Former Cal Poly baseball star Brooks Lee named Twins’ minor league player of the year

Former Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo High School baseball star Brooks Lee was named the Minnesota Twins’ minor league player of the year this week, according to a post a social media post by the team.

In his first year of professional baseball, Lee spent time in AA and AAA, hitting a combined .275 with 39 doubles, 16 home runs, and 84 RBIs while playing nearly all of his games at shortstop.

Lee, who finished the minor league season with the St. Paul Saints, was selected No. 8 overall in the 2022 Major League Baseball draft and has made a rapid rise through the Twins’ organization.

In a July interview, while playing with the AA Wichita Wind Surge, Lee told The Tribune, “Every morning, I’m just waiting to go to the ballpark. It has been a fun season so far.”

If he gets the call-up to the majors next year, Lee would join the company of fellow Mustangs Mitch Haniger, Erich Uelmen, Justin Bruihl and Bryan Woo — each of whom earned MLB playing time in 2023.

“You’re always thinking about it whether you want to say it or not,” Lee said in July. “Usually, the team is not letting you know anything. That’s kind of how it is. And so, you’re always wondering.”

Lee said that he’ll let others speculate and “try to continue to play as good as I can and stay on the field, and that’s all that really matters to me. They have a plan for me so whenever that happens, I’ll be stoked for it.”

The Twins were eliminated by the Houston Astros on Wednesday, falling 3-1 in the American League Division Series.