Puckett's Pond
Fansided

Brooks Lee took a pretty big fall in latest Top 100 prospects ranking

The Twins have five Top 100 prospects, but Brooks Lee took a tumble down the rankings.

By Josh Hill

Mar 8, 2023; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (72) steals second base from Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Addison Barger (44) in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2023; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (72) steals second base from Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Addison Barger (44) in the fifth inning during spring training at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit

For the second time this season, Baseball America has released its ranking of the Top 100 prospects in the league. The update reflects everything that's happened since the first ranking over the offseason, notably the rise of guys like Paul Skenes and the struggles of Jackson Holliday.

Minnesota Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez could be categorized as a fast riser like Skenes, even though he hasn't made his MLB debut yet. E-Rod jumped up from No. 53 all the way to No. 16 overall due in large part to how much he's been lighting it up with the Wichita Wind Surge this year.

Not everyone is happy with the latest ranking, though.

While Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins were Twins prospects who rose in the ranking, Brooks Lee was a bit of a surprising name to see take a tumble.

Brooks Lee falls ten spots in latest Baseball America Top 100 ranking

Lee fell ten spots in the latest ranking, dropping to No. 45 and nearly out of the Top 50.

This isn't a total shock, even if it's a bit jarring to see Lee fall given how highly regarded he is as a top prospect. MLB Pipeline has him ranked between Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, so having him as the third guy in that group doesn't compute with how things have been up to this point.

It's a fall that makes sense given his lack of playing time, though.

Lee had an outside chance of making the Opening Day roster over the offseason but suffered a back injury in the final week of Spring Training. That injury likely blocked him from making the Twins roster twice, as the injury to Royce Lewis opened up a clear path for him to the Majors but his herniated disc complicated that.

Expectations are still for Lee to debut at some point this season, but now has another obstacle in St. Paul. Edouard Julien was demoted to make room on the 26-man roster for Royce Lewis, and he's already using that as motivation to come out strong with the Saints.

Eventually the Twins are going to call up another position prospect, but Lee will be battling Julien when that roster spot opens.

So far he's making a solid case for himself. Lee hit .450/.476/.550 with a 1.026 OPS in five games in the Florida Complex League, which is the type of stuff he showed during his meteoric rise through the farm system last season.

If he keeps that up, the Twins will have a wonderful problem on their hands and his Baseball America ranking will be the last thing on anyone's mind.

More Minnesota Twins news and rumors

feed

Home/Minnesota Twins Prospects