Brooks Lee is already living up to the hype as a key piece of the Twins lineup

It's been less than a week but already the Minnesota Twins might have found another young superstar to invest some hope into.

Brooks Lee played his first major league game last Wednesday, and he's wasted little time making an impact. First games are tough to use as a gauge for how good a player will end up being. Daniel Ponce de Leon went seven shutout for the Cardinals in 2018 and Tyler Austin went famously went back-to-back with Aaron Judge in his, and those guys are definitely still in the majors and not players overseas, right?

Lee came flying out of the gate in his debut, but he hasn't yet taken his foot off the gas and it's been glorious to watch.

Brooks Lee continues to live up to the hype after a stellar MLB debut

Simply put, Twins fans were loving Lee. He got a standing ovation before his first at bat and more cheers after his first hit. You could tell how much Lee enjoyed it, he had a ton of youthful excitement on his face and showed some good energy that’s always good to infuse into a team. It’s great when fans are invested in their young players and recognize debuts, milestones, and the anticipation of big name prospects. Well done Twins fans. 

As far as what there is to cheer about, Lee’s first at-bats have been absolutely phenomenal.

His first at bat was a bit funky, striking out without once taking the bat off his shoulder. The back door slider on 2-2 froze him, but he laid off the two curves in the dirt, which is good from a rookie who’s undoubtedly nervous. His second at bat was much better, resulting in his first major league hit, a hard hit single up the middle.

The cherry on the top was Lee’s fourth at bat, where he went up the middle a second time for another single and his first RBI. He had hits on both a breaking ball and a 95-mph fastball, which is always good to see adjustability from a young hitter.

Lee had two routine chances at third base and made them both easily. I’m interested to see how he handles the tougher plays moving forward, especially having only played 12 career minor league games away from shortstop. If he’s going to stick around the rest of the year, he will have to adjust to either third base or second base, however it looks like third will be his home during the Royce Lewis injury. 

Despite the loss, it was an awesome debut for Lee and it set in motion what has been a fantastic start to his MLB career. Since getting called up, Lee is hitting .458/.462/.625 with a 1.087 OPS and a home run. He batted in the go-ahead run in extra innings against the White Sox on Monday night and has reached base in all six of his games so far.

He's shown an ability to make adjustments in the box, hitting the same backdoor slider that froze him in his first at bat for a single in his last at bat. He’s been lauded as a prospect for his above average hit tool, so it was nice to see him put that to use in his debut. Twins fans can’t wait to see what this 23-year-old does forward. 

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