Royce Lewis, 3B
It's hard to believe, after all that Royce Lewis has been through, that last year was his rookie season in the majors. It feels like he's been around forever -- which he sort of has. He was drafted back in 2017 but has spent the last few seasons battling injuries that seemed like they might derail his ascension.
Lewis has torn his ACL twice, but he made a triumphant return last May and never looked back. He made an impact right out the gate, single-handily helping the Twins win a game in Houston that they otherwise should have lost. That was the start of Lewis jump starting Minnesota's offense, something that eventually led to him hitting four grand slams in the span of 18 games in late August.
ROYCE LEWIS GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/vEj1ZJ9U52
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 29, 2023
ROYCE LEWIS GRAND SLAM!
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 4, 2023
The 2017 #1 overall pick has arrived pic.twitter.com/R2CMXvtu9G
He still battled injuries last season but nothing as serious as what he dealt with before. It also didn't stop him from finishing the season slashing .309/.372/.548 in 58 games while posting a .921 OPS and driving in 52 runs. Lewis was exactly what the Twins needed last year and the lineup was noticeably better with him in it.
That would suggest he broke out last year, which he did in terms of busting onto the scene but it simply set the stage for him to truly deliver on seven years of promise. Lewis is being pegged as a dark horse MVP candidate and he's been firmly established as a face of the franchise moving forward. If he hits his 80th percentile projections, according to ZiPS, Lewis will have a 4.1 WAR which is second to Carlos Correa. That's the company he's in and this is just the second year of his career and the first one where he's going to start the season on the MLB roster.
The idea that he's only scratching the surface and we've yet to see him fully breakout is exciting for Twins fans and terrifying for the rest of the league