How soon will Brooks Lee get called up?
Not only is Austin Martin's path to the majors less clear, he's in danger of getting run over by the Brooks Lee hype train.
Lee has exceeded expectations at every turn, going from being the No. 8 pick two years ago to very seriously in the conversation for a 26-man roster spot. He hit .292/.365/.476 with 11 home runs and 61 RBI in 87 games at Double-A Wichita after being drafted, and rose all the way to Triple-A St. Paul last year where he slashed 237/.304/.428 with five homers and 23 RBI in 38 games.
His production dipped a bit once he joined the Saints, but he answered the bell rather nicely at a higher level of play for a guy who was drafted less than three years ago. It's an insane ascension through the farm system, and all signs continue to point toward Lee making his debut at some point over the next few months.
All of the hype is building around him with such intensity that the needle is bouncing all over the place, but March will be a big month for getting a true read on when Lee will get called up. It's looking unlikely that he'll be on the Opening Day roster -- barring an injury somewhere -- and it's unclear if he's jumped Martin as the next positional player up once someone hits the IL during the season.
One spot to watch for Lee is first base. He won't be spending time there, but uncertainty about Alex Kirilloff's health might mean Edouard Julien spends time platooning alongside Carlos Santana. If that happens, the Twins could use it as an opportunity to get Lee up and playing second base in place of Julien. Even if it's Santana manning first, Minnesota could call up Lee to play the field while Julien's bat remains in the lineup as DH.
It's a matter of when, not if, Lee gets called up and makes his debut this year. The Twins need to use March to calibrate their compass and figure out just how early that call gets made.
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