The Freak: How Does Royce Lewis Make It Look So Easy?!

[Nick Nelson]

It's not so much what he's doing – it's how he's doing it, and what he's gone through to get here. Royce Lewis is on a path to becoming a franchise great, and he's leaving opposing pitchers at a loss for answers.

Baseball is a hard game. How can he possibly make it look so easy?

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Back in January, Twins Daily hosted its annual Winter Meltdown event, bringing together fans during the weekend of Twins Fest for an evening of drinks, food and baseball chatter in downtown Minneapolis. Our special guests at The Pourhouse this year were Matt Wallner and Louie Varland, two locally-sourced players whose baseball journeys have been inspiring – but also illustrative examples of how ruthless this game can be at the highest level.

Wallner and Varland were coming off impressive rookie seasons at the time of their on-stage interview with John Bonnes and Aaron Gleeman, but have since faced the harsh realities of league adjustments, advanced scouting reports, setbacks, slumps and demotions. These reapers come for a vast majority of big-leaguers at some point, even the most talented ones, and they seem to be especially prevalent for sophomores coming off breakthrough rookie seasons. (Just ask Edouard Julien.)

In listening back to their Winter Meltdown interview recently, I was struck by a particular moment. Gleeman was asking Wallner about the experience of shuttling from Triple-A, with its automated strike zone, to the major leagues and adapting to human umps. Aaron recalled a conversation with Royce Lewis in which Lewis shared that, during his time in St. Paul, he started to notice the ABS system would never call strikes at the top of the zone, so he was able to rule them out entirely.

"One thing I'll say is, I never listen to anything Royce says," Wallner quickly replied, "because he's a freak." Laughter arose from the crowd and Wallner smirked, but anyone could see he was at least half-serious.

The outfielder continued: "He sees the game differently than me ... He's that good. He's unbelievable. I mean, he can lay off that high pitch so, he's impressive." Wallner was losing himself in thought, trying to summon words for the indescribable ability level of his teammate, and eventually caught himself. "So, um, can you go back to your question?"

That exchange sticks in my head, watching Lewis's 2024 season unfold. There's just no other way to describe him. He's an absolute freak, capable of sustaining a higher level of play than almost anyone else you've ever seen, even in the face of repeated interruptions.

Lewis himself has bought into his own mythical aura, and who could blame him? Last week, he told reporters, "I don't do that slump thing. That's not a real thing for me." It's a claim that would be perfectly absurd coming from virtually any other player, and even Lewis – who is confident but not oblivious – surely meant it more as a reflection of his mindset than an actual expectation.

And yet ... sure enough, after the 0-for-5 effort that prompted this remark from Lewis, he homered in three straight games, including a three-hit night following his rare 0-fer.

 

The journey to this point has been anything but smooth for the former No. 1 overall draft pick. He tore his ACL twice in a row, and since returning to the field midway through last season, he's spent time on the injured list with an oblique strain, a hamstring strain, and most recently a severe quad strain. The 25-year-old has missed huge chunks of crucial development time while recovering from repeated, significant injuries. He's been extremely limited in terms of opportunities to face competitive pitching over the past three years. 

It doesn't seem to matter. Every time Lewis picks up a bat and steps into the box at the major-league level, he instantly resumes being one of the best hitters anyone has ever seen. He spearheaded the effort to conquer Minnesota's postseason curse last October, going deep four times in six playoff games. This year, Lewis has homered 10 times in 18 games, finding the seats in seven of his past 12. He came about two feet short of making it 11 of 18 and eight of 12 in his first AB on Sunday.

He's a threat to hit a nuke at any time, and what's most astounding is his control of the strike zone in tandem with that capability. Pitchers have been unable to take advantage of Lewis's aggressiveness and ferocious cuts. He's struck out only 12 times in 75 plate appearances, with eight walks. He's hitting home runs at a historic rate, while getting the lumber on everything. Opponents can't get anything by him – fastballs, offspeed, breaking balls, he's crushing all of it.

Wallner is not exactly a slouch when it comes to playing the game of baseball. He was named Mr. Baseball in Minnesota while playing high school ball at Forest Lake. He was a college star, a first-round draft pick, a Twins Minor League Player of the Year, and then a standout rookie who posted a 141 OPS+ in his first prolonged exposure to the big leagues. Yet, even he can't find a way to relate to the supernatural ballplayer that is Royce Lewis, and Wallner's sense of astonishment is seemingly shared by all around him, from teammates to coaches to broadcasters, who can't hide their incredulity watching Lewis perform.

Their eyes do not deceive them. Lewis is playing at a rate unsurpassed through this point in franchise history. A lot of greats have donned the Twins uniform, including another naturally-gifted top draft pick who's headed to the Hall of Fame next month. But none have done what Lewis is doing.

No one can seem to find the words to articulate what they're seeing, so if you're struggling to do so, don't feel alone. All we need to do is sit back and witness. What we're seeing is truly special, whether you're a fan sitting at home on the couch or a 10-year veteran watching this unique greatness from the same field.

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[dxpavelka]

Good at baseball

[Patzky]

"Most likely to succeed."

[Dman]

I am shocked at how well he has done against breaking and off-speed pitches.  That truly leaves the pitcher with no real advantageous way to attack him.  I will say I have been impressed with what he has done on many levels.  It's just that he is injured so often you don't get to see it for long.  That would be my only complaint to this point.  He looks like one of those very elusive star players that every team tries to find.  Just hoping he can stay healthy.

[tony&rodney]

Let's just hope Lewis stays healthy and can play through the entire season this year.

[LambchoP]

He's our best player no doubt. I think next year will be the final challenge. You see a lot of stars come up, absolutely crush opposing pitching. But then the book and scouting report gets put out on them and they go through difficulties, aka sophomore slump. I think Lewis may be the one guy that there is no scout report on how to get him out. He hits everything! We just need to keep him healthy for a full season. We do that, I think he's a legit MVP candidate.

[Trov]

It is crazy to think where he would be if COVID shut down and his injuries had not happened.  I would love to see Twins offer a Bobby Witt type extension, because he seems like the type of guy that will hit into his late 30's.  The team is under little pressure to really try to lock up though because he is arb eligible through age 29 season.  He does not have a reason to sign away FA years though because it will eat into his overall possible deal.  I could see, unless things change in the next few years, him still getting a 9 to 11 year deal from a top market team at age 30. 

[Doctor Gast]

Lewis is a rare breed, someone special who has veered away from being put in a mold of hitting a certain way. Instead he has developed his own unique hitting approach that adjusts to everything. all the time. I knew he'd hit HRs although he doesn't focus on HRs but it's crazy how many HRs that he generates. From the beginning, I knew he was someone special with his character, attitude & feel for the game that he'd succeed no matter what. When he was struggling with hitting in the minors. I knew he'd find himself, When he was hurt that he'd come back yet he showed that he could come back better than ever. I have faith that he'd overcome any obstacle that faces him because of his faith. I'm not a big extension guy but I'd extend him as fast I can because he loves baseball. he loves to play on this team & he has great things ahead of him.

[AKTwinsFan]

He's got a power swing that pulls the ball in a hurry. Great talent.

[Parfigliano]

Exceptional hand eye coordination 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Missed an opportunity by not titling this article "Le Freak, C'est Chic".

[Linus]

I think his relentless optimism is a factor. Most of us limit ourselves because we have a mental limit on what’s possible. Not Royce. Combine that with Uber talent and this is what you get. 

[MABB1959]

• I just hope he doesn't let the coaching staff mess with his approach.  Think we have seen that movie a few too many times
• Please keep him healthy
• Sign him no matter what!

[D.C Twins]

His proper full name is:  ROYCE F-ING LEWIS! 

(most electric Twins player since Kiiiiiiiiirbyyyyyyyyyy Puckett) 

[tony&rodney]

9 hours ago, LambchoP said:

He's our best player no doubt.

Love Royce Lewis and the enthusiasm he brings to the team along with the loud contact. 

Some people will look at contracts as a comparison for best or other designation. If we are picking a team for right now and I don't need to worry about a budget, I'll take Carlos Correa as my first pick among Twins players. He plays a good shortstop and has a decent bat as well. There is a pretty significant drop off if anyone else plays at SS.

[Craig Arko]

Lewis has that Puckett ‘climb on my back, boys’ vibe, that even Mauer did not.

[D.C Twins]

1 hour ago, Craig Arko said:

Lewis has that Puckett ‘climb on my back, boys’ vibe, that even Mauer did not.

Much better put than my post :)

Oh... and for transparent historic perspective.... I was guilty of being VERY down on Royce when he had that year in the minors with a HIGH SO/BB ratio..... (probably why I still have not gotten the call to apply for assistant to the assistant GM)

[Linus]

1 hour ago, D.C Twins said:

Much better put than my post :)

Oh... and for transparent historic perspective.... I was guilty of being VERY down on Royce when he had that year in the minors with a HIGH SO/BB ratio..... (probably why I still have not gotten the call to apply for assistant to the assistant GM)

In fairness to you Royce really retooled his swing. I wasn’t a fan of the big leg kick etc during his early years in the minors. 

[h2oface]

And to think they are paying him a relative pittance. MLBPA really gives guys like Lewis the shaft, so guys like Gallo can suck over 10 times more from this team than Lewis got/gets paid, and they set it up for 5 years to keep not paying what he is worth. Quite a deal.  

[RpR]

57 minutes ago, h2oface said:

And to think they are paying him a relative pittance. MLBPA really gives guys like Lewis the shaft, so guys like Gallo can suck over 10 times more from this team than Lewis got/gets paid, and they set it up for 5 years to keep not paying what he is worth. Quite a deal.  

Gallo and any veteran put in their time and effort to get the money they get.

I see we have gone from May Whine to June Whine.

[Fred]

Slow down, slow down. You know, when he gets to 70 home runs, they'll start walking him.

[h2oface]

8 hours ago, RpR said:

Gallo and any veteran put in their time and effort to get the money they get.

I see we have gone from May Wine to June Wine.

Well, not a fan of Gallo. Although some will drink it. And it is June still, for a few days.

There is always July, August, September, and October.....

 

[Heiny]

IMO,  Royce is the most dynamic and talented player to enter the league since Ken Griffey Jr.  and he may end up being the best when it's all over.  (if he can stay healthy).  Yes, I realize there have been alot of great players I feel that he is passing over, including Betts, Trout, and Ohtani.  But with his infectious personality and clubhouse presence, this is something that I haven't seen in Mn. since Kirby.  If the Twins should ever let this kid go,  I will probably go with him, and that's saying alot.  One mans opinion.