Top Minnesota Twins’ prospect, Brooks Lee, could change positions at Double-A Wichita
After being drafted No. 8 by the Minnesota Twins in the 2022 MLB Draft, Brooks Lee has played exclusively at shortstop.
That could be changing as he begins his second season of professional baseball at the Double-A level with the Wichita Wind Surge, which opens the 2023 season on Thursday with a road game at Springfield (Mo.) on Thursday night.
While Lee is a natural shortstop, he will likely have to eventually switch positions to crack the lineup for the Twins with All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa locked into a six-year, $200 million contract.
Wind Surge manager Ramon Borrego said the 22-year-old top prospect in the Twins’ farm system can expect to play some third base in his time in Wichita.
“He’s got a really good glove and one thing we want to focus on with him is to just gain more range from side to side and work on his steps,” Borrego said. “He’s going to be playing more games at shortstop, but we’re going to try to stick him at third base too. We just want him to gain experience and have another good season, then go to the next level.”
Lee said he was up for whatever challenge the Twins’ organization had for him.
“I can play anywhere they need me to play,” Lee said. “I just want to be on the field as many times as I can be, especially at the big-league level. If they need me to play anywhere, I’m more than happy to.”
Lee has earned a reputation as a solid defender in college and the Wind Surge coaching staff has been impressed in their first week working with him.
That’s the result of being the son of a Division I baseball head coach, as Lee played three years in college for his father, Larry, at Cal Poly. Brooks said he was training with Division I players since he was in the sixth grade, tagging along to his father’s practices in the fall.
“I had a head coach as a dad, so I didn’t really have a choice really,” Lee said about being good at defense. “I definitely take pride in that being one of my strengths. Pitching and defense is what wins you the most games in college baseball and I’m sure it’s going to be the same way in professional baseball.”
Lee was a quick success after joining the Twins for the tail-end of the summer, quickly working through High-A ball and ending the season with the Wind Surge in the Texas League playoffs. In 31 total games, Lee finished with a .303 batting average with four home runs, 17 runs scored and 15 RBI in 122 at bats.
After spending three years at Cal Poly, Lee was considered by some as the most polished college hitter in the 2022 draft. He had a .357 batting average with 15 home runs, 25 doubles, 56 runs and 55 RBIs in his final season at Cal Poly last year.
Translating that power to professional baseball with wooden bats is the goal for Lee during his time in Wichita.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out right now,” Lee said. “I don’t have the answer right now, but I have a bunch of different ideas. That’s what the minor leagues are for: to try to figure that kind of stuff out. I think over time getting the accumulation of at-bats will probably be the biggest thing that helps me.”
When Lee made his short stint with the Wind Surge last fall, he served as the designated hitter and helped spark the team’s lone playoff win.
Borrego is looking forward to seeing Lee play the field and hit in the lineup to start this season. As a switch hitter, Lee has already impressed with his bat-to-ball skills.
“I think he is going to hit more for power this year and he’s going to have the ability to hit some balls over the fence and hit some doubles,” Borrego said. “His bat to ball is great and he’s going to hit for average. It’s just about getting him experience, but his progress in the short time that we’ve had him here has been great.”
The Wind Surge play three games in Springfield to start the season before turning to Wichita for the home-opener at Riverfront Stadium against Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m.
“I’m just taking things day by day and making sure you control what you can control,” Lee said. “A lot of different things have to work out to get called up, so no matter what happens, I just want to enjoy the time that I have out here. It’s the same game I’ve played since I was a kid, so that’s what levels my head.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
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