4 players who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Twins

Brooks Lee

This one is pretty obvious, but Brooks Lee belongs on lists like this until he actually gets a roster spot. The good new is that he continues to outperform expectations and is on a fast track to making is debut before too long.

Lee was drafted just two years ago, and since then has been a fast riser through the Twins system. He's done so carrying the weight of being the Next Guy, and he has a chance to show everyone he has what it takes to carry the mantle this spring. Last year he went from a guy who could reach Triple-A to firmly getting there by September, and has now become a prospect who might get called up this season to vying quite seriously for a 26-man roster spot.

While he wasn't the sole reason, Lee's expected arrival contributed to an infield logjam that resulted in Jorge Polanco getting traded. He's also been increasingly teased as a call-up candidate with reports indicated he's nearly MLB-ready.

Everything we've seen so far would suggest those reports are not misguided.

He slashed .275/.347/.461 between stints in Wichita and St. Paul last year, which isn't world class production but the type of stuff that shows the sort of promise he has. A lot of his struggles have come due to the stress of pushing him through the farm system, which is something his Spring Training campaign will shed more light on.

Lee is a popular pick to make the Opening Dar roster, but the Twins are in the infancy of their schedule and there's a lot of runway left before decisions need to be made.

Lee no doubt has the makings of being an important piece of the future, but that's what we're hoping to learn more about over the next month. He's not a shoo-in to get a roster spot, but the foundation is there and he doesn't need to build a lot to once again exceed expectations when it comes to his ascension.