bichette (28)
Willi Castro (29)
Ha-Seong Kim (30) – can opt out of remaining one year and $16MM
Isiah Kiner-Falefa (31)
Dylan Moore (33)
Kevin Newman (32) – $2.5MM club option with a $250K buyout
Miguel Rojas (37)
Trevor Story (33) – can opt out of remaining two years and $55MM

I'm not any more excited about any of them, than I am about Culpepper.

[MGX]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

What really highlights your point is that you included very objective measures in the form of his baseball savant rankings.  Yet, somehow 4 posters looked at the facts and gave you a thumbs down.  The numbers are not just bad, they are pretty brutal.  We even know for a fact the result of these measures by looking at wRC+ that shows his offensive production is 24 percent below league average.  So, we know the result has been a well below average hitter.  Yet, people are giving you thumbs up.  I don’t get it either.  It’s a refusal to acknowledge all the measures by which we evaluate players.  The only way I can explain it is he's a guy you want to root for. 

Culpepper is a very important prospect because we don’t have other SS prospects anywhere near ready.  He has the potential to be a big upgrade and Brooks Lee becomes a back-up at 3 positions which is a role that suits him very well especially given he is a switch hitter.  He would have value in that position.  Hopefully, Culpepper is here before the midpoint of 2026.
 

When your talking about a young player with less than 600 PA's at the MLB level the numbers aren't the only thing that matters. I'm certainly not going to say Lee is the starting SS going forward & that's it, but he is the starting SS for the rest of this season. We don't have to guess at how he'll do, we're going to see it everyday. If there isn't a noticeable improvement on offense the issue will take care of itself. Someone else will step up & take the job from him whether it comes from inside (Culpepper) or outside.

[TheLeviathan]

I hope this comes off right:

Lee needs to work on his body this offseason.  He looks dumpy.  I can't shake that the extra weight he seems to carry is hurting bat speed and agility. 

He doesn't need to look like Marty Cordova....but a little sleeker may do a world of good.  When you squint you see the athletic tools, but so far they just haven't been there.

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

People here said this exaxt same thing about Emmanuel Rodriguez for this season as a reason not to sign Bader. 

First, we don't know Culpepper is actually ready and there's no benefit in forcing him to the majors.

Second, depth is important because small injuries happen all the time and add up. And if you don't have organizational depth you have a team that opens the season with Mickey Gasper and DaShawn Keirsey on the roster. 

Third, Brooks Lee may be complete **** that takes a Julien path, or need a reset in AAA like Wallner. Right before the trade deadline I remember folks asking for Brooks Lee to be sent to AAA to help him get his swing fixed. Without any depth in the organization, how are they filling those holes 

There's nothing hurt by signing a player like Farmer to a $4M contract. 

We don't have to Farm when we already can Gasp. 😉

[Otaknam]

 Some of the criticism of Lee is appropriate. His OPS and exit velocity are too low, and he doesn’t bring much speed to the lineup. He does have double figures in home runs, so he’s not a disaster at SS. But turning Correa’s comment about the Twins not wanting him to play third base into a criticism of Lee is misplaced. The Twins are hoping that Lewis regains his swing and can be a fixture at third. So moving Correa to third would have meant finding a position switch for Lewis, but it’s too early to do that. Also, with Culpepper raking in AA and apparently showing excellent defense, it’s hard to understand how SS is a black hole in the system. And Marek Houston is having a strong start to his first season and is producing both offensively and especially on defense, a positive sign.

[Nashvilletwin]

So, if the premise of the article is true, was Lee a poor draft pick or was he poorly developed upon his arrival to the show?

Has to be one of the two, right?

Boy, and all the yammering about how we got the steal of the draft - one of the best bats and a coach’s son to boot….

Now just a couple of years later he projects as a poor utility player with maybe one or two halfway decent tools (arm and hit for contact?).

Ok, DNers, if the article is accurate, was Lee a bad pick or did we just fail at making him a real major leaguer?

(For the record, I have not given up on him, but it is doubtful he reached anywhere near his post draft ceiling.  Hope I’m wrong).

[madtowntwin]

I look at the SS situation as a prime time tryout for Lee. Up until this point he came into every game not sure where his glove would play. Now that he has been penciled into the "6" spot on a regular basis we should see the positive attributes as well as deficiencies he brings to the field. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and with his dad as coach background he appears up to the task...Perhaps his bat will "Relax" a bit as well. Time will tell. 

In regard to the Shortstop position overall - It seems to me that the offensive numbers are down league wide. No player off the top of my head seems to be tearing it up in terms of HR, RBI, BA etc...Truism or just my imagination??? Win Twins!!

[Nick Nelson]

6 hours ago, wornsmooth said:

I quit reading when it turned to Lee bashing.

Where has the author been this year? It has been obvious that Lee's confidence and bat speed have crossed a threshold. He has started to drive the ball as he seems to now believe he can hit big league pitching. The guy is only going to get better and better.

This is the kind of thing I'm talking about with Lee. Perceptions that are completely disconnected from reality. You're so offended by reading a statistically backed criticism of his play that you'll quit reading an article??

Lee's sprint speed and bat speed are the same as they were last year -- in the 15th and 17th percentile of all MLB players. He's hitting .174 for with a 520 OPS since the start of July. There are no signs of momentum or progress in his game.

I'll agree that he's young and it's possible he could turn it around if he starts reading pitches better or hitting the ball harder, but those things aren't happening right now. At all. I'm analyzing based on the present reality and what it portends. 

[stringer bell]

4 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

So, if the premise of the article is true, was Lee a poor draft pick or was he poorly developed upon his arrival to the show?

Has to be one of the two, right?

Boy, and all the yammering about how we got the steal of the draft - one of the best bats and a coach’s son to boot….

Now just a couple of years later he projects as a poor utility player with maybe one or two halfway decent tools (arm and hit for contact?).

Ok, DNers, if the article is accurate, was Lee a bad pick or did we just fail at making him a real major leaguer?

(For the record, I have not given up on him, but it is doubtful he reached anywhere near his post draft ceiling.  Hope I’m wrong).

Projecting 21 or 22 year olds isn't going to have a 100% "hit" rate. So far, Lee looks like a miss right now, but at 24 he might still become a fine player. I think bat speed and sprint speed limit his upside. It could be that @TheLeviathan is correct and if Brooks got in better shape he could improve his athleticism and improve both bat speed and sprint speed.

[Linus]

4 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

So, if the premise of the article is true, was Lee a poor draft pick or was he poorly developed upon his arrival to the show?

Has to be one of the two, right?

Boy, and all the yammering about how we got the steal of the draft - one of the best bats and a coach’s son to boot….

Now just a couple of years later he projects as a poor utility player with maybe one or two halfway decent tools (arm and hit for contact?).

Ok, DNers, if the article is accurate, was Lee a bad pick or did we just fail at making him a real major leaguer?

(For the record, I have not given up on him, but it is doubtful he reached anywhere near his post draft ceiling.  Hope I’m wrong).

I think in many respects he is exactly what he was projected to be when drafted. A stretch to play SS but probably a good third baseman. He’s lagging with the bat for sure but he was projected to be a contact oriented hitter who might develop 15+ homer power which he may well do over time. He was always a high floor low ceiling kind of pick. If people were expecting an all star the problem lies in their expectations. 

[Major League Ready]

7 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Just saying, if you want to completely punt on the season, I think that's fine. But if you want to spend the first half seeing if you might be able to compete (ramping up for 2027 contention) that it would be very, very beneficial to have a veteran MIF on the roster and it's not expensive. 

It's insurance against entering the season with a Brooks Lee that proves he's overextended at the position and then goes down for a month, with Culpepper starting his season with a 600 OPS in AAA. What would the Twins do then?

Depth is important. Injuries are inevitable. 

They have already committed to a rebuild.  They have the potential to rebuild far faster than we normally associated with a rebuild but trading away Correa, Duran, Jax, Stewart, and Varland committed them.  To half-a$$ it now would be a real shame.  I also expect they will make every effort to trade Ryan/Lopez, and or Ober this off-season.  A 2 WAR veteran is of no consequence, and it offers no solution to the problem.  If Culpepper bombs, a mediocre veteran does not resolve the problem.  Not if the problem you are trying to solve is building a real contender.

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

They have already committed to a rebuild.  They have the potential to rebuild far faster than we normally associated with a rebuild but trading away Correa, Duran, Jax, Stewart, and Varland committed them.  To half-a$$ it now would be a real shame.  I also expect they will make every effort to trade Ryan/Lopez, and or Ober this off-season.  A 2 WAR veteran is of no consequence, and it offers no solution to the problem.  If Culpepper bombs, a mediocre veteran does not resolve the problem.  Not if the problem you are trying to solve is building a real contender.

I mostly agree giving up on any potential 2026 glory is wise. But I still think you're underselling the value of organizational depth. 

If Lee proves he's incapable of competently playing the position and as a result you're two deep at SS...you're not only giving up on the season, but you're screwing over every one of your pitchers too. 

A veteran being present is not going going half ass. And it's not hampering anything whatsoever. 

[Linus]

21 hours ago, old nurse said:

Statcast Fielding Breakdown

 

 

•                                      2025                                     2024                                 ▾
•    
                                                                            Batter Perspective                                 ▾

Brooks LeeResponsible Plays for 20250ft20ft40ft60ft80ft100ft120ft140ftDistance From Ball Landing12345678Hang Time (Sec.)◀▶▼▲League Wide Catch Difficulty Scale★★★★★★012345OutHitWallBack

* Click Any Legend Option to Reset Chart | Save Chart

 

well it wouldn’t take the handy dandy Savant fielding diagram that they would appears to show he makes the plays he is suposed to 

I think that is accurate. If you hit it generally to him he will turn it into an out 

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

I mostly agree giving up on any potential 2026 glory is wise. But I still think you're underselling the value of organizational depth. 

If Lee proves he's incapable of competently playing the position and as a result you're two deep at SS...you're not only giving up on the season, but you're screwing over every one of your pitchers too. 

A veteran being present is not going going half ass. And it's not hampering anything whatsoever. 

No, I am with you on the importance of depth and you have a point they are really thin at SS.  I am coming at it from the angle that Lee is a place holder but is already proven to be a competent back-up.  Below average but tenable in a team no expected to contend.  I am also thinking they will trade established starters and target a SS in one of those trades.  

[Mike Sixel]

7 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

No, I am with you on the importance of depth and you have a point they are really thin at SS.  I am coming at it from the angle that Lee is a place holder but is already proven to be a competent back-up.  Below average but tenable in a team no expected to contend.  I am also thinking they will trade established starters and target a SS in one of those trades.  

Why would they trade for a SS, when they have Culpepper? They have one C and no 1B (maybe Clemens is one). Like, just not trust Culpepper at all for 2-3 years? What SS is ready right now, but not on a roster that they can trade for?

[NYCTK]

16 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

No, I am with you on the importance of depth and you have a point they are really thin at SS.  I am coming at it from the angle that Lee is a place holder but is already proven to be a competent back-up.  Below average but tenable in a team no expected to contend.  I am also thinking they will trade established starters and target a SS in one of those trades.  

Perhaps. But that SS will be no different in substance than the Farmer type anyways. Akin to Caballero just traded by the Rays to the Yankees. 

Regardless we're on the same page. Some depth is needed. I just think it's not the end of the world if it's a meh vet for the $3 - $6M fee that those guys tend to demand. God knows there's gonna be room in the budget... 

Depending on the future moves, it may be the only place, with Bullpen, that need to be added. For about $16M you can collect 3 bullpen arms and a SS and this is still a 76 win team that can maybe get lucky in a bad AL Central. And if (when) they don't you just have pieces to sell for your actual run in 2027. 

 

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Linus said:

I think that is accurate. If you hit it generally to him he will turn it into an out 

The horizontal axis had distance from starting point as well as difficulty of the play. There was only 2 or three plays he did not make outs on.  The graph did not show that  balls landed further  that 70 and less than 100o . So when you want to say that he only catches the balls hit  to him, where is the proof?  Twins are a flab all pitch team, the infielders will have less chance hence less OAA and less chance for DRS 

[ashbury]

On 8/8/2025 at 12:35 PM, jorgenswest said:

I wish the return for Brock Stewart had been Noah Miller. He would have been a much better fit. They really need a defense first glove behind Lee.

If you want a defense-first glove, just go ahead and bring up Culpepper.  Miller is one month younger than Culpepper, and hit much less well than him at the same league level (and even worse at AAA, in a park that's usually a hitter's haven no less).

On 8/8/2025 at 12:56 PM, Mike Sixel said:

Noah Miller won't hit. At all..

If you mean "ever," I'm not quite willing to go that far.  This year, yes, I'm with you.

Neither of these two SS prospects is 23 years old yet.  But right now, Miller would be made a fool of at the plate by any pitcher who has succeeded enough to escape AA ball himself.

On 8/8/2025 at 12:58 PM, jorgenswest said:

Still would prefer him to Outman.

And all the above notwithstanding: Yes. 

I'd sooner have Miller.  Perhaps the Dodgers viewed it the same way. 

Outman is one of the craziest looking trades ever - two months of Brock Stewart has to be worth more than him.

If Falvey is eventually fired by the Twins, and if the Dodgers snap him up for any kind of role, I'm going to have some real questions. 😀

[Linus]

19 minutes ago, old nurse said:

The horizontal axis had distance from starting point as well as difficulty of the play. There was only 2 or three plays he did not make outs on.  The graph did not show that  balls landed further  that 70 and less than 100o . So when you want to say that he only catches the balls hit  to him, where is the proof?  Twins are a flab all pitch team, the infielders will have less chance hence less OAA and less chance for DRS 

I said balls generally hit to him. I didn’t mean to imply that he was covering one step each way. I was actually complimenting him in that turning balls into outs reliably is a valuable skill. 

[Major League Ready]

13 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why would they trade for a SS, when they have Culpepper? They have one C and no 1B (maybe Clemens is one). Like, just not trust Culpepper at all for 2-3 years? What SS is ready right now, but not on a roster that they can trade for?

A couple reasons.  Banking on one prospect is mighty risky.  Two, we still don't know what to expect from Lewis.  One of Culpepper or this theoretical acquisition could play 3rd.  Three, SS is a high value position.  If we end up with too many, we can find a trade.   

[dxpavelka]

So a 22 year old first round draft pick a year ago appears to have the potential to be a major league shortstop in the near future.  Perhaps the angst was short-sighted.

[Squirrel]

On 8/9/2025 at 6:47 PM, ashbury said:

If you want a defense-first glove, just go ahead and bring up Culpepper.  Miller is one month younger than Culpepper, and hit much less well than him at the same league level (and even worse at AAA, in a park that's usually a hitter's haven no less).

If you mean "ever," I'm not quite willing to go that far.  This year, yes, I'm with you.

Neither of these two SS prospects is 23 years old yet.  But right now, Miller would be made a fool of at the plate by any pitcher who has succeeded enough to escape AA ball himself.

And all the above notwithstanding: Yes. 

I'd sooner have Miller.  Perhaps the Dodgers viewed it the same way. 

Outman is one of the craziest looking trades ever - two months of Brock Stewart has to be worth more than him.

If Falvey is eventually fired by the Twins, and if the Dodgers snap him up for any kind of role, I'm going to have some real questions. 😀

Two month? Didn’t Brock have more on his contract than that?

[USAFChief]

32 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Two month? Didn’t Brock have more on his contract than that?

Stewart is on a 1 yr contract. However he'd be under team control through 2028 if the Dodgers want to go through arbitration. 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/stewabr01.shtml

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, Squirrel said:

Two month? Didn’t Brock have more on his contract than that?

Yep.  Brainfart.

Which only makes the trade worse.