The first overall pick in the MLB Draft is living up to the hype for the Minnesota Twins in the minor leagues.
Royce Lewis, an 18-year-old shortstop, is third in the Midwest League with a .372 batting average for the Class A Cedar Rapids Kernels, and his three hits in Monday’s game were the ninth time in 19 games he’s had multiple hits, including six times in his last nine games.
His stellar play, at the plate and in the field, has Jeff Johnson of the Cedar Rapids Gazette wondering how much more the Twins need to see before promoting the “wunderkid” to high-Class A Fort Myers.
“I just keep that out of my mind, because it’s not necessary,” Lewis told Johnson last week. “I can only control the controllables. What I can control is trying to get more hits.”
Royce Lewis continues to rake for @CRKernels:
Tonight: 3-for-5
Past 6 games: 11-for-21 (.524)
Lewis is the #MNTwins No. 1 prospect: https://t.co/QHu30m3ymE pic.twitter.com/rpPnBXEAmY— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 8, 2018
How does Lewis compare to another high school player taken No. 1 overall by the Twins?
Well, Joe Mauer, drafted first overall in 2001, hit .302 in 110 games at low-Class A in 2002. He then hit .338 at AA and .400 in seven games at Class AAA before being called up to the big leagues as a 21 year old in 2004.
Lewis turns 19 on June 5 and has a long way to go, but it’s good to see that he’s off to such a fast start in his first full minor league season.
The Twins selected Lewis over a couple of other high profile picks, including right-handed pitcher Hunter Greene, who went second overall to the Reds. Greene is scheduled to pitch against Lewis and the Kernels on Tuesday.
Greene, also just 18 years old, has a 13.97 ERA in five starts this season.
