Lee posted a 5.11 ERA and 1.70 WHIP over 27 games (20 starts) during his first season at Triple-A Norfolk.
Entering 2017, the hype surrounding the 6-foot-3 southpaw was loud. Lee pitched well in spring training and almost snagged a temporary Opening Day rotation spot while Chris Tillman recovered from a shoulder injury. Most figured Lee would make his MLB debut at some point during the year, but as fate would have it, the pitcher wound up finishing the campaign with his worst marks since playing at the rookie levels. International League hitters, most of whom have big-league experience, tallied a .302 BAA over 116.1 innings. In fairness, Lee was victimized by an unlucky .352 BABIP and career-low 70.6 percent strand rate. He'll likely still be regarded as an MLB candidate when camp opens in February, but it's hard to believe he'll make the jump without having to show improvements at Triple-A first.