Twins Move Brooks Lee To Third Base
The Twins’ experiment with Brooks Lee at shortstop has apparently run its course. The former No. 8 overall pick has been playing third base since Royce Lewis‘ demotion to Triple-A St. Paul, and manager Derek Shelton told the Twins beat this week that Lee’s defensive home moving forward will be the hot corner (link via Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune).
It’s not a terribly surprising development, but it’s one that has plenty of ramifications for the organization as a whole. Lee was a shortstop in college at Cal Poly, but scouting reports questioned whether he’d be able to stick there even back at the time of the draft. He logged 803 innings at short in 2024-25 and didn’t grade especially well there. For much of that time, he was focusing on multiple positions because the Twins also had Carlos Correa signed long-term. Last July’s trade sending Correa back to Houston freed up a potential long-term opportunity at shortstop.
Lee, 25, entered the year with a legitimate opportunity to seize the position. It hasn’t happened. He’s delivered a solid .259/.315/.416 batting line (105 wRC+) in 201 trips to the plate, but he’s been dinged with negative grades from Defensive Runs Saved (-8) and Outs Above Average (-1). The switch-hitter’s bat has come to life after a slow start — .292/.344/.460 in his past 123 plate appearances — and he’ll try to keep that momentum going at a different position. It’s probably more anecdotal than anything else, but Lee has tallied multiple hits in three of five games since moving to third base.
Lee’s move to third base creates some short-term opportunity for one of the organization’s best prospects and also raises some long-term questions about Lewis’ role within the organization.
Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2024, is currently a consensus top-100 prospect. He had a slow start to his season in Triple-A but has heated up with a .266/.392/.557 slash this month — all while walking nearly as often (14.4%) as he’s struck out (16.5%). He’s already swatted 11 homers in only 46 games/218 plate appearances, and he’s 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts. That comes on the back of a 20-homer, 25-steal showing in 113 games between High-A and Double-A last year.
The 23-year-old Culpepper could get a look before long, and Lee’s move over to third base opens Culpepper’s natural position at the big league level. However, if Lee and Culpepper are the left-side infield of the future at Target Field, it doesn’t leave much room for Lewis unless he can either slide across the diamond to first base or take on more of a designated hitter role. Lewis has limited experience at second base, but the Twins still hope that Luke Keaschall can claim that as his long-term home. Another former top prospect, Keaschall hit the ground running in 2025 before a broken forearm cost him more than three months. He then ended the season back on the IL due to a thumb injury.
Whether it was the cold weather, lingering effects from those 2025 injuries, some small-sample noise or a combination of the three, Keaschall got out to a dismal start in 2026 and at one point looked like he could be at risk of being optioned. He’s righted the ship with a .271/.388/.353 slash over the past month (103 plate appearances). He hasn’t exactly cemented his status as the long-term second baseman, but the still-23-year-old Keaschall has now played in 100 major league games and turned in a solid .268/.349/.374 batting line despite navigating a pair of arm/hand injuries. He’s trending in the right direction.
First base and designated hitter are a bit more unsettled in the long term. The Twins signed Josh Bell to a one-year, $7MM deal to split time between those spots this past offseason. Utilityman Kody Clemens has seen plenty of time at first base this season. Offseason pickup Victor Caratini — signed through 2027 — has seen a handful of games there as well. None of the Twins’ best prospects are first basemen. Former first-round pick Aaron Sabato was perhaps viewed as a long-term option there or at designated hitter when he was selected 27th overall back in 2020, but he’s about to turn 27 and hasn’t made his debut yet. He’s hitting .298/.358/.661 in Triple-A, granted, but he’s doing so with a strikeout rate just under 30%.
Perhaps if Lewis can continue his early production since being demoted to Triple-A, the right side of the diamond and/or designated hitter will be a more serious consideration. He’s played in five games since being optioned and already has four home runs. Including a pair of rehab games in St. Paul earlier this season, Lewis is slashing .296/.367/.963 with six homers in only 30 Triple-A plate appearances.
There’s little doubting Lewis’ inherent physical talent, but he’ll need to curb this year’s alarming spike in chases and whiffs — while avoiding further entries to his lengthy list of injuries — to rebuild his stock within the organization. Given all this surrounding context, it’s also plenty fair to wonder whether he might eventually emerge as a change-of-scenery candidate ahead of this summer’s trade deadline.
Big Hype Prospects: Nett, Montgomery, Teodo, Triantos, Sabato
Our AFL coverage continues. The schedule is winding down. The Fall Stars game was played on Sunday. The two-game postseason will take place next Friday and Saturday. James Triantos and Jakob Marsee continue to battle for top batter status. Presently, Triantos has the edge. On the pitching side, Davis Daniel has the best claim to the top performance as a starter. Reliever Emiliano Teodo has 11 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts with only three hits and four walks allowed.
Listed stats are from the AFL. To emphasize, this is AFL coverage.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Braden Nett, 21, SP, SDP
17.1 IP, 21 K, 13 BB, 4.67 ERA
Though he doesn’t have the shiniest stats, Nett posted an encouraging AFL as detailed by Baseball America. An undrafted pitcher, Nett has seen his velocity approach triple-digits as a starter, complemented by visually impressive secondary offerings. Command eludes Nett – an issue dating back to his pre-draft days. However, he showed strides in attacking the strike zone during this fall session. If he’s able to build upon his success next season, he’ll find his way into top prospect conversations. There’s considerable relief risk here if his command doesn’t continue on an upward trajectory.
Colson Montgomery, 21, SS, CWS
84 PA, 3 HR, .244/.302/.423
The second-best Montgomery in the AFL by the numbers, Colson is low-key divisive among evaluators. None that I’ve contacted doubt he has a Major League future. Most see as a blue-chip regular. Where the arguments begin is the type of regular. Some see him as a core performer. While they acknowledge the upside, they’re skeptical Montgomery will reach it. The doubters point to an impending move to third base where there will be more pressure on his bat. Advocates are confident he can support a move down the defensive spectrum. His exit velocities suggest he’s a small tweak or epiphany away from unlocking more extra-base outcomes.
Montgomery took home MVP honors in the Fall Stars game. He went 2-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
Emiliano Teodo, 22, P, TEX
11 IP, 19 K, 4 BB, 0.00 ERA
The Rangers have developed Teodo as a starter, but his future appears to be in the bullpen. Though listed at 6’ 1’’, one evaluator I contacted believes he’s several inches shorter. That’s backed by the FanGraphs crew – they describe him as “lilliputian.” His usage – and success – in the AFL points to an imminent role shift. As a starter, he touched upper-90s. He has the look of an on-meta power arm who relies on effectively wild heaters and hammer curves.
James Triantos, 20, 2B/3B, CHC
92 PA, 3 HR, 9 SB, .423/.505/.700
The hits, triples, and OPS leader of the AFL, Triantos has long appeared on scouts’ breakout lists. The results haven’t really stood out in full season leagues where he’s been more solid than exceptional. The Cubs are developing him as a super utility type including the odd game in center field. He focused on third base in 2022 and second base this year. He’ll spend 2024 in the upper minors where we all eagerly await to see if his power continues to develop. Triantos is a high-probability Major Leaguer. His future role remains open for debate.
Aaron Sabato, 24, 1B, MIN
74 PA, 7 HR, .215/.320/.585
A classic TTO slugger, Sabato has bashed his way to a share of the AFL home run lead along with fellow Twin Kala’i Rosario. Sabato works counts and routinely runs over-30 percent strikeout rates. In fact, he’s done so at every level. The reward for all those whiffs is some of the most impressive exit velocities in professional baseball. As a right-handed first baseman, the standards he needs to reach are rather high. He was a tad old for Double-A this season and produced an exactly league-average 100 wRC+. This is a profile that tends to late-bloom and early-fade. Sabato is Rule 5 eligible, and there’s a solid chance he’ll be left exposed.
Three More
Liam Hicks, TEX (24): While scouts are dismissive of Hicks for valid reasons – low exit velocities and sub-par defense – there’s no question he’s posted a dominant AFL season. He’s batting .455/.556/.530 in 81 plate appearances. His 15 walks nearly double his eight strikeouts. For Hicks to have big league relevance, he might need to channel his inner Luis Arraez. Or change his approach.
Wilmer Flores, DET (22): Flores’ AFL matches his scouting report to a “T.” He’s worked 18 innings with 22 strikeouts and only five walks. He also coughed up 25 hits and a 4.00 ERA. Flores has an attractive combination of high ground ball and swinging strike rates. Though Rule 5 eligible, he’s a lock to be added by the Tigers.
Sterlin Thompson, COL (22): Thompson has compiled a .950 OPS without hitting a home run in 93 plate appearances. A designated hitter, his bat nonetheless shows signs of carrying him to the Majors. He handles fastballs of all types well. Presently, he’s better at laying off breaking balls than he is at hitting them – a trait that will likely determine if he’s a Quad-A slugger or a future big leaguer.
Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.
Twins Sign First-Rounder Aaron Sabato
5:20pm: Minnesota has announced the signing.
3:50pm: The Twins will sign their first-round pick, first baseman Aaron Sabato, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. He’ll make $2.75MM, which is a bit more than the $2.57MM slot value of the 27th choice.
Sabato’s coming off a two-year run at North Carolina, where he batted .332/.459/.698 with 25 home runs in 368 plate appearances over parts of two seasons. The 21-year-old has earned some comparisons to Mets 2019 NL Rookie of the Year winner Pete Alonso, Mayo notes.
High-profile prospect outlets such as MLB.com, Baseball America, ESPN, The Athletic and FanGraphs ranked Sabato in the high 30s or low 40s in this year’s class. FanGraphs called Sabato a “bat-only prospect,” though BA wrote that he has the raw power to rival Spencer Torkelson, whom the Tigers drafted first overall.