It took awhile amid a streak of injuries, but
Royce Lewis finally became a regular in the Minnesota lineup and showed he's a budding superstar. Lewis didn't play in his first major league game until May 29 due his rehab from a second torn right ACL in consecutive seasons. He immediately provided a jolt to the offense by hitting .326 with four homers and an .827 OPS in 26 games before being shelved by another injury. He missed six weeks due to an oblique injury but returned to hit .295 with 11 home runs and a .992 OPS in 32 games. He suffered his third serious injury in late September, a strained left hamstring, but was able to return for the playoffs where he hit four home runs with a 1.119 OPS in six games. When in the lineup, Lewis showed outstanding power as his max exit velocity was 55th overall and his barrels per plate appearances were 51st among hitters with his comparable playing time. He also hit four grand slams - the first player in MLB history with five slams among his first 16 career homers. He also has good plate discipline (8.6 BB/9 and just 23.0 K) which could make batting average an asset. Lewis is also fast on the basepaths, but his injury concerns could limit his stolen base attempts. He looks set to be Minnesota's everyday third baseman as the Twins have said he won't play in the outfield given his knee issues and Carlos Correa is entrenched at shortstop. Whether he'll be a premium defender at the hot corner remains to be seen, but staying healthy appears to be the only concern as he looks set to be a cornerstone of the Minnesota lineup.
