Lee was a well-regarded prospect out of the California high school ranks, but wasn’t taken until the 35th round because scouts knew he wanted to go play for his father, Larry, the head coach at Cal Poly. After missing nearly all of the shortened 2020 season following knee and hamstring surgery, Lee came back in 2021 to earn co-Big West Player of the Year honors by hitting .342/384/.626. He further solidified his bona fides as one of the top college bats in the class by hitting very well both for Team USA and in the Cape Cod League last summer, then showed he was the best college hitter in this class in 2022.
Talk to any scout about the switch-hitting infielder and the first thing that comes up are his otherworldly bat-to-ball skills. He almost never strikes out and has made consistent hard contact everywhere he’s been, including his 21-game stretch with a wood bat on the Cape, where he hit .405/.432/.667 with six homers in just 84 at-bats. He can drive the ball from both sides of the plate and as he’s gotten more physical, it’s easy to project him having better-than-average power in the future.
That physicality will mean he’s very likely to move off of shortstop at the next level, with third the most likely destination to take advantage of his above-average arm. As the son of a coach, he thinks like one on the field and plays like a veteran, giving more certainty that he’s going to maximize all of his tools as a pro.
A solid high school prospect in California, Lee went to Cal Poly to play for his father, Larry. He bounced back from a severe knee and hamstring injury in 2020 to put up big numbers as a sophomore in 2021, and he went on to cement his bona fides as one of the best pure college hitters heading into 2022 by raking for Team USA and in the Cape Cod League. After a strong junior season (1.125 OPS), Lee went eighth overall in the Draft that summer, then jumped on the fast track by starting his first full season in Double-A and finishing it with Triple-A St. Paul.
The switch-hitting Lee entered pro ball with a reputation for having an advanced approach and impressive contact skills, and he did nothing to dampen that evaluation during his first full season, striking out in just 16 percent of his plate appearances while walking nearly 10 percent of the time. He can make hard contact from both sides of the plate, though he drove the ball more as a left-handed hitter in 2023. He’ll never sell out for power, but more pop should show up in games as he continues to physically mature, add strength and make adjustments.
While he’s just an average runner, his instincts, internal clock and hands all give him the chance to play shortstop. He has enough arm and has seen a little time at third, where he could be a plus defender, and he’ll at least get some early work in at second base, especially with Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa in Minnesota.
Lee could have been an early-round pick out of high school in 2019, but teams knew he was intent on heading to Cal Poly so he could play for their head coach -- his father, Larry. A severe knee and hamstring injury forced Lee to miss almost all of the shortened 2020 season, but he returned in 2021 to post an OPS over 1.000 and shared Big West Player of the Year honors. After hitting a combined .375 between Team USA and the Cape Cod League that summer, he upped his production in his final year at Cal Poly with an OPS of 1.125. The Twins took him No. 8 overall and saw him hit over .300 in his pro debut.
The switch-hitter has as good contact skills as anyone in the Minors, leaving college with more walks than strikeouts and a measly K rate of 11.7 percent. He is capable of driving the ball from both sides of the plate and clearly has no problem doing so with a wood bat. He hit .405 and slugged .667 on the Cape and posted a .303/.388/.451 line in his pro debut that ended in Double-A. He’s added strength over time, and there should be plenty of in-game power as a result.
There was concern that Lee would have to move off of shortstop as a pro because of that increased physicality, but the Twins think he has a chance to stick there because of plus instincts, excellent hands and an arm that approaches plus. If he does move to third, he could be a Gold Glover there and his advanced bat could get to Minnesota in a hurry.
Lee was a well-regarded prospect out of the California high school ranks, but wasn’t taken until the 35th round because scouts knew he wanted to go play for his father, Larry, the head coach at Cal Poly. After missing nearly all of the shortened 2020 season following knee and hamstring surgery, Lee came back in 2021 to earn co-Big West Player of the Year honors by hitting .342/384/.626. He further solidified his bona fides as one of the top college bats in the class by hitting very well for Team USA and in the Cape Cod League last summer, then showed he was the best college hitter in this class in 2022. After finishing with a .357/.462/.664 line and being discussed as a potential No. 1 overall pick, he went No. 8 overall to the Twins, signing for a slightly-over-slot bonus of $5.68 million.
Talk to any scout about the switch-hitting infielder and the first thing that comes up are his otherworldly bat-to-ball skills. He almost never strikes out and has made consistent hard contact everywhere he’s been, including his 21-game stretch with a wood bat on the Cape, where he hit .405/.432/.667 with six homers in just 84 at-bats. He can drive the ball from both sides of the plate, and as he’s gotten more physical, it’s easy to project him having better-than-average power in the future.
That physicality will mean he’s likely to move off of shortstop at the next level, with third base the most likely destination to take advantage of his above-average arm. As the son of a coach, he thinks like one on the field and plays like a veteran, driving home the belief that will maximize all of his tools as a pro.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2024
3
4
5
6
5
5
7
7
6
2
3
7
4
6
6
4
3
5
6
8
5
6
7
7
3
3
3
2
6
5
2
Player
3
4
5
6
5
5
7
7
6
2
3
7
4
6
6
4
3
5
6
8
5
6
7
7
3
3
3
2
6
5
2
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
