00:00If you are a Detroit Tigers fan, you need to know the name How You Lee, and thankfully for him,
00:06and for us, the language barrier is quickly disappearing. The Tigers' number 6-ranked
00:10prospect according to MLB Pipeline, told us on Monday that his English is improving.
00:14He's been in the system for 5 years now, and he feels he gets better every single year,
00:19but you don't need to understand Mandarin to know exactly how he felt last Friday.
00:24It was his first live batting practice of spring training, and standing on the mound was the
00:29reigning king of the Tigers' pitching staff, Tarek Skubal. How did that at bat go? Well,
00:35the 23-year-old infielder, originally from Taiwan, summed it up with a simple universal phrase.
00:41Woof! He shook his head remembering how Skubal blew three pitches right past him. He swung and
00:46missed at all of them. Now to be fair to Lee, he wasn't alone. Veterans like Jamai Jones and
00:51Gleyber Torres also whiffed against Skubal that day. But for Lee, it was a memorable reintroduction
00:57to big league camp. Now, here's the thing. This wasn't his first time facing Skubal.
01:03But as Lee explained, the excitement just got the best of him. He told us he was so happy. Because
01:10in his eyes, he was facing the best pitcher in the world right now. He was so ready to crush
01:15that
01:15fastball. But Skubal threw a double changeup that just completely disappeared. He admitted he was too
01:21excited, too ready, which actually left him unprepared to produce. But he's already looking
01:27forward to the next time, feeling confident he can do better. After all, as he simply put it,
01:32it's Skubal. This energy, this raw excitement is something the Tigers saw last year too,
01:38when Lee was a non-roster invitee. The difference this year, he's smiling through it. Last year,
01:44through translator Peter Lin, Lee admitted he was much more tense and nervous. He felt like he
01:48couldn't be himself. But this year is completely different. He feels relaxed. He feels like he
01:52can actually be himself. And everything is flowing much more smoothly. Lee is known for being his own
01:57toughest critic. And last spring, that inner pressure was on full display. Veterans like
02:03Riley Green and Kerry Carpenter had to pull him aside to talk about handling strikeouts and learning
02:09from them. He was in the cages so much that teammates worried he'd burn out before the games even
02:14started. But manager A, Jay Hinch has noticed a massive change. He says the second time around
02:20for Lee has been tremendous. He's just more comfortable with everyone, from the coaches to
02:24his teammates. That fierce competitiveness is what made him a top prospect, but it also created
02:29challenges. Last year with AAA Toledo, dealing with strikeouts and struggles was a key area of growth.
02:35As one of the youngest players in the international league, he still managed to post a .243 average and
02:40up .748 OPS. The Tigers saw enough progress to protect him this past November, adding him to the
02:4740-man roster so they wouldn't lose him in the Rule 5 draft. That move not only secured his spot
02:52in big
02:52league camp this year, but it also earned him a ticket to Detroit in January for the team's hitting
02:59summit. Lee acknowledges he's not a legit big leaguer yet, but he says he's definitely more self-conscious
03:05about that possibility now. And that brings us to the massive opportunity in front of him this spring.
03:10The Tigers have a need for right-handed hitters who can handle left-handed pitching, especially in
03:14the infield. Andy Ibanez, who filled that role, is now with the Athletics. Matt Vierling is an option
03:20at third base, but he's coming off a shoulder injury. So, the door is open. Last year in Toledo,
03:26both How You Lee and fellow prospect Max Anderson crushed left-handed pitching. Lee sees the opportunity,
03:33but he's staying focused on what he can control, getting better every day and letting the coaches decide
03:38if he can help the team this year. But before he takes those at-bats for Detroit, he has another
03:43stage to shine on. Lee is a key hitter for Team Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic. He'll
03:48be facing top-tier competition in Tokyo against teams like Korea, Japan, Czechia, and Australia.
03:55Hinch believes this experience is always a net positive for a young player. So, who is Lee most
04:00looking forward to facing, he named Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the World Series champion. He sees it
04:08as a great experience to face that caliber of player early in March, and his goal, to get a
04:13hit off him. After facing Tarek Skubal on one of the first days of camp, honestly, how much tougher
04:18can it get? The question is, Tigers fans, after hearing about his mindset and the clear path to
04:24playing time, do you think how you leak and force the Tigers hand and make his MLB debut this season?
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