Get to know Twins top pick Brooks Lee

The Twins selected Brooks Lee with the No. 8 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Here’s everything you need to know about Lee, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 prospect entering the Draft.

FAST FACTS
Primary position: SS
Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 205 lbs.
Bats/throws: Switch/right
Birthdate: February 14, 2001 (Age 21 on Draft day)
High school: San Luis Obispo High School (California)
Hometown: San Luis Obispo, California
College: Cal Poly

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He played for his father in college

Despite being projected as an early round pick out of high school, Lee chose to go to school. And not just any school. Lee decided to play for his father and attend Cal Poly. Larry Lee has been the head coach of the Mustangs for 20 seasons, leading the school to 10 30-win campaigns over that period.

“It’s awesome,” Lee said of playing for his dad in an interview with MLB Tonight. “The best decision I ever made in my life. It was a big decision and I’ve never looked back. I enjoyed every single moment, even when I got yelled at by him on the field – constantly.”

Lee was eventually selected by the Giants in the 35th round of the 2019 Draft, but his mind was already made.

He comes from a baseball family

The familial connection to baseball doesn’t stop with his dad’s coaching career.

Two of Brooks’ uncles (Larry’s brothers) played professional baseball in the Giants organization. San Francisco selected Terry Lee in the first-round out of San Luis Obispo High School in 1974 while Mike Lee signed a free agent contract with the Giants in 1973 after attending Santa Clara.

Tom Lee, Brooks’ grandfather, is also quite the sports figure. He coached basketball, boxing, football, and, of course, baseball, at Cal Poly and is a member of the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame.

He suffered a near-career-ending injury his freshman year

It’s a miracle that Lee is still even playing baseball. In October 2019, Lee snapped his lateral collateral ligament in his knee and his biceps femoris hamstring muscle while running out a ground ball during a preseason game. Lee has said that doctors told him there have only been a few dozen such injuries in recent history.

With his baseball career in jeopardy, Lee had surgery and miraculously recovered in time for the 2020 season.

"As bad as it sounds, I feel like I actually got better because of it," Brooks said in an interview with D1Baseball.com. "I completely changed my body and I'm thankful for it now for sure."

He has a deep connection to his hometown

Not only was attending Cal Poly a decision to play for his dad, it was also a choice to stay in his beloved hometown of San Luis Obispo, the charming vacation destination near California’s central coast. Lee was born and raised in SLO. He went to San Luis Obispo High School, just like his father and uncles.

So when the opportunity to stick around the only city he has called home, he jumped at it, passing on millions of dollars from Major League teams and scholarship offers from big-time college baseball programs.

He’s named after a Hall-of-Famer

Coming from a baseball family, it's no surprise that Lee’s first name has a baseball connection.

After considering “Brock” and “Major,” his father, Larry, decided to name him after Baltimore Orioles great and Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson.

Brooks grew up wearing Robinson Orioles t-shirts. With Baltimore making the first overall pick in this year’s Draft, Lee has a shot at becoming the next great “Brooks” to man the Orioles infield.

He has an exceptional hit tool

Lee has potential five-tool talent in the big leagues, but his bat-to-ball abilities stand out. Scouts have graded Lee’s contact skills as well-above average with a solid chance at competing for a batting title one day.

Not only does he consistently make hard contact, Lee rarely strikes out and is known to take a walk. Lee received 46 free passes this season while striking out only 28 times. Whoever takes Lee this month may be getting the next best pure hitter in baseball.