Twins Daily 2023 Top Prospects: #2 Royce Lewis, SS

[Ted Schwerzler]

Now having made his Major League debut and looking to get back in 2023, the expectations for the former top pick have never been higher. If we’ve seen anything to this point, it’s that counting him out isn’t a great idea.

 

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

Age: 23 (DOB: 6/5/1999)
2022 Stats: 12 G, .300/.317/.550, 4 2B, 2 HR, 2.4% BB, 12.2% K

National Top 100 Rankings:
BA: 82 | MLB: 46 | BP: 40

 

What's To Like
After not playing in professional baseball since the 2019 season, 2022 represented an opportunity to see Royce Lewis back in game action. He had nowhere to play outside of St. Paul for alternate site action in 2020, and then he suffered a fluke knee injury after tearing his ACL in Texas before the 2021 season.

There was plenty of reason to be uncertain about what Lewis would bring to the table given his time off, but he picked right back up where things ended during 2019 Arizona Fall League action. Although his swing left plenty to be desired during the regular season in 2019, his .975 OPS across 22 games for Salt River was plenty exciting.

Lewis began the 2022 season with Triple-A St. Paul. It was a substantial leap given he played just 33 games at Double-A two years prior, but he looked every bit like he belonged. In 24 games to start the season, Lewis owned a .993 OPS and had an even more impressive 20/17 K/BB ratio. His plate discipline translated to a .430 OBP, and he blasted a trio of home runs alongside 11 doubles.

After an injury to starting shortstop Carlos Correa, Lewis found himself making his major-league debut at a position some wondered whether he could hold down. The bat played in the big leagues, and although the plate discipline slid some, he more than held his own offensively. In the field, Lewis looked the part of a natural shortstop and made plenty of throws that suggested he could stick at the position. Even after Correa returned from injury, Lewis still found a way to force his way onto Rocco Baldelli’s 26-man roster.

What’s Left to Work On
Similar to the situation entering 2022, Lewis will again need to prove he’s healthy and ready for the next challenge. After making a brief cameo in centerfield filling in for Byron Buxton, Lewis tore his ACL again in a fluke collision with the wall. He has every idea how to rehab the injury a second time around, and it’s clear he came back strong, but the proof will need to be there again.

This time around Lewis will also be returning to a new position. He played third base in high school and could factor there with Jose Miranda, or he could play second base with Jorge Polanco. There will be opportunities at shortstop, but the bulk of that time is going to go to Correa in the foreseeable future. Getting Lewis reps around the diamond at St. Paul will be a must early on this summer.

When it comes to production at the plate, Lewis will also need to work on consistency. His 12 game sample size was great, but indicative of very little. He struck out just five times in 41 plate appearances, but he also only drew one walk. Bringing the plate discipline and on-base prowess from Triple-A in 2022 is something that Minnesota would love to see. His swing has calmed down quite a bit, and working to make that habit needs to continue as well.

What’s Next
For Lewis, it’s going to be continued rehab the rest of the spring and into the early summer. He has indicated feeling better, sooner than he did last time around. Recovering from his previous ACL injury, Lewis came back a bit stronger and was clocked running record speeds down the first base line. It remains to be seen how that will go after a second procedure, but his body continues to be something that matures.

Minnesota fans can expect to see Lewis play for the Saints again at some point this summer, but betting on it being a long-term thing seems relatively foolish considering how quickly he worked through the level a year ago. Character has long been off the charts for Lewis, and expecting another setback to hold him down for long doesn’t seem wise. There isn’t much left for Lewis to prove on the farm, so as soon as he’s health and producing, he’ll be donning the Twins new threads at Target Field.

Feel free to discuss Royce Lewis as a prospect and ask as many questions as you like in the COMMENTS below.

Previous Installments
Honorable Mention
Prospects 21-30
Prospects 16-20
Prospects 11-15
Prospect #10: Austin Martin, SS
Prospect #9: Louie Varland, RHP
Prospect #8: Jose Salas, INF
Prospect #7: Connor Prielipp, LHP
Prospect #6: Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP
Prospect #5: Edouard Julien, 2B
Prospect #4: Marco Raya, RHP
Prospect #3: Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF
Prospect #2: Royce Lewis, SS
Prospect #1: Coming Tomorrow!

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[mikelink45]

Only 23 but it seems like we have seen him on this list at least 10 years.  Did we sign him at 13?

I hope for health.

[Doctor Gast]

Lewis has shown that he can play SS, hit at the MLB level & excel. Plus he has proven that he can come back from a torn ACL better than ever. With all the tangible & intangible qualities that he has & that he has nothing more to prove. He is still my #1.

By rights he shouldn't be still a prospect & like Jeff I'm still mad at Rocco.

A fluke collision with the CF wall?

[Nashvilletwin]

Your 2024 Minnesota Twins Position Players (13)

Starting infielders: Correa, Miranda, Lewis, Lee. 

Starting outfielders: Buxton, Gordon, Larnach.

Starting catcher: Vasquez

Designated Hitter: Kiriloff

Bench players: Julien, Martin, Wallner, Jeffers.

Summary

Three core veterans, five multi year young players, five essentially full-time first year players. 

Ten players essentially on league minimum; all thirteen under team control through 2025 and twelve under team control through at least 2027.

Excellent combination of power, OBP/BA, L/R.

Strong defensively, particularly up the middle.

Superior positional flexibility.

Mediocre, but acceptable, basebath speed.

This is the new, exciting position player core coming soon to the Twin Cities to bring multiple AL Pennants, at least one additional World Series title, and year after year drawing 2+ million fans to Target Field.

Please Falvey, Rocco and Injury God - don’t screw this up.
 

[miracleb]

Love that Nashville!

[davidborton]

Quote

Character has long been off the charts for Lewis, and expecting another setback to hold him down for long doesn’t seem wise.

Have always loved the character aspect of Lewis from the first interview I saw.

Not a doc, but two ACL surgeries for a position which requires great lateral movement, quick pivots? Not so pleased with my own pessimism.

[Cris E]

Lewis is a very good ballplayer and I like his future better than most, including Julien who I expect to be another Arraez in 2025. I believe Lewis will be the fill-in 2B/SS for any longer Polanco/Correa outages we may suffer over the next few years, and his permanent position is probably as Polanco's heir at 2b. That means he has to fill a couple years with mixed duty around the field. I'm OK with that I guess, because if he's made of glass he'll break no matter where he plays.

As an aside, I think Gordon's got some serious roster space problems as soon as Royce is ready to come across the river. He'll be the first one pushed out until some injury gives him a chance to get back in. And he'll be pushed from that spot if Lee is ready and there's a long-term injury hole to fill. Wallner's bat erupting in April and May could also make him uncomfortable.  I bet he's traded before Kepler.

[Dman]

I still Believe Royce Lewis is an All Star caliber player. I know Correa has Short held down for now but Royce could be valuable in a variety of spots.  I know he got hurt in the outfield and he has said before that he prefers to stay in the infield but he sure would be a nice right handed bat for center or right field.  Still even if he ends up at third I think he could have a difference making bat along with plus defense.  So far all it has been for me is hopes and dreams.  Hopefully he stays healthy from here on out and helps take this team to the next level.

[Tibs]

I know Lee had a good start to his professional career and I can see the concerns with Lewis after another knee injury. I'm still taking him as the Twins top prospect 7 days of the week. I'm very excited to see what he can do this year.

[miracleb]

So maybe full time player with the Saints by.......July-ish?  Is that what I am reading?

[jmlease1]

The tools are still great, and last season he showed just how well those tools can translate into production. He's been unlucky recently: the pandemic year cost him a developmental season (although the Twins smartly got him into the Saint Paul "camp" as i recall) and then he blew out the knee in a fluke slip. For him to come back into full-bore competition looking as good as ever after essentially 2 years of no real baseball and dealing with a significant injury says a lot. He's got the makeup and the talent to be great (and seems like a really good dude too).

I hope he comes back all the way. I think he will; he's got that extra something special about him.

I'm not sure where he lands positionally, but I think he might be the super utility guy who plays starters minutes without having a set starting position. (I'm not ready to throw Polanco out with the trash like some people seem to be; he's signed through 2025 and he's a damn good player)

A 2024 hitting roster of: Jeffers, Kirilloff, Polanco, Correa, Lee, Larnach, Buxton, Gordon, Miranda, Martin, Lewis, Vazquez, and Julien could be kinda awesome.

[gman]

I think i would keep Lewis away from second base, at least for this year. Try to reduce the risk of hard slides away from his injured knee.

With the way the roster is, everyone coming up will probably need to play multiple positions. Unless there are several trades this year between now and the trade deadline. I'd expect at least 1 trade. He should be one of the guys backing up shortstop, along with Farmer.

[tony&rodney]

Athletes have recovered from ACL inuries in the past, so I believe Lewis can step right into the lineup when he completes a refresher tour in St. Paul. I hope he is with the Twins by July 1. He doesn't hardly feel like a prospect still, yet he is.

The return of Royce Lewis and the emergence of others should begin to clarify where each fits best in the field. The Twins could also be keeping an eye out for that elusive arm, aka Corbin Burnes. While I don't expect Milwaukee to part with Burnes this season or that the Twins will be comfortable trading some of their top prospects, it is something to keep way in the back of the mind. 

Many have pointed to Alex Kirilloff as a key factor for the Twins, both at first base and in the middle of the lineup. It has also been noted that health across the board is needed. Position players are less apt to miss time with injuries than pitchers, so I expect we shall see better results in games available. A return to excellence by Jorge Polanco can be a huge addition to the Twins for this season and going forward. The production that we have seen from Polanco when he is whole can not be expected from our younger players and his toughness is needed too. Thus, Jorge in the fold for three years further brightens the Twins outlook and increases Falvey's options going forward.

I'm more optimistic about this team than I have been for years. The return of Royce Lewis is just one of the  reasons. 

[pierre75275]

I am surprised by the insistence of people that RL will not be ready until the middle of July. I don't buy it.

When I was 21 I had the unfortunate experience of tearing my ACL. This was over 20 yrs ago. I can tell you I am not, and never have by any stretch of the imagination, been a world class athlete 🤣. However, I was playing racquetball and basketball 4 months after surgery.

I understand it's back to back years and there is pry caution involved due to monatery investment by the team but for 1 would not be surprised to see him playing baseball at a high level before July.

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I really wish Royce Lewis the very best in his career as a Twin. He is a special player and appears to be a very positive person. With Lewis, Correa, Buck on a team, the positivity will be enormous. 

[PDX Twin]

1 hour ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Mediocre, but acceptable, basebath speed

I usually prefer slower basebaths anyway. Otherwise it splashes too much.

[2wins87]

Figured it would be close, but that Lee would ultimately be the #1.

I'm still in the camp for Lewis as the #1 prospect.  I really believe the short sample from last year was Lewis finally putting it all together.  Lee is not even close to competing on tools alone, and I still feel pretty bullish on Lewis being able to access those tools effectively at the MLB level.

If the question is who do you value higher in a trade, I'd probably say Lee.  Lewis will have over a year of MLB service time after coming back, so it will limit how much value he can accumulate while under team control.  He also probably won't get a chance to accumulate a ton of positional value at SS.  Assuming normal health for Lee, he will probably have at least a year more of actual playing time under team control.  I also think Lewis would be the more valuable SS between the two if given the chance to play there regularly, but its a moot point for his value to the team unless Correa gets hurt or has to move to 3B faster than expected for some reason.

But for the subtly different question of top prospect, I still expect Lewis to be the more valuable player on a per game basis at his peak, possibly by quite a bit.  Even factoring in more health questions going forward, I see Lewis as the better player on a per season basis as well, but it could be closer there if Lewis continues to be a higher injury risk.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, Cris E said:

. I believe Lewis will be the fill-in 2B/SS for any longer Polanco/Correa outages we may suffer over the next few years, and his permanent position is probably as Polanco's heir at 2b. That means he has to fill a couple years with mixed duty around the field. I'm OK with that I guess, because if he's made of glass he'll break no matter where he plays.

At no point should a prospect be rated #2 in any system where he is used as a fill in for a couple of years at the age of 24 (He turns 24 in June).

If he is good enough to be ranked #2 (and I believe he is) here is a list of players that should take a back seat to him (Gordon, Miranda, Gallo, Wallner, Larnach, Kepler, AK, and possibly Polanco if he isn't playing well) if he is playing well, you find a spot on the field for a talent like that and currently only Correa and Buxton (and maybe AK if fully healthy) have his level of talent, so you find a spot for him 3B, 2B, 1B, LF, or right field, there is ZERO reason (if playing well) for him to be in the minors or behind the guys I listed above.

[TwinsDr2021]

2 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Your 2024 Minnesota Twins Position Players (13)

Starting infielders: Correa, Miranda, Lewis, Lee. 

Starting outfielders: Buxton, Gordon, Larnach.

Starting catcher: Vasquez

Designated Hitter: Kiriloff

Bench players: Julien, Martin, Wallner, Jeffers.

Summary

Three core veterans, five multi year young players, five essentially full-time first year players. 

Ten players essentially on league minimum; all thirteen under team control through 2025 and twelve under team control through at least 2027.

Excellent combination of power, OBP/BA, L/R.

Strong defensively, particularly up the middle.

Superior positional flexibility.

Mediocre, but acceptable, basebath speed.

This is the new, exciting position player core coming soon to the Twin Cities to bring multiple AL Pennants, at least one additional World Series title, and year after year drawing 2+ million fans to Target Field.

Please Falvey, Rocco and Injury God - don’t screw this up.
 

As of today that is a very, very weak offensive/Defensive team. that team is basically filled with completely unproven players at every position except SS and CF (Injury prone) (maybe catcher I guess), that along with Gray, Mahle and less so Maeda being free agents has the look of a rebuilding team.

On the other hand if Lee, Lewis, Julien, Martin, Wallner, SWR, and a couple of pitching prospects do well (and AK fully healthy) it has the looks of a very competitive team for 5-7 years.

It is good to dream!

 

[Mike Sixel]

He hasn't been healthy for three years. Counting him out makes tons of sense.

That said ...I would put him in center field, and have him be Buxton's full time backup. He'd start in left when Buxton can play the field.

[sweetmusicviola16]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Lewis has shown that he can play SS, hit at the MLB level & excel. Plus he has proven that he can come back from a torn ACL better than ever. With all the tangible & intangible qualities that he has & that he has nothing more to prove. He is still my #1.

By rights he shouldn't be still a prospect & like Jeff I'm still mad at Rocco.

A fluke collision with the CF wall?

I agree with every point you make.

Royce shouldn't even be on this list. The debate should be where he falls as an organizational asset. Top 5 for sure.

Bonehead move putting Lewis in CF that day.

[mickster]

3 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Your 2024 Minnesota Twins Position Players (13)

Starting infielders: Correa, Miranda, Lewis, Lee. 

Starting outfielders: Buxton, Gordon, Larnach.

Starting catcher: Vasquez

Designated Hitter: Kiriloff

Bench players: Julien, Martin, Wallner, Jeffers.

Summary

Three core veterans, five multi year young players, five essentially full-time first year players. 

Ten players essentially on league minimum; all thirteen under team control through 2025 and twelve under team control through at least 2027.

Excellent combination of power, OBP/BA, L/R.

Strong defensively, particularly up the middle.

Superior positional flexibility.

Mediocre, but acceptable, basebath speed.

This is the new, exciting position player core coming soon to the Twin Cities to bring multiple AL Pennants, at least one additional World Series title, and year after year drawing 2+ million fans to Target Field.

Please Falvey, Rocco and Injury God - don’t screw this up.
 

I disagree on Gordon - we will be gone either this year or next as well as Martin.   I believe both will end up traded

[chpettit19]

1 hour ago, pierre75275 said:

I am surprised by the insistence of people that RL will not be ready until the middle of July. I don't buy it.

When I was 21 I had the unfortunate experience of tearing my ACL. This was over 20 yrs ago. I can tell you I am not, and never have by any stretch of the imagination, been a world class athlete 🤣. However, I was playing racquetball and basketball 4 months after surgery.

I understand it's back to back years and there is pry caution involved due to monatery investment by the team but for 1 would not be surprised to see him playing baseball at a high level before July.

 

I believe he's already doing baseball activities. I believe the last interview of his I saw he said he was starting to hit. But I could be wrong. I don't know what the rehab process looks like, but I'm pretty sure he's already doing baseball things. It's just a matter of how much more building up he needs to do to really let it rip everyday. Or my overly optimistic brain has made this all up and he's not actually doing baseball things yet. But I'm pretty sure that's what I saw.

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I agree with every point you make.

Royce shouldn't even be on this list. The debate should be where he falls as an organizational asset. Top 5 for sure.

Bonehead move putting Lewis in CF that day.

Zero, zero, zero, evidence CF is dangerous. People get hurt playing sports, or even just walking around in his case. 

[Doctor Gast]

7 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

I agree with every point you make.

Royce shouldn't even be on this list. The debate should be where he falls as an organizational asset. Top 5 for sure.

Bonehead move putting Lewis in CF that day.

Crazy thing is he might not graduate this year to qualify for rookie of the year (ROY).

[chpettit19]

Lewis would be #1 on my list, and the starting RFer for the Twins the second he's healthy this year. Well maybe a week in AAA to get his timing down. I'd have him as the starting RFer, and primary Buxton fill-in (replacing Taylor), moving forward. 

It's fascinating to me that people think the straight line running, with very occasional impacts with the wall, is so much more dangerous for a knee than the lateral movements with full speed sprint into immediate stop and twist actions of a SS would be. Do we see a lot of ACL injuries on guys running straight and just falling down grasping their knees or guys in the middle of a cut and they crumple in a heap?

[Mike Sixel]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Lewis would be #1 on my list, and the starting RFer for the Twins the second he's healthy this year. Well maybe a week in AAA to get his timing down. I'd have him as the starting RFer, and primary Buxton fill-in (replacing Taylor), moving forward. 

It's fascinating to me that people think the straight line running, with very occasional impacts with the wall, is so much more dangerous for a knee than the lateral movements with full speed sprint into immediate stop and twist actions of a SS would be. Do we see a lot of ACL injuries on guys running straight and just falling down grasping their knees or guys in the middle of a cut and they crumple in a heap?

People have a NEED to blame someone, even though most things in the universe happen. Just happen. With no one at fault. But, people have a NEED to believe things are in our control, hence blaming people for this (who do we blame for him getting hurt walking?).

[Obsvr]

28 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

People get hurt playing sports, or even just walking around in his case. 

Royce is 2 for 2.

Elite level.

[Mike Sixel]

26 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Crazy thing is he might not graduate this year to qualify for rookie of the year (ROY).

I'll be surprised if he plays enough to lose his rookie eligibility. Not totally so, but somewhat.

[Nashvilletwin]

1 hour ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

As of today that is a very, very weak offensive/Defensive team. that team is basically filled with completely unproven players at every position except SS and CF (Injury prone) (maybe catcher I guess), that along with Gray, Mahle and less so Maeda being free agents has the look of a rebuilding team.

On the other hand if Lee, Lewis, Julien, Martin, Wallner, SWR, and a couple of pitching prospects do well (and AK fully healthy) it has the looks of a very competitive team for 5-7 years.

It is good to dream!

 

Actually, a very weak offensive team has Gallo, Kepler, Taylor and Farmer in the lineup.

But you make a great point: a lot of these players are unproven. To that end:

a) it’s important we get them the innings to see not only what we have in them, but also accelerate their development;

b) it’s more than likely not all of them will turn out due to injury or difficulty making the grade - that is why having 10 of them on league minimum provides the financial flexibility to go get the key one or two FAs (think Vasquez, not Gallo) to augment the roster as needed; and

c) we will have other fine young players who will be knocking on the door, including a couple as soon as late ‘24 or ‘25 (i.e. Rodriguez, Salas and Miller).

The future is bright.