The MLB All-Star break is almost here, and fantasy baseball managers are doing some last-minute enhancements to their rosters in an effort to solidify their place in the standings.
Typically, it is recommended that your trades or waiver wire selections be centered around help in specific categories, but sometimes a player emerges who you will want on your roster no matter which category he contributes the most.
Welcome to the big leagues, Brooks Lee.
The Twins have been one of the hottest-hitting teams over the past month.
Heading into this weekend, they rank first in team wOBA (weighted on-base average) with a .368 mark, first in RBIs with 158 and third in isolated power (.198), which measures the number of extra-base hits a team produces.
The run was sparked by the return of third baseman Royce Lewis, who batted .271 with nine home runs and 15 RBIs in June, so when he went down with another injury, Twins fans and fantasy managers began to panic.
To assuage everyone’s fears, the Twins brought up the highly rated shortstop prospect Lee, who ranked 13th on the top 100 prospects list for MLB.com.
He ascended through the system quickly this year, and was slashing .329/.394/.635 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs over 20 games at Triple-A St. Paul.
A natural shortstop, Lee was actually being converted to second base, since that was his quickest path to the majors, but the injury to Lewis quickly changed things, and now he is working the hot corner for Minnesota.
Through two games at the big league level, Lee is 3-for-6 (.500) with two RBIs, one walk and one strikeout.
He has been known for his strong plate discipline, and he does a tremendous job of putting the bat on the ball.
The raw power numbers are encouraging, and though he isn’t going to be a big base-stealer, his on-base skills are going to help him provide strong runs scored in addition to some of the power categories we need.
And best of all, when Lewis does return to the lineup, you can expect the Twins to move Lee over to second, at which point he will pick up more position eligibility.
When the All-Star break hits, you’re going to want to put on your hard hat with the lamp and start mining the minors.
The Futures and Prospects game we see at the Midsummer Classic should be a veritable who’s-who for potential second-half MLB call-ups.
James Wood is already here, but we’ll get a look at Dylan Crews of the Nationals, Junior Caminero of the Rays and maybe even Jordan Lawlar of the Diamondbacks.
Start taking notes now, and prepare yourself for their impending arrivals.
Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on X @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball news and advice.
