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At Twins spring training this year, there was plenty of buzz and energy afloat, owing to a number of factors. Among them: new team uniforms and branding, the stunning return of Carlos Correa, and (above all) the first remotely normal camp since before COVID.
I had the opportunity to cover the team for a week in March, and definitely enjoyed soaking in all of those sources of good vibes. But there was one player in particular who naturally stood out to me. It was one of the least-tenured players in the organization – drafted just nine months earlier – and the youngest player in big-league camp.
It was obvious at the time: Brooks Lee was special, and that was no secret. In five months since, that has only grown more apparent.
After accruing 42 at-bats in spring training, second-most of any Twins player, Lee opened his season at Double-A. It was a pretty aggressive assignment for a player drafted the previous summer, but hardly a surprise with Lee, who joined Wichita for the playoffs last fall.
He took the challenge in stride, as usual. Lee's performance during the first half in Double-A was solid, if unspectacular. Then, as he settled in and made his adjustments, the 22-year-old started to heat up. He slashed .365/.433/.600 in July to earn a promotion to St. Paul earlier this month, putting him one step away from the majors.
Lee is currently experiencing an early learning curve at Triple-A, but history tells us it's only a matter of time before he masters this level like each before it. From there, it becomes a matter of fit on the big-league team.
He's spent time at both shortstop and third base in the minors this year, and most figure he'll end up at the latter. But that position is hopefully going to be occupied on the Twins by Royce Lewis, at least for the rest of this year.
Lee's future defensive home was a subject of conversation when I chatted with him this spring for a Twins Daily story. I asked him if he'd received any indication from the team about playing other positions, given that Correa was freshly minted the biggest free agent contract in franchise history.
"Nothing yet so far," he said. "I can take control of myself by trying to be as good as I can at all three infield positions, so I just continue to practice those. Whatever they ask me to do. If they want me to play right field, I'll play right field. If they want me to play first, I'll play first."
Well.
That last part, clearly an afterthought at the time, may represent Lee's best chance to make an immediate impact on the Twins.
The void at first base for Minnesota
Joey Gallo was the Opening Day starter at first base, and the only reason he remains the primary starter there today is because every alternative fell by the wayside. Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff are both sidelined indefinitely. Donovan Solano is 35 and hobbled.
The Twins are so hard-up for help at the position that they started catcher Christian Vázquez there on Sunday.
First base is essentially the only position for the Twins that is not comfortably set, and it's nowhere close. The addition of a true difference-maker at first is perhaps the biggest outside boost the offense could realistically hope to receive, given its makeup. They passed up their chance to swing big at the deadline, but that doesn't mean they're entirely out of options.
Could Brooks Lee handle first base?
I don't want to fall into the trap of downplaying the difficulty of playing first base in the majors. That inclination always reminds me of my favorite scene in Moneyball, when Billy Beane tries to allay Scott Hatteberg's misgivings about moving to the position by assuring him, "It's not that hard. Tell him Wash." To which Ron Washington replies, "It's incredibly hard."
First base might be at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, but that doesn't mean it's unimportant, or that a certain skill set isn't required to be effective there. I think a dismissal of this reality is largely fueling the angst and confusion around Minnesota's refusal to try Edouard Julien at first.
If you don't trust a guy to play the position with sound mechanics, handle fast-developing situations, and salvage wayward throws with his glove, that can be very problematic. There are a LOT of plays running through first base.
With that said, many players take well to the position despite having little or no experience there. These are often large-bodied guys who came up at spots like catcher or third base. Guys like Hatteberg, or Gallo, or Vázquez, or Joe Mauer, or Miguel Sanó, or ... Brooks Lee.
I have little doubt Lee could handle putting on a first base mitt for the final stretch of the season, with the understanding it's a short-term arrangement driven by extreme need. The best version of the future Twins core features him at the hot corner.
The big question is whether the best version of the current Twins would have him on the opposite side, playing across from Lewis.
A bat worth betting on?
It bears repeating: Lee has not exactly gotten off to a hot start in Triple-A. Through eight games he is 7-for-33 (.212) with one extra-base hit, one walk, and six strikeouts. Unless and until that changes, this subject is moot. But I'm operating under the assumption it will change, quickly, and if so Lee becomes a very intriguing piece in the team's planning.
While his standing atop the defensive spectrum was part of his appeal at atop of the first round, let's make no mistakes: Lee's biggest selling point as a draft pick was his bat. He was among the best and most polished college hitters in the country, and that tool has carried him as a pro, where he's slashed .290/.363/.458 while rising faster than all but one other player from the class. (Zach Neto, who's holding his own as the Angels' starting shortstop.)
If Lee gets locked in, his offensive profile is pretty much exactly what the Twins could desperately use: a switch-hitting, disciplined contact machine who can spray line drives and has a knack for making adjustments.
There's also a good chance he could flop. Lee is not Superman, even if he currently plays with an S on his chest (two, actually). It would be a lot to ask of a kid barely one year removed from being drafted.
But everything I've seen from Lee leads me to believe he might be up to the task. There's a reason I included him on my list of five reinforcements who could make a pivotal impact for the Twins this year back in April. The previous four have already arrived, with varying degrees of success and longevity. Lee is the last big card they have left to play.
"There are a variety of different ways Lee could slot in for the Twins, even as he continues to play shortstop exclusively at Wichita," I wrote. "His switch-hitting bat is the real attraction, and the club will be hard-pressed to keep it bottled in the minors all summer if they feel he can help their contending cause."
Four months later, circumstances could have hardly come together more favorably to pave way for a meaningful late-season debut. I wouldn't say it's likely by any means, but I've gotta think it's on the table.
When it comes to securing this division and ending a 20-year postseason curse, everything needs to be.
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