Brooks Lee selected No. 8 overall in MLB draft. Two other SLO County players picked
Cal Poly shortstop Brooks Lee was selected the highest ever of any San Luis Obispo County amateur baseball player in the Major Baseball Draft on Sunday, garnering a No. 8 overall pick by the Minnesota Twins.
And Cal Poly pitcher Drew Thorpe was selected No. 61 overall by the New York Yankees.
Another SLO County baseball product, Dylan Beavers, a 2020 Mission Prep grad, of Paso Robles, was selected No. 33 by the Baltimore Orioles after finishing his junior season at Cal Berkeley in 2022.
Lee was projected as a Top 5 pick after a stellar season as a redshirt sophomore at Cal Poly.
The only question was how high he’d go in the draft.
Despite falling a few slots from many projected mock drafts, he still has earned the honor of being the top overall pick of any SLO County baseball player in history.
Brooks’ uncle, Terry Lee, was the 19th overall pick by the San Francisco Giants in 1974.
Lee, a 6-foot-2 switch-hitter, was complimented by scouts for his bat-to-ball skills, sure hands and strong arm, and his baseball IQ.
The son of 20-year Cal Poly Coach Larry Lee likely could have been a first round pick out of San Luis Obispo High School three years ago.
But he opted to don the Mustangs’ jersey and play for his dad.
“It worked out every single way that I wanted to, especially with the season and individual stats and playing for my dad,” Brooks Lee said earlier this month before the draft.
For Larry and Brooks, they considered the ideal team to be a good organization with strong foundational system that helps guide players to the MLB level.
Lee is expected to earn a signing bonus that is valued to be more than $5 million.
In his final college season in 2022, Lee slugged 15 home runs, with 55 RBI and a .357 batting average.
Thorpe, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Washington, Utah, posted a 10-1 record and 2.32 ERA with 149 strikeouts in his third season at Cal Poly. He earned the distinction of being Cal Poly’s first Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2022.
With many mock drafts projecting Beavers to go in the 60s, he was selected much higher than anticipated.
Beavers launched 17 home runs for Cal Berkeley in his junior year in 2022. He added 50 RBI and hit .291.
This story was originally published July 17, 2022 at 11:48 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)