Brooks Lee

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #2 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/Medium
  
  Track Record: Lee was born to be a baseball player. His grandfather Tom Lee was a Cal Poly baseball coach. His uncle Terry was the Giants’ 1974 first-round pick, and Brooks himself is the son of long-time Cal Poly coach Larry Lee. In fact, Brooks is named in honor of Orioles Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson. Lee played for his father for three years at Cal Poly. He fell to eighth overall in the 2022 draft, where the Twins scooped him up and signed him for $5,675,000. He spent most of 2023 at Double-A Wichita before a late bump to Triple-A St. Paul.
  
  Scouting Report: Lee is a prospect who stands out more because he’s a well-rounded player with few weaknesses rather than any one outlier tool. He’s not particularly twitchy, but the game seems to move a little slower for him than most. He’s a polished hitter from both sides of the plate, though his lefthanded swing is a little shorter and more fluid than his righthanded one. Lee will never be a slugger, but his ability to make consistent contact and produce bushels of doubles leads scouts to expect that he’ll develop average power. Lee isn’t particularly rangy, but his internal clock is excellent, and he is reliable, which makes him playable as an average shortstop. He has a knack for getting just enough on the throw to beat the runner. He’s average at third base as well. He’s yet to play second base as a pro, but some scouts think that will be his best position eventually, and that he could be above-average there, because his arm fits better with a shorter throw. He is an average runner.
  
  The Future: Lee missed time with back and hamstring injuries as an amateur, but he’s been healthy so far as a pro. He should begin 2024 at Triple-A, but his versatility and polish should get him to Minnesota at some point. With Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis established, second base seems like his clearest path.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #2 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Scouts rated Lee as one of the best pure hitters in the 2019 high school class. He ranked No. 38 on the Baseball America ranking of draft prospects, but everyone knew he was headed to Cal Poly to play for his father, hitting guru Larry Lee, so he went unpicked. After a hamstring injury sidelined him for the shortened 2020 season, Lee put up a 1.010 OPS in 2021 and then hit .357/.462/.664 with 46 walks and just 28 strikeouts in 2022. He also hit with wood in the Cape Cod League and was a star for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, ranking as the top prospect in both settings over the summer 2021. Heading into the 2022 daft, Lee ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the class but slid to the Twins at No. 8 overall. His $5.675 million signing bonus was the sixth largest in the class and second only to Jacob Berry's $6 million among collegians.
  
  Scouting Report: Lee is a switch-hitter who has hit everywhere he has played. His lefthanded swing is a work of art. He is short and direct to the ball with the balance to provide adjustability if he gets a little fooled. His righthanded swing is not as smooth and is more pull-heavy. He projects as a plus-plus hitter with average power. Lee has the hands to play shortstop and the internal clock, but he doesn't move fluidly, and his range is fringe-average at best. His body is somewhat maxed out already, and he's not expected to add agility. He has the hands and accurate, above-average arm to be a plus defender at third base, which is where he most likely ends up.
  
  The Future: Lee was viewed as arguably the safest pick in the 2022 draft because of his bat. He'll have to show he can stay healthy after battling back and hamstring injuries in the past. If he does, he should be a fast mover as a potential .300 hitter with the ability to stay on the infield.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 50. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #2 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Cal Poly Committed/Drafted: Giants ’19 (35)
  Age At Draft: 21.4
  BA Grade: 60/High
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 70 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 55
  The son of Cal Poly coach and renowned hitting guru Larry Lee, Brooks has long been an elite hitter and would have been a top-50 pick out of high school if not for his strong commitment to play for his father in college. A hamstring injury and the coronavirus pandemic limited him to two at-bats as a freshman, but he lived up to his reputation as a premium hitter once play resumed. Lee hit .342 to win Big West Conference co-player of the year as a redshirt freshman and torched the Cape Cod League with a .405/.432/.677 slash line for Yarmouth-Dennis in the summer. He followed with a standout showing for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team and hit .357 with 15 home runs and a 1.125 OPS this spring, all career highs. Lee is a gifted switch-hitter with exceptional hitting ability. He takes short, balanced swings with elite bat speed from the left side and laces balls hard to all fields. His righthanded swing isn’t as fluid or powerful, but he has the hand-eye coordination to make consistent contact and spray balls around the field. He has elite strike-zone discipline, crushes fastballs and drives pitches in all parts of the zone, projecting as a potential plus-plus hitter. He has rarely faced good breaking stuff and will need to prove he can handle that. Lee has bulked up as he’s matured and is now a physical specimen with strong legs, broad shoulders and a chiseled torso. His strength and knack for barreling balls give him at least average power potential and likely more. Lee is an instinctive defender who positions himself well at shortstop and converts the routine plays with his reliable hands and above-average, accurate arm, but his bulk and below-average speed limit his range. He projects to move to second or third base, where he should be an average defender. Lee’s only major concern is his health. He missed time with multiple back injuries in high school and had hamstring surgery as a true freshman. His physical, maxed-out frame raises concerns about how his body will age. Even so, Lee’s premium hitting ability makes him a likely top-five pick in the draft. As long as he stays healthy, he projects to be a switch-hitting infielder who hits for average and power in the top half of a lineup.
• Ranked #38 prospect in 2019 draft
  A standout at the 2018 Area Code Games, Lee is one of the top prospects in Southern California. He's likely the best pure hitter in the region, with a terrific feel to hit from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter. He doesn't possess much power at the moment, but instead has a short, quick, line-drive oriented swing that he uses to routinely square up the ball and spray it around the field. While he's not a slugger, Lee has a strong, 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, and he has the ability to drive the ball out of the park thanks to his feel for the barrel. He's added more muscle and strength this spring and could start tapping into more power in the future--particularly from the left side. Defensively, Lee should play somewhere in the middle of the infield with extremely reliable and quick hands, deft footwork around the bag and solid-average arm strength. Some believe he's a better fit for second base as a below-average runner, but Lee has fantastic feel for the game, great positioning and a high baseball IQ. His father, Larry, is the head coach at Cal Poly--where Lee is committed--and he has played against older competition throughout most of his career. With a plus hit tool and a chance to be a defensive asset in the middle of the infield, Lee has a chance to sneak into the back of the first round.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #24 prospect in 2023
• Ranked Baseball America's #45 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Scouts rated Lee as one of the best pure hitters in the 2019 high school class. He ranked No. 38 on the Baseball America ranking of draft prospects, but everyone knew he was headed to Cal Poly to play for his father, hitting guru Larry Lee, so he went unpicked. After a hamstring injury sidelined him for the shortened 2020 season, Lee put up a 1.010 OPS in 2021 and then hit .357/.462/.664 with 46 walks and just 28 strikeouts in 2022. He also hit with wood in the Cape Cod League and was a star for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, ranking as the top prospect in both settings over the summer 2021. Heading into the 2022 daft, Lee ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the class but slid to the Twins at No. 8 overall. His $5.675 million signing bonus was the sixth largest in the class and second only to Jacob Berry's $6 million among collegians.
  
  Scouting Report: Lee is a switch-hitter who has hit everywhere he has played. His lefthanded swing is a work of art. He is short and direct to the ball with the balance to provide adjustability if he gets a little fooled. His righthanded swing is not as smooth and is more pull-heavy. He projects as a plus-plus hitter with average power. Lee has the hands to play shortstop and the internal clock, but he doesn't move fluidly, and his range is fringe-average at best. His body is somewhat maxed out already, and he's not expected to add agility. He has the hands and accurate, above-average arm to be a plus defender at third base, which is where he most likely ends up.
  
  The Future: Lee was viewed as arguably the safest pick in the 2022 draft because of his bat. He'll have to show he can stay healthy after battling back and hamstring injuries in the past. If he does, he should be a fast mover as a potential .300 hitter with the ability to stay on the infield.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 50. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 60/High
  
  Track Record: Scouts rated Lee as one of the best pure hitters in the 2019 high school class. He ranked No. 38 on the Baseball America ranking of draft prospects, but everyone knew he was headed to Cal Poly to play for his father, hitting guru Larry Lee, so he went unpicked. After a hamstring injury sidelined him for the shortened 2020 season, Lee put up a 1.010 OPS in 2021 and then hit .357/.462/.664 with 46 walks and just 28 strikeouts in 2022. He also hit with wood in the Cape Cod League and was a star for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, ranking as the top prospect in both settings over the summer 2021. Heading into the 2022 daft, Lee ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the class but slid to the Twins at No. 8 overall. His $5.675 million signing bonus was the sixth largest in the class and second only to Jacob Berry's $6 million among collegians.
  
  Scouting Report: Lee is a switch-hitter who has hit everywhere he has played. His lefthanded swing is a work of art. He is short and direct to the ball with the balance to provide adjustability if he gets a little fooled. His righthanded swing is not as smooth and is more pull-heavy. He projects as a plus-plus hitter with average power. Lee has the hands to play shortstop and the internal clock, but he doesn't move fluidly, and his range is fringe-average at best. His body is somewhat maxed out already, and he's not expected to add agility. He has the hands and accurate, above-average arm to be a plus defender at third base, which is where he most likely ends up.
  
  The Future: Lee was viewed as arguably the safest pick in the 2022 draft because of his bat. He'll have to show he can stay healthy after battling back and hamstring injuries in the past. If he does, he should be a fast mover as a potential .300 hitter with the ability to stay on the infield.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 70. Power: 50. Run: 40. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 60/High
  
  August Update: The son of Cal Poly coach and renowned hitting guru Larry Lee, Brooks has long been an elite hitter and would have been a top-50 pick out of high school if not for his strong commitment to play for his father in college. A hamstring injury and the coronavirus pandemic limited him to two at-bats as a freshman, but he lived up to his reputation as a premium hitter once play resumed. Lee hit .342 to win Big West Conference co-player of the year as a redshirt freshman and torched the Cape Cod League with a .405/.432/.677 slash line for Yarmouth-Dennis in the summer. He followed with a standout showing for USA Baseball&#39s Collegiate National Team and hit .357 with 15 home runs and a 1.125 OPS this spring, all career highs. Lee is a gifted switch-hitter with exceptional hitting ability. He takes short, balanced swings with elite bat speed from the left side and laces balls hard to all fields. His righthanded swing isn&#39t as fluid or powerful, but he has the hand-eye coordination to make consistent contact and spray balls around the field. He has elite strike-zone discipline, crushes fastballs and drives pitches in all parts of the zone, projecting as a potential plus-plus hitter. He has rarely faced good breaking stuff and will need to prove he can handle that. Lee has bulked up as he&#39s matured and is now a physical specimen with strong legs, broad shoulders and a chiseled torso. His strength and knack for barreling balls give him at least average power potential and likely more. Lee is an instinctive defender who positions himself well at shortstop and converts the routine plays with his reliable hands and above-average, accurate arm, but his bulk and below-average speed limit his range. He projects to move to second or third base, where he should be an average defender. Lee&#39s only major concern is his health. He missed time with multiple back injuries in high school and had hamstring surgery as a true freshman. His physical, maxed-out frame raises concerns about how his body will age. Even so, Lee&#39s premium hitting ability makes him a likely top-five pick in the draft. As long as he stays healthy, he projects to be a switch-hitting infielder who hits for average and power in the top half of a lineup.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 70. Power: 50. Run: 40. Field: 50. Arm: 55.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  A standout at the 2018 Area Code Games, Lee is one of the top prospects in Southern California. He's likely the best pure hitter in the region, with a terrific feel to hit from both sides of the plate as a switch-hitter. He doesn't possess much power at the moment, but instead has a short, quick, line-drive oriented swing that he uses to routinely square up the ball and spray it around the field. While he's not a slugger, Lee has a strong, 6-foot-1, 180-pound frame, and he has the ability to drive the ball out of the park thanks to his feel for the barrel. He's added more muscle and strength this spring and could start tapping into more power in the future--particularly from the left side. Defensively, Lee should play somewhere in the middle of the infield with extremely reliable and quick hands, deft footwork around the bag and solid-average arm strength. Some believe he's a better fit for second base as a below-average runner, but Lee has fantastic feel for the game, great positioning and a high baseball IQ. His father, Larry, is the head coach at Cal Poly--where Lee is committed--and he has played against older competition throughout most of his career. With a plus hit tool and a chance to be a defensive asset in the middle of the infield, Lee has a chance to sneak into the back of the first round.