Top prospect Brooks Lee is almost ready to be ‘the guy’ for Twins, but where?

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Brooks Lee had to think about it. When was the last time he played second base with any sort of regularity? He figures it was during college intrasquad games at Cal-Poly. But that’s about to change.

Less than 20 months after surprisingly landing with the Minnesota Twins as the eighth pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Lee is on the doorstep of the big leagues. The switch-hitting, career-long shortstop cemented his status as a consensus top 50 global prospect by reaching Triple A in his first full season of professional ball. But becoming the Twins’ long-term shortstop is unlikely with Carlos Correa signed through at least 2028.

When shortstops change positions, they tend to move to either second or third base, depending on their skill set. Twins officials have generally been split on which would fit Lee best, but with Royce Lewis getting comfortable at third base, that debate may already be over. Correa and Lewis appear to be the left side of the infield for the foreseeable future.

Lee’s clearest path to a regular spot in the Twins’ lineup, in 2024 and beyond, is at second base, where Edouard Julien is now taking over as the starter following the Jorge Polanco trade. Julien is one of the impact hitters around whom future Twins lineups can be built, and he’s made dramatic strides defensively just to be playable at second base, but Lee profiles as a much better fielder there.

Brooks Lee…defensive wizard ????

Lee with multiple outstanding plays at SS last night for the @StPaulSaints

He also went 2-5 on the day with a RBI#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/LcZc5vNwLr

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) August 19, 2023

Lee will continue to see plenty of action at shortstop this spring, and probably once the Triple-A season starts as well, because maintaining the ability to play there has value. He’ll also get reps at third base, where he dabbled at the end of last season with the St. Paul Saints. But for the first time as a pro, Lee will begin to see time at second base during Twins camp.

“We have five, six weeks,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “There’s plenty of time to get him work at second base. He’s taken balls fairly regularly at those other spots. I’m not going to hesitate. (Infield coach) Tony (Diaz) and the infield guys are going to work him pretty hard everywhere. And once the games start, we’re going to see him all over.”

And everyone involved, including Lee, seems to think it’ll be a smooth process thanks to his sure hands, steady footwork and natural instincts.

“I’m ready for the challenge,” said Lee, 23. “Second base, I just need to get better at turning double plays. It’s not that big of a difference. It is a shorter throw, and I think I have a pretty good arm and I like to use my arm when I can, but I still enjoy it a lot. You’re in the middle of the field, so it’s still in my eyes a premium position. You’re involved a lot in relays and double plays, a lot of…