Brooks Lee Might Be Part of the Next Good Twins Team After All

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Brooks Lee hit the ground running faster than Cole Thomas Allen down a Washington Hilton hallway over the first week of his major league career, hitting .458/.462/.625 with a 206 wRC+ over 26 plate appearances. The switch-hitting infielder quickly cooled off, however, hitting a far less impressive .182/.233/.270 in 159 plate appearances over the final three months of the season.

The eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft sputtered last season, too, hitting a modest .236/.285/.370 over 527 plate appearances. Netting a well-below-league-average 75 wRC+ over his first season-and-a-half in the majors, Lee also struggled in the field, netting -6 Outs Above Average (OAA) during that stretch, causing those who follow the club to question if he was playing his way out of the Minnesota Twins' long-term plans.

Through 36 games played this season, however, the 25-year-old has broken out at the plate, rekindling the flame of optimism surrounding the former top prospect. Over 136 plate appearances, Lee is hitting .278/.331/.437 with a 114 wRC+. The Cal Poly product has also hit five home runs, continuing the plus-power profile he flashed during his sophomore campaign last season, in which he hit 16 dingers.

Some of the same weaknesses remain in Lee’s player profile, particularly defensively, despite last night's heroics. Minnesota’s shortstop has netted -4 OAA, making him the fifth-worst defender at the position this season. He also has one of the weaker arms of all middle infielders in baseball, continuing a career-long trend. Still, Lee performing like one of the best offensive shortstops in the sport has largely offset his defensive shortcomings, making him one of Minnesota’s steadiest presences early this season.

The past two seasons, Lee struggled from the left side of the plate, posting a 68 wRC+ over 482 plate appearances. The switch-hitting shortstop has performed dramatically better while hitting left-handed in 2026, hitting .291/.333/.456 with a 119 wRC+ over 84 plate appearances against righties this season. Right-handed pitchers are throwing Lee more strikes this season. At the same time, Lee has been more aggressive on balls in the zone than in the past two seasons, often pulling the ball hard and in the air. Lee excelling as a left-handed hitter while holding his own from the right-handed batter’s box (106 wRC+ over 52 plate appearances) has resulted in the best month-and-a-half stretch of his young career, signaling he has finally blossomed into an above-average regular.

The 2026 Twins are not a good baseball club. In fact, they might be one of sport’s worst. Still, there will be a time when the seeds of the next Good Twins Team poke their head out of the dirt, germinate, and blossom into a postseason-contending 26-player collective. It just won’t be this season—or next; and maybe not even the next after that. Yet, if the progress Lee has demonstrated at the plate this season proves sustainable, he could be a core member of that club.

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[FlyingFinn]

Many people give up on players after a SSS. He indeed may be part of the next good Twins team, as our 3B.

[Jeff K]

18 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

Many people give up on players after a SSS. He indeed may be part of the next good Twins team, as our 3B.

or 2nd.  But 3rd seems hopeful.  

[Coach Wheels]

I'll pump the brakes on what has been a very good 5 weeks for Lee. I don't believe SS is his long term position but I believe he can be a .270 hitter with doubles being part of his deal.

Royce, Wallner, and Keaschall have got to figure it sooner rather than later. The rope on Royce and Wallner can't be very long right now

[Craig Arko]

Again, consider the trajectory of Roy Smalley’s career. Are there similarities?

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

6 minutes ago, Coach Wheels said:

I'll pump the brakes on what has been a very good 5 weeks for Lee. I don't believe SS is his long term position but I believe he can be a .270 hitter with doubles being part of his deal.

Royce, Wallner, and Keaschall have got to figure it sooner rather than later. The rope on Royce and Wallner can't be very long right now

I still have faith in Keaschall, and I was hopeful that Lewis would finally stay healthy find his feet this season, but obviously this has been a dismal season for him so far. Is there hope? I honestly don't know. As for Lee, I was about ready to write him off as one of those highly touted college players that couldn't quite figure out MLB, but I'm becoming more inclined to think that he CAN be a productive player in the majors, but perhaps not as a shortstop.

[Twins_Fan_For_Life]

Is his arm strong enough for third base?

[Old Twins Hat]

Lee is the kind of fundamentally sound player that ends up on the Yankees later in his career.

[Cody Schoenmann]

50 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_For_Life said:

Is his arm strong enough for third base?

i’ve long thought 3B is Brooks’s best position. 

[TNtwins85]

24 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

i’ve long thought 3B is Brooks’s best position. 

In the past he’s looked good at third and I believe he could be great at second given a bigger runway than he’s had in the past. Not sure he has the arm for third but it’s for sure average for third. If he can be a 270/320/430 guy with 20 bombs and solid defense at either second or third that’s an Ian Kinsler style player. Definitely someone you keep around as a complimentary player on a good team.  Just need a few guys who he compliments.

[stringer bell]

What is Lee's ceiling as a hitter? If he can be an immune to platoon splits 110 OPS+ hitter, he's a big leaguer and probably a starter. We saw that player last year for one month and we've seen him for about another month this year. He's 25 and seems to be taking more good at-bats as the season wears on.

Defensively, the tools are mediocre. Not a great arm and poor range. He is pretty sure handed and the one thing I've seen is a really quick release. Also, Lee is pretty accurate with his throwing when not trying to make a Superman play. Since Lee has hit better, he seems to have settled down in the field, playing much more fundamentally sound.

Second vs. third--it has been my assumption that third base is more of a reactive position. Speed/range is not as important as first step reaction and quickness. I think Lee's lack of range and foot speed would show up more at second base, so I think eventually he is seen as primarily a third baseman. If Lee has the arm to perform marginally at shortstop, he has enough arm for third base, although a stronger arm would be preferred. 

[wornsmooth]

He seems to work hard.

He has stayed healthy.

Lots of criticism of his defense.

When Tony Olivia broke into the majors, other than a cannon arm, he was a sub par right fielder. Other than a brief disastrous attempt to make him a centerfielder, they left him in right field until his knees were destroyed.

He worked at it and became a gold glover. He learned to position himself as the pitch count changed, and do the little mental things that make a ball player go from good to great.

Todays Twinsvcould learn a lot by reviewing Tony O's career.

Lee turned 2 pretty nifty plays last night.

He seems to now believe he can hit major league pitching. A more aggressive, hard bat swing. It looks like he will ne as good as they hoped when drafting him.

 

 

 

[jmlease1]

I think Lee can be a good player, a quality starter on a good team. He might not be able to pull off a true all-star season, but he showing this season that he can be a quality hitter. I think it's notable that he's improved as a hitter so far in every season he's been in MLB (admittedly, there was plenty to improve on), but he's a smart player who works on his game and can make adjustments to play to his strengths and mitigate his weaknesses.

I think it's fairly obvious to most that SS won't be his long-term position, but if he ends up riding out most of this season there until Culpepper is ready it's not the worst thing in the world. He's not good there; not enough range, not enough arm, but I don't think he's an embarrassment. I think 3B would be his best defensive position: he's got a pretty sure glove, makes accurate throws, and if he's got time to set himself he'll be able to make those throws across the diamond and not need the 1B to bail him out. Think he'll also do fairly well in tracking foul pops too. With Lewis struggling mightily, there's an opportunity to claim that job.

A quality switch-hitter who can be good (potentially plus) at 3B and slot in anywhere in the bottom half of the lineup while providing some pop has a lot of value. 

[Maybe Next Year]

4 hours ago, Jeff K said:

or 2nd.  But 3rd seems hopeful.  

Why play him at 3rd if he doesn’t have a strong arm? Seems like 2nd is more suitable. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

5 hours ago, Twins_Fan_For_Life said:

Is his arm strong enough for third base?

No

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I submit that 1B is Lee's best position and that he could be a gold glover at 1B. Ironically 1B has been the Twins biggest positional need. (This excludes pitching.)

[Danchat]

Lee has hit well, but has a poor arm and abysmal range... sounds to me like a 1B. We could sure use one, given they'll continue to trot out Clemens and sign the next bum free agent to a one year deal every season. And they're not training anybody worthwhile at AAA/AA to be the next 1B. Gonzalez has played a little 1B and Mendez didn't end up playing there outside of 2 AA games. 

[DJL44]

I think he’s a utility player on a good roster. He switch hits so he can fill in anywhere. I think 3B is his best position. Throws are easier at 3B than at SS.

[darin617]

Any chance that Brooks Lee can give his dad's phone number to Royce Lee to help him find his swing again?

[dxpavelka]

6 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

Again, consider the trajectory of Roy Smalley’s career. Are there similarities?

is his uncle the manager?

[dxpavelka]

A month ago he was where Royce Lewis is right now.  Same place Luke Keaschall might be a month from now.  Things move fast.  Like when we had too much starting pitching.

[Riverbrian]

Brooks Lee is doing just fine. Right now he's helping us win ball games. Or helping us try to win ball games.

We are a little over a year in his service time. Who knows what his future is. 

Is he a 2B, 3B SS or 1B in the future? I don't know but he is top of the depth chart at the SS position with this 2026 squad.

The eggs are in his basket. I'm pulling for him. 

[jmlease1]

3 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

A month ago he was where Royce Lewis is right now.  Same place Luke Keaschall might be a month from now.  Things move fast.  Like when we had too much starting pitching.

Not wrong, but not exactly representative either. It's a much bigger issue to be where Royce is after a quarter of the season than it is after a dozen games, right? So we're not really comparing the same things. And if Keaschall gets there a month from now it means he's been on a full 6 week tear and it's a very good sign that he's made real adjustments, because nearly halfway through the season he won't be seriously disappointing at the plate any longer.

But the real question is, are you dismissing Brooks Lee's progress because you think it's too early in the year and might still be too small a sample, or because you don't think Brooks Lee is good?

[dxpavelka]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Brooks Lee is doing just fine. Right now he's helping us win ball games. Or helping us try to win ball games.

We are a little over a year in his service time. Who knows what his future is. 

Is he a 2B, 3B SS or 1B in the future? I don't know but he is top of the depth chart at the SS position with this 2026 squad.

The eggs are in his basket. I'm pulling for him. 

I think his future lies at 3B.  Lewis at 1B, Culpepper at SS and Keaschall at 2B. Laminate the card. 

[Nshore]

If they could only get one more player to wake up like Lee has things might get interesting.  Lewis or Wallner could change the whole picture.  Are blood transfusions legal?

[dxpavelka]

7 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Not wrong, but not exactly representative either. It's a much bigger issue to be where Royce is after a quarter of the season than it is after a dozen games, right? So we're not really comparing the same things. And if Keaschall gets there a month from now it means he's been on a full 6 week tear and it's a very good sign that he's made real adjustments, because nearly halfway through the season he won't be seriously disappointing at the plate any longer.

But the real question is, are you dismissing Brooks Lee's progress because you think it's too early in the year and might still be too small a sample, or because you don't think Brooks Lee is good?

I believe you totally misread what I said.  I am not at all dismissing Lee's progress, but rather praising it.  And saying that it is entirely possible that Lewis  takes similar strides over the the next month.  And not saying I hope the Keaschall gets where Lee is now but hoping he doesn't go where Lee was a month ago.  Ya never know what's gonna happen.  Guess that's why they play the games.

[Wedman13]

8 hours ago, wornsmooth said:

He seems to work hard.

He has stayed healthy.

Lots of criticism of his defense.

When Tony Olivia broke into the majors, other than a cannon arm, he was a sub par right fielder. Other than a brief disastrous attempt to make him a centerfielder, they left him in right field until his knees were destroyed.

He worked at it and became a gold glover. He learned to position himself as the pitch count changed, and do the little mental things that make a ball player go from good to great.

Todays Twinsvcould learn a lot by reviewing Tony O's career.

Lee turned 2 pretty nifty plays last night.

He seems to now believe he can hit major league pitching. A more aggressive, hard bat swing. It looks like he will ne as good as they hoped when drafting him.

 

 

 

Yea all the criticism surprised me to.  Geez.  The OP throws an advanced metric out and everyone piles on.

im not entirely sure what OAA is or how it's calculated.  But comparatively to Correa, who had good range and cannon, I'm curious what Carlos' was last year.

Brooks is progressing just fine.  There are others who deserve the strong critiques 

[Wedman13]

6 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

I believe you totally misread what I said.  I am not at all dismissing Lee's progress, but rather praising it.  And saying that it is entirely possible that Lewis  takes similar strides over the the next month.  And not saying I hope the Keaschall gets where Lee is now but hoping he doesn't go where Lee was a month ago.  Ya never know what's gonna happen.  Guess that's why they play the games.

Royce has a lot of work to do.  He genuinely looks uncomfortable and over-matched.  I'm sure he gets the year and why not.  I hope he can turn it around.  Seems like a good kid.  
 

ps....  personally think Houston is the future at short if not Brooks

[Riverbrian]

11 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

I think his future lies at 3B.  Lewis at 1B, Culpepper at SS and Keaschall at 2B. Laminate the card. 

It's always fun to try and predict but what I've learned over the years is that a lot of things have to go the way it is supposed to go and too much stuff doesn't go the way it's supposed to. 

It wasn't long ago that all of us at Twindaily were trying to lay out the future for Miranda because of the presence of Lewis and Kirilloff. 

 

 

[dxpavelka]

4 hours ago, Wedman13 said:

Royce has a lot of work to do.  He genuinely looks uncomfortable and over-matched.  I'm sure he gets the year and why not.  I hope he can turn it around.  Seems like a good kid.  
 

ps....  personally think Houston is the future at short if not Brooks

just hope houston can hit