Royce Lewis
Age: 20
Position: SS/OF
Level: Double-A
2019 Stats: .236/.290/.371, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 26 2B, 4 3B, 22 SB
Baseball America Ranking: 26th
At this time last year, Lewis wasn’t just one of the top prospects in the game, he was a top 10 prospect and former No. 1 overall pick that looked to be skyrocketing toward Minnesota. Fast forward to today and many have questions about Lewis’ ability to hit at the major league level and wonder if he’ll be shifted to the outfield with the rise of Jorge Polanco.
Lewis’ 2019 wasn’t the way that anybody thought it would play out. After suffering an oblique injury in the early weeks of spring training, his season got off to a slow start and was noted more for a push-up incident on a ball he thought should have left the yard. Once old man baseball rules were enforced, Lewis couldn’t really get going until July, when he hit .266/.330/.457 with 4 HR, 12 RBI and earned a promotion from High-A Fort Myers to Double-A Pensacola.
Lewis didn’t perform well with the Blue Wahoos, but his optimism for this season came with an MVP performance in the Arizona Fall League (.353/.411/.565, 3 HR, 20 RBI) where he tore the cover off the ball for Salt Lake.
As a solid defender that can play multiple positions, the biggest question will be if Lewis’ fall league performance was an indicator of things to come at the plate. If they are, Lewis could be an enticing trade chip or push Jorge Polanco, who was one of the league’s worst defensive shortstops last season.