Lee and Lewis: Superstar Paths Cross in St. Paul

The Minnesota Twins have had some truly incredible prospects in recent memory. Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano were both national top-10 prospects at the same time, and they ushered in a wave of players like Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco alongside them. That group’s tenure appears to be coming to an end, and passing the torch is a must.

While Walker Jenkins is the shiny new addition for Minnesota’s organization after being selected fifth overall during the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft, it’s Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee that could be the cornerstones of the next wave. The former was the first overall pick during the 2017 draft, and the latter fell into the Twins lap with the eighth overall pick during the 2022 draft.

Lewis was once a former Top-10 prospect nationally, and has seen the highest of peaks and lowest of valleys. Battling through injury, missed time, Covid delays, and everything else, he’s now a regular Major Leaguer working his way back from injury.

For Lee, the trip to St. Paul is a new venture. After playing just 118 professional games, he has already earned a promotion to Triple-A. Lighting Double-A on fire with his smooth swing, while leaning into some power, he looks the part of a difference maker on both sides of the ball.

It was a random Tuesday night in August, but Toby Gardenhire’s lineup card had Lewis batting second playing third base with Lee following him as the shortstop. Crossing paths for the second time in their careers, the pair had flip-flopped positions but manned the left side of the infield.

With Rocco Baldelli’s Twins, it’s hard to envision their positioning being the case. Carlos Correa is the starting shortstop into the foreseeable future, but Lewis has made claim to third base bumping Jose Miranda and Kyle Farmer from the role. Jorge Polanco occupies the position currently, but could be moved around the rest of the way, and is no sure bet to return next season.

“Like I was playing my first game,” is how Lee described the nerves and excitement of the night. “It was a really cool crowd. Wichita has a very nice stadium, but this was unbelievable, a lot more fans.”

Of course, Lee’s debut at the highest level isn’t expected to come until sometime in 2024. When he does get the call, starting at third base with Edouard Julien at second would make some sense. Maybe Minnesota shifts Julien to first base, or Lewis starts in centerfield, but no matter how you position them, the talent is there to play together for a long time.

Talking with Lewis about playing next to Lee he said, “It’s fun. He’s playing great and has had a great year so far. Hopefully he can keep going. I’m always rooting for these guys. We have a great organization, great team. It’s fun to see it all come to fruition.”

Although St. Paul was well-known to Lewis, this was Lee’s debut. Both had a relatively quiet first couple of at bats. Lewis struck out in the first while Lee’s 101-mph grounder was gobbled up by the second baseman. In the second inning, Lewis brought home Chris Williams with a well-struck sac fly, and Lee again found the second baseman, this time with a 98-mph grounder. The pair seemed jovial on the dirt, constantly communicating with each other and smiling while manning an infield that prospect fans dream of.

For St. Paul, Lewis is ushering in the next part of his wave. Taking the field, he went and talked with the umpires as he often does. He would routinely flip balls to fans in the stands, and he led with an attitude of professionalism that had been imparted on him during his time here. Lee is not much his junior, just two years younger, but it’s clear Saints fans have gravitated to their next star that will surely make his stay a quick one. The shortstop has a front-row seat at the third baseman, and how he can win over the stadium.

It’s not lost on Lewis that he is the elder statesman with the Saints this week either. “I have always felt like I’ve been leading my whole career. There’s always some new draft guy that comes in and you’re talking to them and sharing what things might be like. The fact that all these guys are so nice, and genuinely good people makes it easy. They’re more receptive, and then they learn. I’ve been through it. It’s like when Paul Molitor and Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, and all these guys come back to help us out. I take it as wisdom and run with it.”

After Lewis narrowly misses a hard-hit ground ball to left field, Lee snagged a 96-mph liner ripped right back up the middle. The two nodded to one another after the second out of the inning was recorded, knowing they’ve got trust on the left side.

Simeon Woods Richardson continued to keep Louisville off the board, and it wasn’t long until Lewis made his mark on the evening. Stepping into the batter's box in the fourth inning, he clobbered a pitch 441 feet to dead center, putting a new dent in the batter’s eye. Like Lee hopes is the case for him, Lewis quickly showed his stay won’t be long and his oblique feels healthy.

With nightfall setting in and a gorgeous background at CHS Field, Lee again made his presence felt with the leather. A smooth 6-3 double play on another ball back up the middle, his instincts and actions look every bit like that of a future playmaker. Not wanting to go hitless, he’d slap a single to left center in the bottom half of the fifth inning.

After bludgeoning the Reds Triple-A team into submission, the pair of Saints shook hands and headed to the clubhouse. It was a blowout on the scoreboard, and both Lee and Lewis contributed plenty throughout the contest. Just their second contest together, and while it won’t be their last, the hope is that they can pair up to bring plenty of big league noise in the future.

Having once before played with Lewis during a rehab assignment, Lee was again excited for the opportunity. “It’s really fun playing with him, we like to have fun on the left side. I feel comfortable with him. We’re both from California and were young when we got drafted. He’s great in the dugout helping me out. He’s given me a lot of one-on-one time, and he knows I want to ask questions, and he lets me have any advice I can take. That’s what a good big leaguer would do.”

Although Lee’s debut in front of the hometown fans may have provided butterflies for him, it was the pairing that has Minnesotans considering the future. A year from now the stakes will likely be much higher, but the two talented Twins youngsters should remain the exact same.

Lee is keeping things in perspective. He knows the ultimate goal is just miles away but says, “eventually I’ll get there, but right now, I’m just focused on things that are in front of me."