Make-or-Break Players on the 2026 Minnesota Twins: Brooks Lee

[Colten Whaley]

Image courtesy of © Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

As the 2026 Minnesota Twins campaign gets underway, it's important to resist the temptation to overstate the stakes of certain things and to overreact to spring developments. That said, it sure feels like this year will be the pivotal one in the Twins career of Brooks Lee, one way or the other.

Lee is going into this season as the clear starting shortstop. After 139 games in 2025 and some struggles at the plate and in the field, he gets the peace of mind that he will be an everyday guy to start the year. It's an opportunity—but because of the team's other options and the magnitude of his failures so far, it's also something like a last chance. He had a solid spring, batting .308 and controlling the strike zone well, but consistent power and on-base ability have been absent in his first year-plus in the majors.

He mashed in his last season of collegiate ball, slugging 15 bombs and 25 doubles, with a monster 1.125 OPS as a switch-hitting middle infielder. The upside seemed endless, but now, he's had 712 big-league plate appearances and we're still waiting for that upside to show. Meanwhile, the Twins have very talented infielders in their farm system, like Kaelen Culpepper and Marek Houston, who are fighting for their opportunity in The Show. 

In 2025, Lee batted .236 with a .285 OBP, tallying only 32 extra-base hits. The year before, Lee impressed in his brief stint in St. Paul, with a .308 average and 15 XBH in just 25 games. He was dominant at points in the minors, and clearly has the talent to be a main part of this Minnesota Twins core moving forward into the rebuild.

Any way you look at it, Lee has been falling short of the mark so far as a big leaguer. He struck out in just 17.5% of his plate appearances last season, but had an average exit velo of 88.6 MPH; a 90th-percentile exit velocity of 101.2 MPH; and a 5.9% walk rate, all three of which are well below the league average. He's also below-average in mobility at shortstop, and doesn't steal any bags. He worked a lot on his quickness this offseason, so hopefully he'll be able to make an impact in other categories when he slumps at the plate. He's showed the ability to punish fastballs, which is important, but he has to learn to control the zone better and hit offspeed stuff.

The biggest thing working against Lee at this point might be the state of the franchise. The Twins desperately need some definitive proof of who their core will be moving forward. This might be a long season with not many wins, but a lot of questions will be answered as we get deep into this summer. 

I'm curious to see what kind of hitting philosophy Lee will be implementing this season. There have been a lot of changes in that dugout, and a new voice might be just what he needs to internalize a successful plan for his at-bats. He doesn't strike out, but he doesn't hit many hard line drives, either. It would be incredible to see a change in approaches up and down this lineup, and Lee would be a prime beneficiary of such a change.

Hopefully, Lee can get comfortable as the everyday leader of this infield and start driving the ball gap to gap like everybody knows he can. If not, though, he might run out of chances by next Opening Day.

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[Gamblerssoftball]

He looks like he's improved a lot. He's had a good spring and seems more relaxed and comfortable. He will be just fine until someone else pushes him out of the lineup. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, Gamblerssoftball said:

He looks like he's improved a lot. He's had a good spring and seems more relaxed and comfortable. He will be just fine until someone else pushes him out of the lineup. 

How would Lee be playing 2B, with Houston at SS and Culpepper at 3B? Or should Lee be a super infield utility guy? Or 1st base? He won't remain at SS when Culpepper and Houston are ready for the bigs.

[#3Killer]

Does Lewis have options- he needs to go find his mojo in AAA. What a pathetic spring. Lee to third and Culpepper to short. 

[DocBauer]

Honestly, what is this, the 6th or 7th article about Lee since the offseason began?

There's a chance he might flame out and never be close to the player hoped for when drafted. But why is he such a major target?

One more time, he only turned 25yo in February, just as ST began. While he DID debut in 2024, you'd think he's been around forever. In 2024 he had 172 ML AB. Rookie status is 150 ML AB. So he began 2025 ONLY 22 ML AB above rookie status. And his career is at some kind of crossroads after ONE full ML season as a 24yo who JUST turned 25? Please!

Even when drafted, it was expected he'd probably move off SS to be a 3B or 2B simply because he might not have the athleticism/quickness to be a ML SS. Not exactly his fault he's the default SS to begin 2026. To his credit, by all reports, he's worked really hard to re-build his body and re-distribute his weight/muscle. He's also worked really hard to enhance his lateral movement to gain an extra step. He's also spoken of a tendency he needed to get rid of, of instinctually taking a step forward that probably goes back to his college days. I haven't seen him to this point. But everything I've heard and read is his body looks different, and he's looked at least a half step better in his movements and coverage. That can be important. Because he's got good hands, a decent arm, a good glove to throwing arm, and seems decent in off balance throws.

I have zero illusions that he's the Twins SS of the future. K-Pepper is just a better athlete and maybe a better defender already. And if Houston's bat can be even ML average, HE probably moves K-Pepper to a different spot in a year or two.

A better defensive profile as the Twins SS in 2026 HELPS, but he's probably just not the SS of the future. What he needs to do is just provide AVERAGE defense for NOW, and become something close to the HITTER he was projected to be.

If he does that, he has the potential to be a starter at 3B, or 2B, and be a real asset. He also has the ability to be a Super Utility player with a good, productive bat who can play ALL 4 INF spots with a solid glove at each spot, playing almost every day. Think a younger version of Marwin Gonzalez, but without OF ability. 

I think there are a couple varying paths where Lee is a successful ML player for several years. I just don't think either path has him continuing on as a starting ML SS. But that was kinda the opinion the day he was drafted. But to say 2026 is a make or break career season for a barely turned 25yo is just short-sighted, if not downright silly.

[PatPfund]

Anything can happen, but a strong disagree that this is a 'make or break' year specifically BECAUSE of the state of the franchise. The Twins are  as weak around the infield as I can remember in recent history, and while Culpepper may push Lee off SS, Lee's floor is still far better than any other potential utility player on the 40-man, and I'm far more confident he'll be on the '27 opening day roster than nearly half the 26-man roster that goes to Baltimore (Ober, Larnach, Outman, Clemens, Bell, Jeffers, the entire bullpen; oh wait, that is MORE than half and I didn't even guess about Lewis).

[IndianaTwin]

10 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Honestly, what is this, the 6th or 7th article about Lee since the offseason began?

There's a chance he might flame out and never be close to the player hoped for when drafted. But why is he such a major target?

One more time, he only turned 25yo in February, just as ST began. While he DID debut in 2024, you'd think he's been around forever. In 2024 he had 172 ML AB. Rookie status is 150 ML AB. So he began 2025 ONLY 22 ML AB above rookie status. And his career is at some kind of crossroads after ONE full ML season as a 24yo who JUST turned 25? Please!

 

Not to mention that he’s had only 68 games at AAA. 

[miller761]

Why can we not expect at least the same results from Lee that our $30 million short stop gave us last year. I think and expect Lee to do that at a fraction of the salary cost. Would that be so bad?

 

[DocBauer]

55 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

Not to mention that he’s had only 68 games at AAA. 

But nobody seems to care about that. They only see a #1 pick that seemed to be a steal and should already be a stud position player. 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, miller761 said:

Why can we not expect at least the same results from Lee that our $30 million short stop gave us last year. I think and expect Lee to do that at a fraction of the salary cost. Would that be so bad?

 

Aren't we paying $10 mil of Correa's salary to play in HOU?

[Jeff K]

10 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

How would Lee be playing 2B, with Houston at SS and Culpepper at 3B? Or should Lee be a super infield utility guy? Or 1st base? He won't remain at SS when Culpepper and Houston are ready for the bigs.

Keaschall should have a VERY long leash at 2nd base.  He is not needed in the outfield unless our young guys are busts.  I suppose he could be moved to first base, but only if he fails at 2nd.  He is awfully athletic to be at 1st.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

4 minutes ago, Jeff K said:

Keaschall should have a VERY long leash at 2nd base.  He is not needed in the outfield unless our young guys are busts.  I suppose he could be moved to first base, but only if he fails at 2nd.  He is awfully athletic to be at 1st.

Good points Jeff. I would prefer Keaschall at 2B or 1B, rather than the OF. Unfortunately I neglected to mention Keaschall in my post about Lee. My error. In 2027 an infield of Culpepper at 3B, Houston at SS, Keaschall at 2b and switch hitting Lee as a super utility player, with possibly Wallner at 1B would be nice. OF of Emma, Jenkins and Buck could be good. Gonzalez will need to play somewhere, possibly alternate DH with Buck. Tait would  advance quickly and be the starting catcher at age 21. Add Dasan Hill, Quick, Ellwanger, Soto, Abel, Mathews and Prielipp and some bullpen flamethrowers and the Twins will do well for several years. That's my wish when I blow out my birthday candles. Plus world peace. 

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Good points Jeff. I would prefer Keaschall at 2B or 1B, rather than the OF. Unfortunately I neglected to mention Keaschall in my post about Lee. My error. In 2027 an infield of Culpepper at 3B, Houston at SS, Keaschall at 2b and switch hitting Lee as a super utility player, with possibly Wallner at 1B would be nice. OF of Emma, Jenkins and Buck could be good. Gonzalez will need to play somewhere, possibly alternate DH with Buck. Tait would  advance quickly and be the starting catcher at age 21. Add Dasan Hill, Quick, Ellwanger, Soto, Abel, Mathews and Prielipp and some bullpen flamethrowers and the Twins will do well for several years. That's my wish when I blow out my birthday candles. Plus world peace. 

I might quibble a bit with the specifics of your 2027 lineup and they might not (probably won't) all arrive by the beginning of the year, but there's enough reality here to make me not understand the desire to trade Ryan and Lopez for even more prospects. The team you describe looks a lot different with Ryan and Lopez fronting the rotation than without them. 

[JD-TWINS]

10 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Honestly, what is this, the 6th or 7th article about Lee since the offseason began?

There's a chance he might flame out and never be close to the player hoped for when drafted. But why is he such a major target?

One more time, he only turned 25yo in February, just as ST began. While he DID debut in 2024, you'd think he's been around forever. In 2024 he had 172 ML AB. Rookie status is 150 ML AB. So he began 2025 ONLY 22 ML AB above rookie status. And his career is at some kind of crossroads after ONE full ML season as a 24yo who JUST turned 25? Please!

Even when drafted, it was expected he'd probably move off SS to be a 3B or 2B simply because he might not have the athleticism/quickness to be a ML SS. Not exactly his fault he's the default SS to begin 2026. To his credit, by all reports, he's worked really hard to re-build his body and re-distribute his weight/muscle. He's also worked really hard to enhance his lateral movement to gain an extra step. He's also spoken of a tendency he needed to get rid of, of instinctually taking a step forward that probably goes back to his college days. I haven't seen him to this point. But everything I've heard and read is his body looks different, and he's looked at least a half step better in his movements and coverage. That can be important. Because he's got good hands, a decent arm, a good glove to throwing arm, and seems decent in off balance throws.

I have zero illusions that he's the Twins SS of the future. K-Pepper is just a better athlete and maybe a better defender already. And if Houston's bat can be even ML average, HE probably moves K-Pepper to a different spot in a year or two.

A better defensive profile as the Twins SS in 2026 HELPS, but he's probably just not the SS of the future. What he needs to do is just provide AVERAGE defense for NOW, and become something close to the HITTER he was projected to be.

If he does that, he has the potential to be a starter at 3B, or 2B, and be a real asset. He also has the ability to be a Super Utility player with a good, productive bat who can play ALL 4 INF spots with a solid glove at each spot, playing almost every day. Think a younger version of Marwin Gonzalez, but without OF ability. 

I think there are a couple varying paths where Lee is a successful ML player for several years. I just don't think either path has him continuing on as a starting ML SS. But that was kinda the opinion the day he was drafted. But to say 2026 is a make or break career season for a barely turned 25yo is just short-sighted, if not downright silly.

Didn’t read past “why he’s such a major target?”

He was the one of two guys (Lewis) that we absolutely could not trade after the ‘23 season. Absolutely not!!! I bought into those thoughts 100%……… He spent this past Winter trying to get into shape. Hence the big target……….oh, & there’s the .285 OBP in ‘25 with mediocre defense.

My slant, at this point, is he switch hits - has reasonable HR pop (20/yr in a full-time roll) - his glove and mobility are OK or better if NOT at SS……….. so, let’s transition him to 1B. He’s Carlos Santana/Josh Bell blend. You’re right, he has time to improve in the box - the power won’t go away. His defense could shine at 1B - he’s 6’2” and 215…….he needs to get his OBP to .325 Plus this year (.255 BA & 7% walk rate) and he can stick “somewhere” on the Club. His upside is considerably higher than Kody Clemens & many here have conceded he should see a bunch of games at 1B on this Team. I think it’s a reasonable longer term move for Lee & the organization.

[nicksaviking]

Houston is still in A ball and it's quite likely he'll never hit well enough to be a staring MLB player. If he's going to push Lee or Culpepper to a new spot, that's still years out.

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Good points Jeff. I would prefer Keaschall at 2B or 1B, rather than the OF. Unfortunately I neglected to mention Keaschall in my post about Lee. My error. In 2027 an infield of Culpepper at 3B, Houston at SS, Keaschall at 2b and switch hitting Lee as a super utility player, with possibly Wallner at 1B would be nice. OF of Emma, Jenkins and Buck could be good. Gonzalez will need to play somewhere, possibly alternate DH with Buck. Tait would  advance quickly and be the starting catcher at age 21. Add Dasan Hill, Quick, Ellwanger, Soto, Abel, Mathews and Prielipp and some bullpen flamethrowers and the Twins will do well for several years. That's my wish when I blow out my birthday candles. Plus world peace. 

Zero chance Houston is playing SS for the Twins in 2027 unless disasters have happened injury-wise. He simply has not shown he can hit, and he might not be in AAA in 2027 if he doesn't show real improvement at the plate. I get that everyone loves his D (and it's excellent), but he'd make Kreidler look like a fine hitter in comparison right now.

To me this isn't a make-or-break season for Lee in terms of his baseball career, but it will likely show more about what his path is. If he takes a big leap forward at the plate, he'll stay on the path to be a starting infielder, even if it's not at SS. If he takes a solid step forward defensively while making modest improvements at the plate, he'll stay on that starting path. If the D doesn't improve at SS and he doesn't take much of a step forward at the plate, then he likely starts shifting towards a utility role.

It's not the sort of thing where he's off the roster next season or heading overseas to play if this season doesn't go great: he's still cheap and shown some useful skills. But whether he's seen as a potential starter or a bench guy going forward is probably going to be clearer after this season. I hope he hits and figures out how to lay off pitches that he can make contact with, but not do anything with.

[stringer bell]

It is a big year for Lee. Much like Wallner, the team is trusting his pedigree and giving him a clear path to regular status despite a disappointing 2025. Not much can be done with the tools Lee has and doesn't have. He's never going to be a fast runner or have a plus arm. He needs to make the most of those limited tools and mature towards his ceiling as a hitter. That's a lot to ask, but maybe his age 25 season will be his breakout.

I've been saying since the 2025 season ended that the key guys for 2026 are Lee, Lewis and Wallner--three #1 draft choices who have flashed, but not sustained above-average performance. I think the 2026 season will be successful if two of these three break through to become above-average major league regulars.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

I might quibble a bit with the specifics of your 2027 lineup and they might not (probably won't) all arrive by the beginning of the year, but there's enough reality here to make me not understand the desire to trade Ryan and Lopez for even more prospects. The team you describe looks a lot different with Ryan and Lopez fronting the rotation than without them. 

Very good point Indiana. I should have included Ryan and Lopez, who are two of my all time favorite Senators/Twins' pitchers, along with Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual

[JADBP]

15 hours ago, miller761 said:

Why can we not expect at least the same results from Lee that our $30 million short stop gave us last year. I think and expect Lee to do that at a fraction of the salary cost. Would that be so bad?

 

I guess since we are still paying $10 million if Correa’s salary, we should say Lee is an $11 million SS! 

[JADBP]

3 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Very good point Indiana. I should have included Ryan and Lopez, who are two of my all time favorite Senators/Twins' pitchers, along with Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual

geez, what about Johann Santana or Blyleven????

[tarheeltwinsfan]

1 hour ago, JADBP said:

geez, what about Johann Santana or Blyleven????

Just listing my personal favorites...I admit Blyleven and Kaat are in the Hall of Fame and Santana could have been with a couple of more years of good numbers. However when I was a kid, Pascual and Ramos and Roy Sievers and Jim Lemon were the stars of some very weak Senators' teams.

[JADBP]

Well, when I was a kid, Killebrew, Versalles, Kaat and Allison were my favorites on a very excellent Twins Team.  Not to take anything away from Ryan and Lopez...but I'd trade Ryan because he would bring such a haul, if traded well.  I'd keep Lopez and even resign him if we get a discount because of the TJ time out.

[DJL44]

Leo Jimenez is roughly the same age but has hit better than Lee in the majors. He just got DFA by the Blue Jays.

[IndianaTwin]

10 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Very good point Indiana. I should have included Ryan and Lopez, who are two of my all time favorite Senators/Twins' pitchers, along with Pedro Ramos and Camilo Pascual

To clarify, that wasn’t directed at you but at the general sentiment on TD that’s wanted to get rid of them. 

Headed to N.C. this weekend to visit son and DIL in Raleigh area.