Former Alabama Standout Chase Lee Selected as Minor League Reliever of the Year for Texas Organization
10/11/2022 8:49:00 AM | Baseball
Lee was drafted by the Rangers in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and has quickly ascended the MiLB ranks
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Former Alabama reliever Chase Lee was selected as the Minor League Reliever of the Year in the Texas Rangers organization, the team announced last week.
Lee, who split his time between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock, was one of five Minor League players honored by the Rangers. He began his season with Frisco, posting a 2.25 ERA (6 ER/24.0 IP) in 21 games, before leveling up to join the Express on June 14.
Once on the Triple-A level, Lee went 1-1 with a 5.46 ERA (19 ER/31.1 IP) across 30 outings. He allowed 11 earned runs over his first five outings in Round Rock before settling in to post a 2.63 ERA (8 ER/27.1 IP) with 34 strikeouts compared to just six walks spanning his final 25 appearances.
"I'm very proud of Chase and what he has accomplished in the minor leagues so far in his brief professional career," said Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon. "No one who is associated with the Alabama Baseball program is surprised at the success he has had and will continue to have going forward. We are excited to continue to support Chase and to hopefully see him pitch in the Major Leagues very soon."
Originally a walk-on for the Crimson Tide, Lee was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers. He left Alabama with an impressive 9-0 record and nine saves to go with a 1.87 ERA (17 ER/82.0 IP) in 49 career outings. Lee's most impressive season came in 2021 where he finished 7-0 with seven saves and a lowly 1.33 ERA (6 ER/40.2 IP) in 22 appearances. His junior season was capped off with third team All-America honors from the NCBWA and ABCA/Rawlings All-Southeast Region First Team accolades.
An equally impressive student, Lee earned his degree from the Capstone in May of 2021 in aerospace engineering, finishing with a 3.487 cumulative grade-point average. He was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV First Team for baseball, one of just 16 Alabama student-athletes at the time to earn all-district recognition. During his time in Tuscaloosa, Lee was also named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll three times from 2019-21
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