Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Professional Athletes

Brooks Lee Is Making a Statement Down the Stretch

Cal Poly's most prominent MLB product is ending the 2026 season with something to prove — and the numbers are backing him up.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee put together one of his better weeks of the season, collecting hits in multiple games across a stretch that included a series against the Giants and a doubleheader split with the Angels. The highlights: a three-hit, three-run performance in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader against the Angels on September 20, a home run on Tuesday against San Francisco, and a two-hit, RBI outing in the second game of Wednesday's twin bill against the Giants. Lee carried a .255 average through midweek before settling at .253 by Saturday — a week's worth of at-bats that underscored his ability to sustain contact production in the final weeks of a long season.

The timing dovetails neatly with a Sports Illustrated feature that examined what's changed for Lee in the second half of 2026 — and what still needs work. The piece credits Lee with addressing a key mechanical weakness that had hampered his early-season production, and notes his sustained output as evidence the adjustment is real. But the story doesn't let him off easy: SI flags that Lee still has room to grow against left-handed pitching and certain pitch types, calling them the final frontier between his current trajectory and a higher ceiling as a major-league regular. For a 24-year-old shortstop with Lee's pedigree — he was the second overall pick in the 2022 draft — the floor is already high. The question SI is asking is how much higher the ceiling gets.

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Alvarez and Woo Finish Seasons on the Mound

Two other Cal Poly arms saw action this week in different circumstances.

Andrew Alvarez, pitching for the Washington Nationals, delivered a quality start on Friday night against the Mets — 4.2 innings, seven strikeouts, and a 7-6 Nationals win in a game that required every bit of the offense CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews provided. Alvarez gave up five earned runs, keeping his ERA at 3.43 for the season. It was a mixed bag — the strikeout total was impressive, the run prevention less so — but the Nationals walked away with the victory.

In Seattle, Bryan Woo took the hill for the Mariners against the Angels on Friday in what SI previewed as a key end-of-season matchup. Woo logged 5.1 innings, struck out eight, and gave up four earned runs in a 6-4 Mariners loss, pushing his ERA to 4.01. It wasn't the finish Woo or Seattle would have wanted, but eight punchouts in a losing effort is a reminder of why the Mariners have invested in the Cal Poly product.

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The Cal Poly Alumni Snapshot

This week reinforced the range of Cal Poly's MLB footprint: a rising middle-of-the-lineup shortstop in Lee, a pair of arms in Alvarez and Woo logging meaningful late-season innings, and a roster that stretches from the Bronx to the Pacific Northwest. With Lee's strong September serving as the week's headline story, the Mustangs' MLB contingent is closing out 2026 with plenty to build on heading into the offseason.

Andrew Alvarez, Cal Poly's Ace-in-Waiting

The question of whether Andrew Alvarez belongs in Washington's 2027 rotation was already losing steam as an actual debate. After his most recent stretch, it's essentially closed.

The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo alum capped a dominant run with a seven-inning, one-hit masterpiece against the Angels on September 12, holding Los Angeles scoreless while the Nationals scratched out a 6-5 walk-off win in 10 innings. Abimelec Ortiz drove in two runs and CJ Abrams provided the heroics in extras, but Alvarez set the table — and stole the headline. It was, by most accounts, the best outing of his career.

He didn't slow down from there. On September 19 against St. Louis, Alvarez went six innings, struck out eight, and sat at a 3.17 ERA — a number that would look respectable in any rotation in baseball, let alone on a rebuilding club still finding its footing. Multiple national outlets, including Sports Illustrated and Yahoo Sports, ran pieces in the same week explicitly arguing Alvarez should be penciled into Washington's 2027 plans. That kind of editorial consensus doesn't form around a fluke.

For the Mustang faithful, Alvarez's emergence is the headline of the week — but he's not the only Cal Poly arm drawing attention.

Drew Thorpe Returns, Woo Stays Steady

Out in Chicago, fellow Cal Poly product Drew Thorpe cleared a significant hurdle: he was activated off the 60-day injured list by the White Sox. The catch — he was immediately optioned to Triple-A Charlotte rather than added to Chicago's active roster. At 25, Thorpe has the pedigree of one of the organization's better pitching prospects, and his return to health at least reopens the door for a late-season audition or a full spring training push in 2027.

In Seattle, Bryan Woo continued to hold his own as a rotation piece for the Mariners. He tossed six innings against Oakland on September 13 — part of a 19-1 blowout — and followed that up with 5.1 innings against Colorado on September 19, surrendering three earned runs in a 5-4 Seattle win. His ERA ticked to 3.92, but Woo has now made multiple consecutive quality-or-near-quality starts and remains part of a Mariners staff that Sports Illustrated noted has a history of developing arms through patience — citing Woo specifically as a development model worth emulating.

Brooks Lee, the Quiet Contributor

Twins shortstop Brooks Lee didn't put up a signature moment this week, but his steady presence at the plate continued. He went 2-for-4 with two RBI in a September 18 loss to the Angels and added another 2-hit game the following afternoon. Lee is hitting .250 on the season, quietly building a résumé as a reliable everyday option at a premium position heading into the offseason.

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The week belonged to Alvarez — and it wasn't particularly close. For a Cal Poly program that has quietly churned out professional-caliber arms, watching one of its own make a legitimate case for a big-league rotation slot in real time is exactly the kind of story the alumni base has been waiting for.

Bryan Woo Nearly Writes History

Cal Poly's finest week in the majors this September started on the mound in Oakland. Bryan Woo was untouchable on Sunday, September 6, spinning eight shutout innings against the Athletics — allowing just one hit and punching out nine — as the Mariners escaped a sweep with a 2-0 win. It was the kind of outing that makes scouts rethink adjectives: Woo attacked the zone, generated weak contact all night, and left the game with an ERA sitting at 4.03 that flatters no one watching his recent form. Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford provided the only offense he'd need. Woo also addressed fans following the performance, a moment that drew attention beyond the box score.

Andrew Alvarez: One Rough, One Redemptive

Andrew Alvarez had a week of two halves on the mound for Washington. In his Monday, September 7 start against the Dodgers — hardly a forgiving lineup — the lefty went 4.1 innings, allowed three earned runs, and struck out five in a 5-4 loss that nudged his ERA up to 3.60. He bounced back sharply on Saturday, September 12, going a full seven innings against the Angels with eight strikeouts in a 6-5 Nationals win. His ERA settled back down to 3.35 after the outing — a sign that the rough Los Angeles start was more aberration than trend. Alvarez is quietly building one of the stronger seasons among Cal Poly pitchers in the majors, and his workload suggests Washington trusts him in high-leverage spots down the stretch.

Brooks Lee Heats Up in Minnesota

While Woo and Alvarez were dealing on the mound, shortstop Brooks Lee was doing his part in the Twins' infield. Lee posted hits in three of his five tracked appearances this week, including a home run on Sunday, September 6 against the White Sox — part of a two-hit, one-RBI, one-run performance. He chipped in another two-hit game with a run scored on Saturday, September 12 as Minnesota edged Cleveland 4-3. His average hovered around .249–.250 throughout the week — modest but consistent for a young shortstop still finding his footing at the big-league level. With the Twins in a playoff push, Lee's ability to contribute offensively in a middle-infield role carries real weight.

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Three Cal Poly alumni. Three distinct contributions. Woo's one-hitter is the marquee moment, but this was a week that reminded Mustang fans their pipeline to the majors runs deeper than one arm. With three weeks left in the regular season, all three are positioned to finish 2026 on meaningful rosters in meaningful games.