“They Don’t Have a Shortstop”: Baseball America Puts It Bluntly

[DJL44]

20 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Have seen comments elsewhere about Keaschall's range.  He must have excellent speed and quickness, otherwise he wouldn't have been so successful stealing bases.  Someone like that should be able to develop the range necessary to be an above average second baseman.  I believe his problem was more related to not having played anywhere defensively for what, nearly two years?

There are lots of speedy players at 2B.

[Linus]

Culpepper is a really important prospect for the Twins. If he can play a decent SS in the big leagues the Twins infield could begin to take shape. If he can’t, we will either continue wandering in the desert or give up a really good pitcher or two to solve the problem. I am really skeptical of Houston. If you play 3 years of high level college ball and struggle that badly at high A, that’s a huge red flag. This season will say a lot about both players. 

[rdehring]

27 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

There are lots of speedy players at 2B.

What's that got to do with Keaschall's ability to play the position?

[Cris E]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

There is one other obvious route - trade for CJ Abrams of the Nationals. The Twins have the minor league depth to make that deal and Abrams is easy on the MLB payroll.

No.  If you're going to suddenly accept BA's ridiculous over-the-top standard as the benchmark then Abrams cannot be on your radar.  He's athletic, he can hit, but he's not a good defensive SS. 

But the real discussion is what Baseball America is looking for.  

“I looked at the best plays for every shortstop in our top-100 and then the guys within the range of the top-100... We’re looking at what guy can make the plays that most shortstops can’t make."   

So the guys in the Top 100 are the standard? That's what makes a SS, or what makes a top SS? I get that Lee is not a good SS, but there are plenty of guys with good hands, decent range and enough arm playing a ton of innings. Jeter was not a great SS but it didn't hurt the Yankees too much. Cal Ripkin did what he did based on smart positioning and a quick release, but BA would not have put him at SS? Come on guys, be real. Look through your top guys and the thing that ties them together is not beautiful range and making plays that most others couldn't make, it's hitting. That's doubly so in the majors, but even in the minors the bats get you into the lists and into the big leagues. They know better than this, and stuff they say in the videos is for clicks, and not what they use to do rankings.

[bean5302]

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, rdehring said:

What's that got to do with Keaschall's ability to play the position?

It means that Keaschall's speed doesn't make him special for tools among 2B. It's about how he compares to the rest of the competition.

[CRF]

Defense? We don't give a **** about defense. We'll just hit the crap outta the ball and score more runs...uh, we've got a great pitching staff and we'll shut the other teams down...uh, our pen is awesome and...oh hell, we're toast.  

[stringer bell]

6 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Where to get a SS? Look at the teams who have top 10 SS prospects with a 2026 ETA. Then trade for their current starter or utility player.

Team - Prospect - Current Starter - utility

1) Pirates - Konnor Griffin - Nick Gonzales - Jared Triolo

A trade for Triolo could happen. Derek Shelton likes him and says he can play anywhere. I think the Twins and Pirates roster surpluses/deficiencies match up well with each other. Both teams want to win now but they have the wrong parts.

2) Tigers - Kevin McGonigle - Zach McKinstry - Javier Baez

If the Twins want Baez, they can have him. He is owed $46M for 2026-27.

4) Athletics - Leo DeVries - Jacob Wilson - Andy Ibanez

I would love if the Twins traded for Wilson, but the price would be really steep (Keaschall plus Rodriguez?).

5) Cardinals - JJ Wetherholt - Masyn Winn - Thomas Saggese

Wetherholt and Winn are the Cardinals plan for their next great infield. Saggese is a decent utility guy.

6) Rangers -  Sebastian Walcott - Corey Seager - Ezequiel Duran

I would take Duran and his 665 career OPS as the Twins starter.

7) Mariners - Colt Emerson - JP Crawford - Leo Rivas

Not much to see here. Rivas is a 2B and Crawford is an expiring contract.

9) Phillies - Aidan Miller - Trea Turner - Edmundo Sosa

The Twins could probably get Miller but it would cost Joe Ryan. I would start Edmundo Sosa at SS for the Twins. He is a free agent after 2026. The Phillies have also have Bryson Stott at 2B. He is a better SS than anyone on the Twins roster which makes them four players deeper than the Twins.

 

There is one other obvious route - trade for CJ Abrams of the Nationals. The Twins have the minor league depth to make that deal and Abrams is easy on the MLB payroll.

 

Nice summary here. I understand Abrams ranked among the worst defensive shortstops last year, so I would be hesitant to acquire him. 

[Rufus]

Remember Noah Miller?  He won a minor league GG while in the Twin org. a couple of years ago.  He was sent to the Dodgers for Manuel Margot.  He is currently the Dodgers 25th ranked prospect and there is some talk that he is available.  He still struggles with the bat but he is projected as a useful utility piece.  I used to like to watch him play short in Spring Training games when the Twins had him.  Was disappointed when Twins traded him.

[stringer bell]

Agree with @rdehring on his takes for both Lee and Keaschall. If Lee hits for an 80 OPS+, his defense will never make up for it. The raw tools limit what he will be as a defender, but he could be pretty close to average. The hands are pretty good and he's pretty fluid. His hitting has been disappointing thus far. He was supposed to have an outstanding hit tool and we haven't seen it yet.

Give some reps to Keaschall before we judge his defensive chops. The one thing that is concerning is how many evaluators think he would be better at a different position.

Both guys are young with room to grow. They've had injuries and Lee hasn't yet clicked as a big league hitter, but it's possible for them to take steps forward. 

[DJL44]

47 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Nice summary here. I understand Abrams ranked among the worst defensive shortstops last year, so I would be hesitant to acquire him. 

This is the only reason he's available. Almost all the good teams have a better SS than Abrams already. If they acquired him, they would move him to 2B. 

[stringer bell]

Lee does have the look of stopgap at shortstop. I'm not convinced that we've seen all that he can offer as a shortstop. I want to see more of Culpepper, and the numbers were really good in the minors last year. There's not much upside in the rest of the candidates for the roster.

[bean5302]

[Mike Sixel]

Why would anyone trade for a SS of you think Houston or Culpeper is one? They aren't winning this year.... Have patience. 

[Paul Walerius]

10 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

I can see why "no one expects Lee to log 140 games" at SS in 2026.  After all, he only logged 139 games in 2025.  Last year, Lee hit .236 which is one point higher than the MLB average.  

 But because his defense is considered unacceptable, why not stick Houston at SS?  His hitting is a big question mark but his defense is elite.  Mark Belanger played 18 years and had a lifetime BA of .226.  That was 30 points below league average when he played.  In 2025 the average batting average was .235.  If Houston can hit around .200, he should be playing.  Last year, the Twins playing Christian Vasquez hitting .189, Wallner hitting .202, and Clemens hitting .216.  Vasquez is gone, Wallner - who knows - and Clemens probably will play less.  So I think there is room for quality defense at SS.

Why would you go straight to Houston though?  Bring Culpepper up he currently has a better bat.  Why would you want to play a lot of guys hitting under .220?

[Old Twins Hat]

It's like this whole Board woke up one day and decided the Twins don't have a shortstop.

You know, I hope some posters will follow up on Brooks Lee on a week-by-week basis and make a list of plays that he couldn't/didn't make and ones that he did make that looked above average.  Then let's look at his hitting for the same week.  

I want to see that list and how accurate these kinds of discussions really are.  Lee is a professional, his dad is a coach, he will likely end up playing hundreds and hundreds of MLB games on the infield, if not at SS.  Correa was moved off SS last year at Houston after starting for the Twins for a couple years.

let the chips fall where they may, but wringing our hands and crying into a towel before the season even gets started seems a bit excessive.  Man up, boys.  Lee is our SS.

[HFC]

Seems all that I've been reading on this site over the last four years is how great Brooks Lee is, how talented Culpepper is, and how the farm system is one of the best in baseball. Now I  read this article from Twins Daily, telling me Brooks is too slow (is this new?) and is out of position, Culpepper is a great athlete but isn't a capable of taking the most direct path to the ball., Then, Jenkins is the second coming of superman but isn't good enough to make what they are sure will be a crappy team out of camp. On top of that, Festa and Zebby who at one time were dominant can't miss starters are now only good enough to throw one inning out of a horrible MLB bullpen. Seems this site just shifts with the wind. Are these prospects really not that good as I've been led to believe?

[dxpavelka]

 If only we lived in a world where it were possible to play some baseball games and conclude that JJ Cooper and Ian Cundall might NOT be right. 

[Fatbat]

We don’t have an established SS going into ‘26 but wasn’t that the point of blowing up the roster and shedding C4 & part of that horrible contract?  We will find/develop a SS but it wont happen in a few days or weeks. Give it time, someone will take the job and run with it. 

[bunsen82]

13 hours ago, Rufus said:

Remember Noah Miller?  He won a minor league GG while in the Twin org. a couple of years ago.  He was sent to the Dodgers for Manuel Margot.  He is currently the Dodgers 25th ranked prospect and there is some talk that he is available.  He still struggles with the bat but he is projected as a useful utility piece.  I used to like to watch him play short in Spring Training games when the Twins had him.  Was disappointed when Twins traded him.

Noah Miller could have been picked up for a rule 5 pick and could be traded for a flyer if we truly ran into a dilemma.  

[bean5302]

12 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Why would anyone trade for a SS of you think Houston or Culpeper is one? They aren't winning this year.... Have patience. 

The Twins are saying they will be competitive, and they're still hanging on to Ryan, Lopez, Buxton and Jeffers. So acquiring a shortstop would be sound strategy. Culpepper probably has a 25% chance to be a solid starter. A 10% chance of being as good or better than Abrams. Houston's chances are lower. He hit like Keoni Cavaco last year.

[bunsen82]

Brooks Lee is a stopgap.  Its what we should have done in the 1st year we signed Correa.  You run with it until he can become the utility player which he best suited to be.   Personally I felt he got too thick last year,  whether in the pursuit of power or thinking more muscles is better - I felt it limited his flexibility and range some.  I hope to see a more trimmed up Lee coming into this season.  The arm strength likely isn't improving.  As to the bat -  I have actually become pretty optimistic that his bat will be plus.  He had some extreme funky stats this year.  His 1st at bat on a starting pitcher - second worst batter -  2nd at bat top 15%.   He was better against elite and better pitchers and teams above .500 than the worst pitchers.   Effectively those with lower velocity he struggled with.  This is an area I feel he can drastically improve.   I think we will be pleasantly surprised with his bat this year compared to last year.   

Kaelen Culpepper is the medium and long term option at Shortstop.  His defensive chops were drastically better than anticipated.  Between the bat and the defense,  thats why I jumped drastically into the top 100 prospects.   

[Richie the Rally Goat]

10 hours ago, Old Twins Hat said:

It's like this whole Board woke up one day and decided the Twins don't have a shortstop.

You know, I hope some posters will follow up on Brooks Lee on a week-by-week basis and make a list of plays that he couldn't/didn't make and ones that he did make that looked above average.  Then let's look at his hitting for the same week.  

I want to see that list and how accurate these kinds of discussions really are.  Lee is a professional, his dad is a coach, he will likely end up playing hundreds and hundreds of MLB games on the infield, if not at SS.  Correa was moved off SS last year at Houston after starting for the Twins for a couple years.

let the chips fall where they may, but wringing our hands and crying into a towel before the season even gets started seems a bit excessive.  Man up, boys.  Lee is our SS.

I think most of us had that figured out on August 5 when Lee looked like a statue both in the field and at the plate while all of the prospects were either butchers or 5 years away. It’s just amazing it took this long for a national writer to say it.

[SteveLV]

I wonder what it would take to get Griffin from the Pirates?  Walker Jenkins plus Rojas?  More?

Move either Culpepper ultimately to 3B, Lewis to 1B if he gets his hitting back on track, Lee is the utility IF.

[rdehring]

17 hours ago, DJL44 said:

It means that Keaschall's speed doesn't make him special for tools among 2B. It's about how he compares to the rest of the competition.

You aren't listening to what I am saying, DJL.  I haven't said anything about comparing him to anyone.  I don't care how he compares.  All I care is that he does a good job playing second base, ie, he is not a liability.  My point being that with all his time away from playing in the field and his arm injuries I ask that people give him a chance to be healthy and prepared for a season. 

To me, seems like you and many have already determined he cannot play second base.  

[TJSweens]

21 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

Culpepper isn’t a SS now? This is overblown and happens with BA all the time. If a player isn’t upper 90% defensively, they say he can’t cut it at SS.

Brooks Lee isn’t good defensively, but he’s not going to kill the season with his glove. He was better than Correa last year. We’re talking about giving up an extra run once every two or three weeks, this team needs to be concerned with his bat leaving runners on base once every two or three games.

Yes, this gets overblown. I read numerous accounts that Culpepper's defense greatly exceeded expectations last year and he now looks like a player who could stay there. Somewhere along the line everything reverted back to Culpepper changing positions.

[DJL44]

8 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

 If only we lived in a world where it were possible to play some baseball games and conclude that JJ Cooper and Ian Cundall might NOT be right. 

There is about 100 games worth of evidence they're right.

[DJL44]

4 minutes ago, rdehring said:

You aren't listening to what I am saying, DJL.  I haven't said anything about comparing him to anyone.  I don't care how he compares.  All I care is that he does a good job playing second base, ie, he is not a liability.  My point being that with all his time away from playing in the field and his arm injuries I ask that people give him a chance to be healthy and prepared for a season. 

To me, seems like you and many have already determined he cannot play second base.  

How he compares is all about whether he's above or below average at 2B. I think he can make the plays he's supposed to make. That would make him a slightly below average, but acceptable 2B. You're reading my words "below average" as "unacceptable" when those are two very different things. Half the second basemen in MLB are below average.

[rdehring]

5 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

How he compares is all about whether he's above or below average at 2B. I think he can make the plays he's supposed to make. That would make him a slightly below average, but acceptable 2B. You're reading my words "below average" as "unacceptable" when those are two very different things. Half the second basemen in MLB are below average.

Please listen to what I am saying, I don't care how he compares and have said nothing about it.  All I care is that he does a good job defensively for the Minnesota Twins.  If he is the worst defensive second baseman in baseball but still does a good job for the Twins, excellent.  Finally being healthy, I believe he has the ability to be that.

And yes, I now understand what you are saying about average, thanks.

[Woof Bronzer]

8 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

 If only we lived in a world where it were possible to play some baseball games and conclude that JJ Cooper and Ian Cundall might NOT be right. 

Do Lee's 189 career MLB games count?