After a sluggish summer in the minor leagues, Twins top prospect Royce Lewis is putting on a hitting clinic in the Arizona Fall League.
Lewis, the No. 9 prospect in the majors according to MLB Pipeline, hit .236/.290/.371 during the summer at Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola, but he appears to be fully healthy this fall as he’s hitting a stunning .397/.455/.672 with three home runs and seven doubles in 15 games in the Arizona league.
Lewis was so good the past week – .600/.692/.800 with two doubles, three RBIs and three walks – that he was named the No. 1 prospect on the “hot sheet” by Baseball America.
“In a week capped off with a Fall Stars Game MVP, Lewis continued to hit the daylights out of the ball. The gregarious infielder (who has seen some time in the outfield of late) has made loud contact all fall, resulting in a 1.163 OPS that ranks third in the league. Lewis’ regular season was inconsistent, but he’s showing premium skills on both sides of the ball in the AFL.”
The 20-year-old, who suffered a strained oblique during spring training, also shined as the Fall Stars Game MVP by going 1-for-3, hammering the first pitch he saw over the wall in let-center field for a home run.
Last year’s Fall Stars Game stars were Pete Alonso and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., two of the top rookies in the MLB this season.
It’s unlikely that Lewis will start next season in the big leagues, but if he hits at Double-A and Triple-A the way he’s hitting the ball this fall, the Twins will have no choice but to call him up at some point next season.
