The Minnesota Twins selected shortstop Royce Lewis with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. He could be a star down the road, according to scouts.
The Minnesota Twins held the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, and they decided to go with middle infield help. They picked shortstop Royce Lewis out of JSerra Catholic High School in California. Lewis may have been a surprise to some baseball people, as the Twins were connected to many other names prior to the draft, including high school phenom Hunter Greene.
Lewis possesses a fantastic combination of speed and power and some say he has some of the best tools in this draft class. He is six feet two inches tall and weighs in at 188 pounds. His size will help him in becoming a power hitting major league shortstop. He is also just 18 years old.
Lewis is expected to sign, even though he is committed to play baseball at University of California-Irvine. He has the potential to steal upwards of 20 bases in a season at the big leagues and should provide solid power and a good batting average.
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The Twins have some exciting young middle infielders in their system, including their organizational top prospect Nick Gordon. Gordon may be more fit for second base, which could help Lewis become their shortstop when he is ready. If Brian Dozier walks in his contract year after 2018, the Twins will not be hurting with their minor league middle infield depth.
While Twins pitching has been shaky, and their pitching prospects have not been panning out, their could be opportunity to snag a pitcher later in the draft. While they did not take Greene, who can both pitch and play shortstop, they took the best position player on the board and that should get people excited.
Some scouts are saying Lewis could be ready by 2020. If that is the case, the Twins will be bringing him up at a good time. With their young core maturing more and more everyday, and the chance Gordon comes up to be productive, the Twins are going to be in the thick of contention when Lewis is finally ready.
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While the Twins did not draft Hunter Greene, they still picked a potential star with the first overall pick. He could be the shortstop of the future for Minnesota, which could be a solution to a position that has plagued the franchise for years. It will be exciting to see what he does when he comes to the bigs.