Lee Continues Lighting Up MLB, Hits First HR
7/8/2024 7:00:00 PM | Baseball
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — His baseball career began at the age of 8 when he played for several youth travel teams in Southern California.
His four-year career at San Luis Obispo High School — actually three since his sophomore season was wiped out by injury — featured a .437 batting average and just 22 strikeouts over 328 career plate appearances. Add the .630 slugging percentage and .487 on-base percentage to his resumé as Lee earned numerous postseason honors, including a spot on Baseball America's High School All-American Third Team. He led the league as a freshman with a .438 average.
He then decided to turn down a potentially lucrative professional deal to honor his 2016 verbal commitment to play for his father at Cal Poly, where he hit .350 in two full seasons — his freshman year was delayed by a leg injury, then wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic — with 52 doubles, 25 home runs and 112 RBIs in 113 games en route to seven All-American awards, a pair of Big West Field Player of the Year honors and recipient of the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's top collegiate shortstop following the 2022 season,
Throw in stints in the California Collegiate (San Luis Obispo Blues for 10 games in 2019 while still at San Luis Obispo High School), West Coast (Corvallis in 2019), Northwoods (Willmar in 2020) and Cape Cod (Yarmouth-Dennis in 2021) summer collegiate leagues as well as a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team in 2021. He was named by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in both the Cape Cod League and on Team USA in the summer of 2021.
Today, less than two years after he was drafted eighth overall, Brooks Lee is a Major Leaguer.
"It has taken a lot of mental discipline and resilience to get here because of the numerous 'career ending' injuries I've endured," Lee said. "I needed a lot of help of course, from coaches, my family, especially my dad, and numerous players. A lot of good luck, but belief in myself that I would turn myself into a high-caliber player."
Getting ready for his Triple-A game last Wednesday afternoon, Lee learned just five hours prior to the Minnesota Twins' home game against the Detroit Tigers that he would be playing at Target Field instead of CHS Field, home of the Saint Paul Saints.
"I was hitting in the cage for some early swings at our AAA stadium getting ready to play that night at 7," Lee said. "Our manager says, 'Everybody get to the clubhouse. I have an announcement.' He then proceeds to say I was going to the big leagues.
"I was super excited and my teammates congratulated me, which was awesome," Lee added. "But I didn't have much time to think about it because they said you gotta get over to the stadium. BP (batting practice) is starting soon. So I got my stuff packed and rushed over there."
Following the 20-minute 12.5-mile ride, Lee was fitted with his No. 72 Twins jersey, took batting practice and was announced as Minnesota's starter at third base and batting eighth, replacing Royce Lewis, who was placed on the 10-day injury list with an aggravated groin.
In his Major League debut, Lee singled twice, both on line drives to center field, and knocked in a run. Despite his performance, the Twins fell to the Tigers 9-2. The next day, he produced another single, a walk and earned his second big league RBI with a sacrifice fly as Minnesota clinched the series with a rain-shortened seven-inning 12-3 victory.
Lee described his mindset after the pair of games.
"My feelings were different than expected," the 23-year-old said. "I didn't feel nervous when I was hitting or before the game. When I was on defense, I was a little nervous, but my excitement had taken over. I just wanted to make my first play."
Larry Lee and the rest of the family missed Brooks' debut because of the short notice and, after missing an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Minneapolis due to a flight delay in San Luis Obispo, didn't arrive at Target Field until midway through Thursday's contest.
"I was so happy to see my family after the second game, and my emotions took over," said Brooks. "I was so thankful to be in that position and proud of myself as well."
After going 6-for-13 during the weekend series against the Houston Astros, also at Target Field, Brooks is 9-for-19 (.474) five games into his MLB career with seven singles, a double in Friday's contest, a two-run home run in Saturday's game and six RBIs.
Lee had three hits Friday — two singles and a double — knocking In a pair of runs. On Saturday, Lee belted a one-out two-run home run to right-center field off Hunter Brown in the third inning, giving the Twins a 7-1 lead on the way to a 9-3 victory over Houston.
"It was so cool. I was fired up," Brooks said of his home run.
Lee singled twice and scored once on Sunday as the Twins beat the Astros 3-2 on Christian Vazquez's walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning. Lee hit seventh and started at third base before moving to shortstop in the eighth inning.
Brooks sits alongside Eddie Rosario in the Twins' record book as the only two players in franchise history with a hit and an RBI in each of their first four career games. Though he had two hits Sunday, Lee did not collect an RBI.
"I tried to take in the moment of my first at-bat, and I struck out looking," Lee said. "So, I'm just going back to playing normal baseball. When I sat back on the bench, after I hit the home run, I'm like, 'Wow, I can't believe that happened.' I'm so happy. I'm sure my parents are extremely happy."
They are. Larry Lee's wife Liz, daughter Jenna and brother Terry, among others, all were captured on the Bally Sports telecast of Friday's game. Larry Lee was interviewed while Brooks smashed his fourth-inning double.
This week, the Twins play at the Chicago White Sox (Monday through Wednesday) and San Francisco Giants (Friday through Sunday).
"I know it is just the start of a career, and there are bigger moments to come," said Brooks, who could face a former Mustang teammate, pitcher Drew Thorpe, on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field on Chicago's south side.
Lee, who has started four games at third base and Saturday's contest as the Twins' designated hitter, has played errorless defense at third base with three catches for putouts and five assists, throwing out all five batters-runners at first base.
"We don't focus on expectations," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We just focus on the job we know how to do, and Brooks is good at simplifying that. He's good at just showing up and trying to play good baseball."
Lee is the 24th former Cal Poly baseball player ever to play in the Major Leagues and the 15th under current head coach and father, Larry Lee.
Brooks earned his promotion by slashing .329/.394/.635 in 20 games at Saint Paul. Among his 28 hits were five doubles and seven home runs, driving in 21 runs.
During a nine-game hitting streak in late June, Brooks went 16-for-39 (.410) at the plate with 14 RBIs, lifting his average 58 points to .361. He produced five multiple-hit games during the run and homered twice with five RBIs against Toledo on June 20, one day after doubling three times versus the Mud Hens. Brooks also hit a three-run home run against Gwinnett on Tuesday, the day before his call-up.
Brooks played third base in just 10 minor league games prior to his promotion. Most of the rest of his playing time has been at shortstop.
"There isn't an exact plan in place, but expect Lee to get fairly regular playing time at third in place of Lewis," said Jonathan Mayo, a reporter for MLB Pipeline. "He has such tremendous instincts and baseball IQ that he'll handle the challenge of playing third in the big leagues without any problem. But it's his bat people really want to know about."
Lee has compiled a .292 batting average in the minors with a .364 on-base percentage and .480 slugging percentage.
"He's shown a propensity for contact throughout his two-plus years with the Twins, carrying a 15.4 percent strikeout rate (and a 10.1 percent walk rate) with him to Target Field," said Mayo.
"Over these two years, he's swung and missed only 23 percent of the time, a percentage that drops to 14 percent on fastballs. And, according to Synergy, he's posted a 1.001 OPS vs. heaters."
Brooks' rise through the minor leagues was a quick one, reaching Triple-A while in his first full season of pro ball in 2023.
Drafted eighth overall by the Twins in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee played four games for the Florida Complex League's Twins, hitting .353, before he was assigned to Cedar Rapids for most of the rest of the summer of 2022, hitting .289 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
Brooks also played in the final two games of the regular season at Double-A Wichita, going 3-for-8, and played in five Texas League playoff games for Wichita. He went 5-for-8 as the Wind Surge's designated hitter in the two-game championship finals against Frisco.
Lee started the 2023 campaign at Wichita and hit .292 in 87 games before he was elevated to Saint Paul, where he hit .237 across 38 contests. For the summer, Lee produced 39 doubles, 16 home runs and knocked in 84 runs with 34 multiple-hit contests.
Lee missed the first six weeks of the 2024 campaign due to a herniated disc in his lower back. After 10 rehab games — five each with the Twins' Florida Complex League team and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels — compiling a .395 average with three doubles and five RBIs, he was promoted back to Triple-A Saint Paul on June 5.
Lee is the highest overall pick out of Cal Poly as well as the fourth player from the university taken in the first round (including supplemental picks). The other three are catcher John Orton (1987, California Angels), outfielder Mitch Haniger (2012, Milwaukee Brewers) and southpaw Garrett Olson (2005, Baltimore Orioles).
A day prior to Brooks' promotion to the Twins, he was selected to participate in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game and the Futures Skills Showcase on July 13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
A switch-hitter, Brooks knew before Wednesday's debut what he was going to do with the ball from his first hit. "I've given them to my dad at every level," Lee said. "I plan on doing the same thing."
Larry Lee not only received that ball, but four more so far … one each for Brooks' first Major League RBI, double, home run and right-handed hit.
Brooks also has the lineup card from his first Major League game.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — His baseball career began at the age of 8 when he played for several youth travel teams in Southern California.
His four-year career at San Luis Obispo High School — actually three since his sophomore season was wiped out by injury — featured a .437 batting average and just 22 strikeouts over 328 career plate appearances. Add the .630 slugging percentage and .487 on-base percentage to his resumé as Lee earned numerous postseason honors, including a spot on Baseball America's High School All-American Third Team. He led the league as a freshman with a .438 average.
He then decided to turn down a potentially lucrative professional deal to honor his 2016 verbal commitment to play for his father at Cal Poly, where he hit .350 in two full seasons — his freshman year was delayed by a leg injury, then wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic — with 52 doubles, 25 home runs and 112 RBIs in 113 games en route to seven All-American awards, a pair of Big West Field Player of the Year honors and recipient of the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation's top collegiate shortstop following the 2022 season,
Throw in stints in the California Collegiate (San Luis Obispo Blues for 10 games in 2019 while still at San Luis Obispo High School), West Coast (Corvallis in 2019), Northwoods (Willmar in 2020) and Cape Cod (Yarmouth-Dennis in 2021) summer collegiate leagues as well as a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team in 2021. He was named by Baseball America as the No. 1 prospect in both the Cape Cod League and on Team USA in the summer of 2021.
Today, less than two years after he was drafted eighth overall, Brooks Lee is a Major Leaguer.
"It has taken a lot of mental discipline and resilience to get here because of the numerous 'career ending' injuries I've endured," Lee said. "I needed a lot of help of course, from coaches, my family, especially my dad, and numerous players. A lot of good luck, but belief in myself that I would turn myself into a high-caliber player."
Getting ready for his Triple-A game last Wednesday afternoon, Lee learned just five hours prior to the Minnesota Twins' home game against the Detroit Tigers that he would be playing at Target Field instead of CHS Field, home of the Saint Paul Saints.
"I was hitting in the cage for some early swings at our AAA stadium getting ready to play that night at 7," Lee said. "Our manager says, 'Everybody get to the clubhouse. I have an announcement.' He then proceeds to say I was going to the big leagues.
"I was super excited and my teammates congratulated me, which was awesome," Lee added. "But I didn't have much time to think about it because they said you gotta get over to the stadium. BP (batting practice) is starting soon. So I got my stuff packed and rushed over there."
Following the 20-minute 12.5-mile ride, Lee was fitted with his No. 72 Twins jersey, took batting practice and was announced as Minnesota's starter at third base and batting eighth, replacing Royce Lewis, who was placed on the 10-day injury list with an aggravated groin.
In his Major League debut, Lee singled twice, both on line drives to center field, and knocked in a run. Despite his performance, the Twins fell to the Tigers 9-2. The next day, he produced another single, a walk and earned his second big league RBI with a sacrifice fly as Minnesota clinched the series with a rain-shortened seven-inning 12-3 victory.
Lee described his mindset after the pair of games.
"My feelings were different than expected," the 23-year-old said. "I didn't feel nervous when I was hitting or before the game. When I was on defense, I was a little nervous, but my excitement had taken over. I just wanted to make my first play."
Larry Lee and the rest of the family missed Brooks' debut because of the short notice and, after missing an overnight flight from Los Angeles to Minneapolis due to a flight delay in San Luis Obispo, didn't arrive at Target Field until midway through Thursday's contest.
"I was so happy to see my family after the second game, and my emotions took over," said Brooks. "I was so thankful to be in that position and proud of myself as well."
After going 6-for-13 during the weekend series against the Houston Astros, also at Target Field, Brooks is 9-for-19 (.474) five games into his MLB career with seven singles, a double in Friday's contest, a two-run home run in Saturday's game and six RBIs.
Lee had three hits Friday — two singles and a double — knocking In a pair of runs. On Saturday, Lee belted a one-out two-run home run to right-center field off Hunter Brown in the third inning, giving the Twins a 7-1 lead on the way to a 9-3 victory over Houston.
"It was so cool. I was fired up," Brooks said of his home run.
Lee singled twice and scored once on Sunday as the Twins beat the Astros 3-2 on Christian Vazquez's walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the ninth inning. Lee hit seventh and started at third base before moving to shortstop in the eighth inning.
Brooks sits alongside Eddie Rosario in the Twins' record book as the only two players in franchise history with a hit and an RBI in each of their first four career games. Though he had two hits Sunday, Lee did not collect an RBI.
"I tried to take in the moment of my first at-bat, and I struck out looking," Lee said. "So, I'm just going back to playing normal baseball. When I sat back on the bench, after I hit the home run, I'm like, 'Wow, I can't believe that happened.' I'm so happy. I'm sure my parents are extremely happy."
They are. Larry Lee's wife Liz, daughter Jenna and brother Terry, among others, all were captured on the Bally Sports telecast of Friday's game. Larry Lee was interviewed while Brooks smashed his fourth-inning double.
This week, the Twins play at the Chicago White Sox (Monday through Wednesday) and San Francisco Giants (Friday through Sunday).
"I know it is just the start of a career, and there are bigger moments to come," said Brooks, who could face a former Mustang teammate, pitcher Drew Thorpe, on Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field on Chicago's south side.
Lee, who has started four games at third base and Saturday's contest as the Twins' designated hitter, has played errorless defense at third base with three catches for putouts and five assists, throwing out all five batters-runners at first base.
"We don't focus on expectations," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "We just focus on the job we know how to do, and Brooks is good at simplifying that. He's good at just showing up and trying to play good baseball."
Lee is the 24th former Cal Poly baseball player ever to play in the Major Leagues and the 15th under current head coach and father, Larry Lee.
Brooks earned his promotion by slashing .329/.394/.635 in 20 games at Saint Paul. Among his 28 hits were five doubles and seven home runs, driving in 21 runs.
During a nine-game hitting streak in late June, Brooks went 16-for-39 (.410) at the plate with 14 RBIs, lifting his average 58 points to .361. He produced five multiple-hit games during the run and homered twice with five RBIs against Toledo on June 20, one day after doubling three times versus the Mud Hens. Brooks also hit a three-run home run against Gwinnett on Tuesday, the day before his call-up.
Brooks played third base in just 10 minor league games prior to his promotion. Most of the rest of his playing time has been at shortstop.
"There isn't an exact plan in place, but expect Lee to get fairly regular playing time at third in place of Lewis," said Jonathan Mayo, a reporter for MLB Pipeline. "He has such tremendous instincts and baseball IQ that he'll handle the challenge of playing third in the big leagues without any problem. But it's his bat people really want to know about."
Lee has compiled a .292 batting average in the minors with a .364 on-base percentage and .480 slugging percentage.
"He's shown a propensity for contact throughout his two-plus years with the Twins, carrying a 15.4 percent strikeout rate (and a 10.1 percent walk rate) with him to Target Field," said Mayo.
"Over these two years, he's swung and missed only 23 percent of the time, a percentage that drops to 14 percent on fastballs. And, according to Synergy, he's posted a 1.001 OPS vs. heaters."
Brooks' rise through the minor leagues was a quick one, reaching Triple-A while in his first full season of pro ball in 2023.
Drafted eighth overall by the Twins in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee played four games for the Florida Complex League's Twins, hitting .353, before he was assigned to Cedar Rapids for most of the rest of the summer of 2022, hitting .289 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
Brooks also played in the final two games of the regular season at Double-A Wichita, going 3-for-8, and played in five Texas League playoff games for Wichita. He went 5-for-8 as the Wind Surge's designated hitter in the two-game championship finals against Frisco.
Lee started the 2023 campaign at Wichita and hit .292 in 87 games before he was elevated to Saint Paul, where he hit .237 across 38 contests. For the summer, Lee produced 39 doubles, 16 home runs and knocked in 84 runs with 34 multiple-hit contests.
Lee missed the first six weeks of the 2024 campaign due to a herniated disc in his lower back. After 10 rehab games — five each with the Twins' Florida Complex League team and the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels — compiling a .395 average with three doubles and five RBIs, he was promoted back to Triple-A Saint Paul on June 5.
Lee is the highest overall pick out of Cal Poly as well as the fourth player from the university taken in the first round (including supplemental picks). The other three are catcher John Orton (1987, California Angels), outfielder Mitch Haniger (2012, Milwaukee Brewers) and southpaw Garrett Olson (2005, Baltimore Orioles).
A day prior to Brooks' promotion to the Twins, he was selected to participate in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game and the Futures Skills Showcase on July 13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
A switch-hitter, Brooks knew before Wednesday's debut what he was going to do with the ball from his first hit. "I've given them to my dad at every level," Lee said. "I plan on doing the same thing."
Larry Lee not only received that ball, but four more so far … one each for Brooks' first Major League RBI, double, home run and right-handed hit.
Brooks also has the lineup card from his first Major League game.
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