Royce Lewis

Royce Lewis's Biography

Born on June 5, 1999, Royce Oliver Lewis is an accomplished American professional baseball player who predominantly plays as the third baseman for the Minnesota Twins, a team associated with Major League Baseball (MLB).

Originally from San Juan Capistrano, California, Lewis attended JSerra Catholic High School. His commitment and dedication to the sport led him to a notable achievement as a junior – he was named the high school baseball player of the year by the Los Angeles Times after hitting an impressive .429 with four home runs. His athletic endeavors were not confined to his high school; in the summer of 2016, he participated in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field and the Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park, and he was named the MVP of both games. Notably, in his first three years of high school, he played mostly in the third base and outfield before moving to shortstop in his senior year.

During his final high school years, Lewis was considered one of the top prospects for the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. Coinciding with his recognition was his commitment to joining the University of California, Irvine, to continue pursuing baseball at a collegiate level. Lewis’s impressive abilities were once again recognized when he was named the 2017 California’s Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year after he hit .377 with four home runs and secured 25 stolen bases.

The pinnacle of his early career came when the Minnesota Twins chose Lewis with the first overall selection of the 2017 draft. Not long after, he made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast League Twins at the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League on June 26. This success led him to a promotion to play for the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Single-A Midwest League. During that year, he concluded the season with an average of .279, four home runs, 27 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases in just 54 games between both clubs.

In 2018, Lewis started the season with Cedar Rapids and in 75 games, he hit .315 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs, in addition to scoring fifty runs and 22 stolen bases. His progress and aptitude were noted, and he was promoted mid-year to the Fort Myers Miracle of the High-A Florida State League.

The year after, in 2019, Lewis was invited to spring training as a non-roster player. That season, he was ranked the fifth-best prospect by MLB.com. As a testament to his rising fame, he was also selected to play in the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. That same year, he was promoted the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Double-A Southern League, where he played 127 games and demonstrated a skillful prowess by hitting .236/.290/.371 with 12 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases.

In 2020, Lewis’s journey took a halt due to the cancellation of the minor league season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, his hiatus extended into 2021 due to an ACL injury in his right knee that required surgery and a nine-month recovery time. Despite the setback, the Twins selected him for the 40-man roster at the end of the season.

In 2022, Lewis began his MLB career with the Twins on May 6. On May 13, he hit his first-ever career home run, wowing fans as it was a grand slam off Cleveland Guardians reliever Bryan Shaw. This significant milestone put him down in Twins history as only the second player to hit a grand slam for his first career home run, following Danny Valencia. Despite just 12 games on his score sheet, Lewis hit a .300/.317/.550 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

His journey was once again derailed by an ACL tear to his right knee, which necessitated a surgery that marked the end of that season. However, his resilience and love for the sport were once again demonstrated when he recovered and returned to the field in 2023 as the starting third baseman in just a year.

Despite his rough history with injuries, Lewis consistently proved himself as a valuable asset to the team, proving this by hitting a grand slam in two consecutive games, an achievement unique to him in Twins history. His grand slam numbers did not end there – by September 15, he achieved his fourth, thus setting a new franchise record. However, another injury forced him to go on the injured list on September 22, ending his regular season.

Despite this setback, Lewis was selected for Game 1 of the 2023 AL Wild Card Series, where he hit home runs in his first two at bats. His success continued in Game 4 of the 2023 ALDS, where he tied with Kirby Puckett for the most home runs in one postseason for the Twins.

However, the start of the 2024 season was not as smooth. On Opening Day, Lewis sustained a quadriceps strain that led to his placement on the list of injuries as early as March 30. Despite the ups and downs throughout his career, it is evident that Royce Lewis’s momentum, resilience, and impressive skill set have marked him as a rising MLB star.