Brooks Lee Bio
Brooks Thomas Lee (born February 14, 2001) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the 2022 MLB draft and made his major league debut in 2024. Known for his exceptional batting skills, Lee has shown promise as one of the exciting young players in the league.
Early Life and Background
Brooks Thomas Lee was born on February 14, 2001, and raised in San Luis Obispo, California, where his family has deep ties to the game of baseball. His father, Larry Lee, is the head baseball coach at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and the younger Lee grew up around dugouts, practices, and games in the Cal Poly program. That lifelong exposure to coaching and player development shaped his understanding of the sport from an early age.
Lee attended San Luis Obispo High School, where he quickly established himself as one of the most accomplished hitters in the program. As a freshman he batted .438, and as a junior he hit .462, performances that pushed him toward national recognition. After his senior season, in which he batted .405 with 13 doubles and 25 RBIs, he was viewed as a top prospect for the 2019 MLB draft. However, he withdrew his name from consideration the day before the draft, honoring his commitment to play college baseball at Cal Poly, even though the San Francisco Giants still selected him in the 35th round as a courtesy pick.
Path to Baseball
Following high school, Lee spent the summer playing in the West Coast League for the Corvallis Knights and was named the league’s top prospect after hitting .333 with three home runs, 35 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases over 43 games. He then enrolled at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, to play for the Cal Poly Mustangs. During his first semester he hyperextended his knee and underwent surgery, causing him to miss the start of the 2020 season before the campaign was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After sitting out that summer’s disrupted schedule, Lee returned healthy and starred for the Mustangs. In 2021, as a redshirt freshman, he slashed .342/.411/.626 with ten home runs, 57 RBIs, and 27 doubles, setting a Cal Poly record for doubles in a season. He was named the Big West Conference Co-Field Player of the Year and Co-Freshman Field Player of the Year, earned All-American honors, and was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award. He capped the summer with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League and with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, reinforcing his status as one of the premier college infielders in the country.
Brooks Lee Career
Amateur Career (2019-2022)
Across his high school and college career, Brooks Thomas Lee built one of the most consistent offensive resumes in California. At San Luis Obispo High School he batted .438 as a freshman, .462 as a junior, and .405 as a senior, drawing first-round draft interest before honoring his Cal Poly commitment. In his redshirt freshman year at Cal Poly in 2021 he slashed .342/.411/.626 with ten home runs, 57 RBIs, and a school-record 27 doubles while also being named Big West Conference Co-Field Player of the Year.
Lee entered the 2022 season as a top draft prospect and delivered another strong campaign, batting .357/.462/.664 with 15 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 25 doubles. He repeated as Big West Field Player of the Year and won the Brooks Wallace Award as the best collegiate shortstop in the country. After the season he participated in the Draft Combine in San Diego, putting a finishing touch on a distinguished amateur run that included time in the West Coast League, Northwoods League, Cape Cod Baseball League, and with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.
Minor League Development (2022-2024)
The Minnesota Twins selected Lee in the first round with the eighth overall pick of the 2022 MLB draft and signed him for $5.6 million. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Twins and was quickly promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the High-A Midwest League after four games. After 25 games with Cedar Rapids he advanced to the Wichita Wind Surge of the Double-A Texas League, finishing his first pro season with a combined .303/.388/.451 line, five home runs, and 15 RBIs across 31 games.
Lee returned to Wichita to open the 2023 season and was promoted to the St. Paul Saints of the Triple-A International League in early August. Over 125 games that year he slashed .275/.347/.461 with 16 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 39 doubles, cementing himself as one of the Twins’ top position-player prospects. He opened 2024 back at St. Paul but missed the start of the season with a back injury, setting up his midseason promotion to the major leagues.
Minnesota Twins Era (2024-Present)
On July 3, 2024, the Twins selected Lee’s contract and promoted him to the majors. He made his MLB debut that night as the starting shortstop against the Detroit Tigers and recorded his first career hit, a single off Keider Montero, in the fourth inning, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI. Three days later he hit his first MLB home run, a two-run shot off Houston Astros pitcher Hunter Brown. He played 50 games as a rookie and hit .221 with three home runs and 27 RBIs before a stint on the injured list with right biceps tendinitis cut his season short.
Lee opened the 2025 season on the injured list with back tightness and a lumbar strain, rehabilitating with the Fort Myers Miracle and St. Paul before being reinstated on April 13. He played 139 games for the Twins that year and hit .236 with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 15 doubles, including his first career grand slam off Chris Paddack of the Tigers on August 17. During the 2026 season the Twins began using him as a third baseman, expanding his defensive profile and role within the organization.
Notable Events and Milestones
Lee’s career is dotted with notable firsts, including his first MLB hit off Keider Montero, his first MLB home run off Hunter Brown, and his first career grand slam off Chris Paddack. He set a Cal Poly single-season record with 27 doubles in 2021 and won the Brooks Wallace Award as the nation’s top collegiate shortstop in 2022, milestones that bracket his path from college star to major league regular.
Brooks Lee Career Wins
Brooks Thomas Lee’s professional resume is still in its early chapters, so traditional win totals are limited, but his verified accomplishments include a Brooks Wallace Award, two Big West Conference Co-Field Player of the Year honors, All-American recognition, and the West Coast League’s top-prospect award. In the majors, his milestones include his first hit, first home run, first grand slam, and a full 139-game season in which he delivered 16 home runs and 64 RBIs for Minnesota.
Minor League and Collegiate Highlights
Across his time at Cal Poly, in the Cape Cod League, and through the Twins’ minor league system, Lee consistently produced at the plate. He slashed .357/.462/.664 in his draft year at Cal Poly, .275/.347/.461 across 125 games in the Twins’ system in 2023, and earned multiple All-American nods. His Cape Cod League stint with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox produced a .405/.432/.667 line over 21 games, reinforcing his profile as a pure hitter with on-base ability and pop.
Brooks Lee Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Brooks Thomas Lee comes from a baseball family, with his father Larry Lee serving as the head baseball coach at Cal Poly. Growing up around a college program gave him direct insight into hitting mechanics, game preparation, and the daily demands of professional-caliber play. Lee is also named after Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, a tribute that aligns naturally with his later transition to playing third base for the Twins.
Personal Life
Lee maintains close ties to San Luis Obispo, the community where he was raised and where his father continues to coach at Cal Poly. He is active on social media, where fans can follow his career, and he has spoken about the influence of his family on his development as a player.
2025 Season Performance
Lee’s 2025 campaign began on the injured list with back tightness and a lumbar strain, which delayed his major league start and required rehab stints with the Fort Myers Miracle and St. Paul. After being reinstated on April 13, he became a regular presence in the Twins’ lineup and went on to play 139 games, finishing the year hitting .236 with 16 home runs, 64 RBIs, and 15 doubles. Among the season’s highlights was his first career grand slam on August 17 against Detroit’s Chris Paddack, a swing that underscored his power potential once healthy.
His return from injury allowed him to establish rhythm at the plate and to handle everyday responsibilities in the infield, while the organization continued to refine his defensive versatility. With the Twins already using him at third base in 2026, his 2025 production looks like a foundation for an expanded role rather than a ceiling.
