Monday’s game between the Fort Myers Miracle and the Lakeland Flying Tigers might’ve been a view into the future for fans of the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers, as the first overall picks in the last two MLB Drafts squared off for the first time.
Royce Lewis, the 19-year-old shortstop the Twins took first overall in 2017, went 2-for-2 with a homer against Casey Mize, the 21-year-old right-hander who went No. 1 to Detroit in June.
Mize was pulled after three innings so they didn’t get a third matchup, but it didn’t matter because Lewis kept on hitting, finishing 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBI in the 13-0 win for Minnesota’s Class A-advanced affiliate.
“I’m just having fun out there,” Lewis said after the game, via MiLB.com. “I feel that I’m a talented young man playing baseball. That’s what I love to do, and I try to play as hard as I can every night.”
After singling and homering against Mize, Lewis struck out and grounded out before adding a single and then a two-run homer in the ninth inning.
“Even in that last at-bat, I was looking for something to drive,” Lewis said. “It’s important to lock in there, because when you’re up [11-0], it’s natural to get a little lax. I felt like I gave away my previous two at-bats, so I was upset with myself. The homers come when you’re not trying to hit them, but I was happy I changed my mind-set and got back to hitting the ball hard there.”
That’s the kind of maturity Lewis is already known for, drawing comparisons to players like Derek Jeter, Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor.
In 21 games with Fort Myers, Lewis is hitting .329/.418./.506 with nine extra-base hits, 24 runs and 17 RBI. Here’s a really cool look at his big leg kick.
Start your week with some Royce Lewis open-side swings. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/r6DLdXZCxH
— Josh Norris 🐻 (@jnorris427) August 6, 2018
Lewis is still probably two years from making the jump to the big leagues, and it’ll be a highly anticipated day when he arrives.
