Arbitrary Thoughts: Royce Lewis

[DocBauer]

I absolutely love these arbitration articles. Gives us something interesting to talk about. But I don't feel a flippant comment in this OP about various comments he's made in the past without proper context, and just move on. It felt like a little jab that should/could have been left out, or included greater context.

Royce is generally exuberant, but wears his heart on his sleeve and is sometimes too open and flippant in his comments. He didn't want to move to 2B mid season because he was embarrassing himself or blow a game? I get that. But he did it. And then he worked hard at 2B during the offseason to prepare to play there in games and then the Twins told him not to worry about it. Again, context is important.

Should he pause before he speaks at times so his comments be run with and used to make him sound bad? Absolutely. 

As pointed out above by, he was very open and honest in an interview earlier this season when he stated he came back from his ST injury too soon and wasn't really ready. Further, he finally stated/admitted that he's had struggles adapting to changes in his body related to his knee injuries, adding bulk, and other injuries that threw off his timing. 

What we saw from him from about mid June on was inconsistency, but a league average or better hitter. That's a positive, as is the number of games played and no further injuries to derail his season.

His sprint speed dropped further? I'd have to object simply because he went out and suddenly started stealing bases. (Speed isn't everything and I get that). Considering his injury history, I really don't want him running all that often. But his body was obviously feeling better. Again, a positive sign.

His defense at 3B took a step forward this season. Primarily because he fixed the weird throwing "yip" he had in 2024. Yet another positive.

He's still got a lot of talent locked inside. He's still only 26yo until June of 2026. This is not an older player trying to rejuvenate himself. Similar to Buxton, he's just looking to get healthy and STAY that way. The hope is another offseason with his trusted personal trainer will eliminate the nagging soft tissue injuries with greater flexibility and KEEP him on the field. Feeling better...which he seems to...should allow him an opportunity to adjust his stance/swing for better production that is also more consistent. 

Is he the All Star STUD we all dreamed of? Maybe not. But if he ONLY turns out to be a .270 hitter with 30+ Dbls and 20+ HR and an acceptable OB%, that's still a very good and valuable player. Better than that is a bonus.

Of course he's an easy arbitration choice and I don't believe anyone probably feels otherwise. And he doesn't have to be Superman to be good and valuable. I understand seeing so much talent being held back from injury is frustrating. But imagine the frustration Lewis himself feels? Just because we, and he, are all frustrated, I'm of the belief his past comments...mostly innocuous in content and reflection...should just be ignored as "too open" and "too in the moment and born of frustration honesty" that he maybe should have just kept to himself. I mean, the kid has never torn anyone down or thrown anyone under the bus. I just think it doesn't truly reflect the hard working, baseball loving, and enthusiastic player that he truly seems to be.

He's important to the Twins now, and the near future as well. He stays healthy and starts to perform to even the limited degree I stated previously, all of the questions should slowly disappear in to the ether.

I feel for Royce. And I feel for us as fans. Again, very similar to Buxton before surgeons finally got his knee right.

 

[NYCTK]

1 hour ago, Chembry said:

His second half stats were much better.  From Aug. 17 through Sept 23rd, he hit .270/.299/.492 with a team-best eight home runs and 24 RBIs in 127 plate appearances. I was happy to see Royce start stealing bases again, but made me nervous almost every time.  I think we all would be very happy if he sustained that production for the year.  

Ok, first, that's not great. If you're cherry picking a significantly large timeline and still can't get him to above an 800 OPS, that's not great! For example, Trevor Larnach had an 850 OPS from April 13 - May 19 and an 880 OPS from July 30 - Sept 4th!

And, secondly, we can also say he hit .231 / .267 / .395 from Aug 1 to the end of the season. 

He was bad. 

[DMcQ]

Lewis is a cheap fan favorite. Especially with kids. If Buxton waves his no trade clause we need someone to root for. ⚾️

[IndianaTwin]

3 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I absolutely love these arbitration articles. Gives us something interesting to talk about. But I don't feel a flippant comment in this OP about various comments he's made in the past without proper context, and just move on. It felt like a little jab that should/could have been left out, or included greater context.

Royce is generally exuberant, but wears his heart on his sleeve and is sometimes too open and flippant in his comments. He didn't want to move to 2B mid season because he was embarrassing himself or blow a game? I get that. But he did it. And then he worked hard at 2B during the offseason to prepare to play there in games and then the Twins told him not to worry about it. Again, context is important...

Quote snipped for brevity, with two phrases bolded for emphasis. 

I agree throughout, Doc, and applaud you for emphasizing the notion of context. There is nearly always more to the situation than meets the eye. 

You didn't reference the infamous, "I don't do that slump thing" comment. Let's look at the context. 

Royce missed most of the beginning of the season because of injury. We know the stories of him battling back through injury, We can imagine the frustration he felt at finally being healthy and getting hurt in the first game of the season after going two-for-two with a homer. And then he battled back from injury, returning on June 4 and going on a tear. After a doubleheader on June 16 he was .390 with a 1.398 OPS in his relatively small sample size. 

And then he went 0-for-5, dropping his average to .348 and OPS to 1.252. 

What does a good player do after a day like that? Focuses on having a better day tomorrow. 

And Royce did -- and he bounced back and went 4 for 7 with two home runs the next two days, putting the average back up to .377 and the OPS to 1.376.

I didn't hear the interview, but I used to be a journalist. If I go to him after the second game, my opening comment is something like, "Wow, Royce. You went 0 for 5 on Friday night, but you really bounced back yesterday and today." 

And Royce said, "I don't do that slump thing." 

What do we have? We have a young, exuberant player, celebrating that he's back and healthy, celebrating that he bounced back from a rough game to put together a couple good games. He's such a positive-energy guy (at least was at that point) that I couldn't help but hearing him saying, "Yeah, I had a rough game Friday night, but I know you can't dwell on that, because then you start to spiral down. It's important to bounce back as quickly as you can. I focus on the positive -- I don't do that slump thing." 

Again, I didn't hear the interview. But frankly, that's the attitude I want in a talented athlete. Is he saying he's never going to have a bad game? No player is dumb enough to say that. Is he even saying he's never going to have a bad week? I don't think so. To me, he's saying that when those things happen, he's going to focus on getting out of the bad streak rather than focusing on the bad stretch to the point that it turns into something bigger, to the point it turns into a thing in his head.  

Unfortunately, after a couple more games (when 3 for 9 brings your average down), he then had one of those weeks, going 2 for 25 over an eight-day period. And he got excoriated for it, with people never letting him hear the end of it. We like to tear people down in our society, so when someone is going good, we can't wait to see him fail. I confess to being guilty of that too often. 

That's the context I see. I don't have a TV package, so I haven't seen him play many games, but from things I've read and the few interviews I've heard, it sure seems like that was the point that started sucking the joy out of him. And with every failure, with every thing he says that people don't like, it gets piled on deeper. 

My hope? The right new manager and Buxton make a visit to his house in November, with the message, "We care about you. We believe in you." And then Buxton takes him under his wing as a mentor. Byron's been through similar stuff, both the unrealistic expectations and the struggles with injuries. 

As you said, "If he ONLY turns out to be a .270 hitter with 30+ Dbls and 20+ HR and an acceptable OB%, that's still a very good and valuable player." I just hope that if he does that, people will allow themselves to cheer for him. 

 

----------------------------

EDIT to add:

I just found the full original quote. "I don't do that slump thing,'" Lewis said June 20, 2024 after responding to an 0-for-5 game with three hits, including a homer that broke the scoreboard in left field. "That's not a real thing for me. I understand that that's a thing, baseball, you're going to go into a slump or whatever, but for me, I don't have that mindset. It's a new day."

I got no problem with that as a full quote.

[DocBauer]

33 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

Quote snipped for brevity, with two phrases bolded for emphasis. 

I agree throughout, Doc, and applaud you for emphasizing the notion of context. There is nearly always more to the situation than meets the eye. 

You didn't reference the infamous, "I don't do that slump thing" comment. Let's look at the context. 

Royce missed most of the beginning of the season because of injury. We know the stories of him battling back through injury, We can imagine the frustration he felt at finally being healthy and getting hurt in the first game of the season after going two-for-two with a homer. And then he battled back from injury, returning on June 4 and going on a tear. After a doubleheader on June 16 he was .390 with a 1.398 OPS in his relatively small sample size. 

And then he went 0-for-5, dropping his average to .348 and OPS to 1.252. 

What does a good player do after a day like that? Focuses on having a better day tomorrow. 

And Royce did -- and he bounced back and went 4 for 7 with two home runs the next two days, putting the average back up to .377 and the OPS to 1.376.

I didn't hear the interview, but I used to be a journalist. If I go to him after the second game, my opening comment is something like, "Wow, Royce. You went 0 for 5 on Friday night, but you really bounced back yesterday and today." 

And Royce said, "I don't do that slump thing." 

What do we have? We have a young, exuberant player, celebrating that he's back and healthy, celebrating that he bounced back from a rough game to put together a couple good games. He's such a positive-energy guy (at least was at that point) that I couldn't help but hearing him saying, "Yeah, I had a rough game Friday night, but I know you can't dwell on that, because then you start to spiral down. It's important to bounce back as quickly as you can. I focus on the positive -- I don't do that slump thing." 

Again, I didn't hear the interview. But frankly, that's the attitude I want in a talented athlete. Is he saying he's never going to have a bad game? No player is dumb enough to say that. Is he even saying he's never going to have a bad week? I don't think so. To me, he's saying that when those things happen, he's going to focus on getting out of the bad streak rather than focusing on the bad stretch to the point that it turns into something bigger, to the point it turns into a thing in his head.  

Unfortunately, after a couple more games (when 3 for 9 brings your average down), he then had one of those weeks, going 2 for 25 over an eight-day period. And he got excoriated for it, with people never letting him hear the end of it. We like to tear people down in our society, so when someone is going good, we can't wait to see him fail. I confess to being guilty of that too often. 

That's the context I see. I don't have a TV package, so I haven't seen him play many games, but from things I've read and the few interviews I've heard, it sure seems like that was the point sucked the joy out of him. And with every failure, with every thing he says that people don't like, it gets piled on deeper. 

My hope? The right new manager and Buxton make a visit to his house in November, with the message, "We care about you. We believe in you." And then Buxton takes him under his wing as a mentor. Byron's been through similar stuff, both the unrealistic expectations and the struggles with injuries. 

As you said, "If he ONLY turns out to be a .270 hitter with 30+ Dbls and 20+ HR and an acceptable OB%, that's still a very good and valuable player." I just hope that if he does that, people will allow themselves to cheer for him. 

 

----------------------------

EDIT to add:

I just found the full original quote. "I don't do that slump thing,'" Lewis said June 20, 2024 after responding to an 0-for-5 game with three hits, including a homer that broke the scoreboard in left field. "That's not a real thing for me. I understand that that's a thing, baseball, you're going to go into a slump or whatever, but for me, I don't have that mindset. It's a new day."

I got no problem with that as a full quote.

And what you have replayed here is why I have so much angst in regard to media in general,  but will leave it on regards to Lewis. 

We keep hearing the "I don't slump" as if that is some sort of insult to the game. Which it ISN'T.  Would you rather have an insecure ballplayer on your team? And then you provide the FULL context of his quote.

It's similar to his quote he didn't want to play 2B half way through a season. But why do so many ignore the rest of his quote that he didn't want to blow a game at a new position? Why do so many want to dismiss reports he worked out at 2B in offseason to get ready for 2B before the Twins said to not worry about it?

So because he's not proven to be Superman we're supposed to take a few comments and say this kid isn't a team player? It's just ridiculous. 

Were I Buxton, I would pull him aside and tell him to take a breath or two before speaking, and just realize you to relax for a moment while speaking and be honest, but don't let frustration command your reply.

This kid is guilty of NOTHING other than injuries beyond his control, and maybe being guilty ONLY of speaking his honest thoughts at times of frustration.  What the hell is wrong with that?

[IndianaTwin]

4 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

And what you have replayed here is why I have so much angst in regard to media in general,  but will leave it on regards to Lewis. 

We keep hearing the "I don't slump" as if that is some sort of insult to the game. Which it ISN'T.  Would you rather have an insecure ballplayer on your team? And then you provide the FULL context of his quote.

It's similar to his quote he didn't want to play 2B half way through a season. But why do so many ignore the rest of his quote that he didn't want to blow a game at a new position? Why do so many want to dismiss reports he worked out at 2B in offseason to get ready for 2B before the Twins said to not worry about it?

So because he's not proven to be Superman we're supposed to take a few comments and say this kid isn't a team player? It's just ridiculous. 

Were I Buxton, I would pull him aside and tell him to take a breath or two before speaking, and just realize you to relax for a moment while speaking and be honest, but don't let frustration command your reply.

This kid is guilty of NOTHING other than injuries beyond his control, and maybe being guilty ONLY of speaking his honest thoughts at times of frustration.  What the hell is wrong with that?

I went to seminary. I'm not seeking to inject religion into this post, but I think you'll get my point.

We had an assignment to describe what we thought was the biggest threat to the Bible. I said it was the bumper sticker, our tendency to reduce things to a sound bite. 

[PatPfund]

No brainer; tender arbitration. Prime candidate to be revitalized under a more active/supportive managing regime; Lewis's odd quotations (along with some cryptic Correa statements and the Jax blowup) were major symptoms of how badly Rocco had lost this team.

[Chembry]

17 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Ok, first, that's not great. If you're cherry picking a significantly large timeline and still can't get him to above an 800 OPS, that's not great! For example, Trevor Larnach had an 850 OPS from April 13 - May 19 and an 880 OPS from July 30 - Sept 4th!

And, secondly, we can also say he hit .231 / .267 / .395 from Aug 1 to the end of the season. 

He was bad. 

Lol…it wasn’t me, it was a direct quote from the SI article. I should have been clearer on that.

I was simply stating he hit better as the season went on.  Do you disagree?

Edit: I do understand your point about cherry picking dates and somewhat agree.  I tend to compile and calculate my own stats.  I was just too lazy this time and quoted the article.  But to some extent, you have to pick dates to show a point. I don't know how the author decided on August 17th as the start date.  However, the end date was defined by the date the article was published, which was September 23rd. 

Your point on OPS is well taken.  However, the OPS quoted in the article (.791) is still well above league average of .719 for 2025.  It would also put him at 54th place of all MLB hitters, above Spencer Torkelson, Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Lowe, Elly De La Cruz, Jarren Duran, Jose Altuve, PCA, Ian Happ, Trevor Story, Mookie Betts, etc...   It did surprise me that Lewis only walked 10 times since August 1st and 25 times all year.  His BB rate was 6.2%.

https://www.si.com/mlb/twins/minnesota-twins-news/royce-lewis-admits-he-came-back-too-soon-from-hamstring-injury

[Nashvilletwin]

17 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Royce underperforming is one of the things that got Rocco fired. The new manager absolutely must be able to maximize the talent Lewis possesses.

And this is exactly why you don’t cut (or extend) Lewis. Lewis, probably more than other player, needed a change at the helm.  Heck, the option value alone on getting Lewis back on track toward his potential was probably worth firing Rocco.

Lewis’s flame out to-date is absolutely one of the biggest fails of the Twins under the Rocco regime.  It’s time to see if someone else can unlock Lewis’s potential or if it is too late.  Arb him out for a year under someone new and then decide what direction to head.

[PatG]

I am struck by the similarities between Buxton and Lewis as far as injuries, playing time and maturity.

I think by letting him settle down, show his stuff, we'll get a much greater R Lewis (just like Buxton of 2025). 

[stringer bell]

18 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

"Dramatic loss of sprint speed" that still generated 12 stolen bases, including eight in the month of September when the breaks were taken off the team. 

Sometime in September, Glen Perkins provided some month-by-month sprint speed numbers for Lewis, in which he was above average in August and September. I can't find such a breakdown, but I believe Perkins' comment to be factual. The eye test and his twelve stolen bases in the second half of the season tell me his sprint speed is not declining as he has recovered from all of the leg injuries. 

According to Baseball Savant, Lewis went from the 28th percentile to the 34th percentile from 2024 to 2025, so his speed actually increased over the full 2025 season. I don't think Lewis will ever again have elite speed, but if his legs stay healthy, he can and will be an above-average runner who can steal a base. 

[stringer bell]

20 hours ago, Hrbowski said:

Somebody's demeanor is not a reason to not offer them a contract when they have as much baseball potential as Lewis. That reeks of the crap organizations pull of trying to dig up things their players said in middle school when they have arbitration hearings so they can paint them as horrible people to try and win their low-ball offers.

If Royce is the dreaded "clubhouse cancer", yes his demeanor, or more generally off-field behavior, is a reason to show him the door. I don't think that is remotely close to the actual situation. Lewis has said some things that might be true, but come off as both me-first and immature. That is unfortunate, but from what I can tell, those around the team don't view him as a bad guy at all.

No team wants to go to arbitration and the Twins in the Falvey era have done a pretty good job of avoiding those hearings. It is counterproductive to diss a player publicly and then have him on a team. 

[stringer bell]

Lewis is an easy decision to tender a contract for 2026. As noted in the above posts, there is some reason for optimism, but his performance in both the second half of 2024 and for the full season of 2025 hasn't been very good. 

Having a full healthy off-season could put Royce in position to being the elite player we saw in flashes in 2023 and 2024. 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

Sometime in September, Glen Perkins provided some month-by-month sprint speed numbers for Lewis, in which he was above average in August and September. I can't find such a breakdown, but I believe Perkins' comment to be factual. The eye test and his twelve stolen bases in the second half of the season tell me his sprint speed is not declining as he has recovered from all of the leg injuries. 

According to Baseball Savant, Lewis went from the 28th percentile to the 34th percentile from 2024 to 2025, so his speed actually increased over the full 2025 season. I don't think Lewis will ever again have elite speed, but if his legs stay healthy, he can and will be an above-average runner who can steal a base. 

There's no question Royce was running better and looked much more comfortable doing it late in the season. I agree he won't likely ever get elite speed back, but if he can avoid leg injuries for once he can be an above average runner.

The big question is whether or not he can make contact without swinging at everything. His month-by-month splits are interesting, if not exactly encouraging, for July-Oct. July was kind of the old Royce: hitting well, making hard contact, taking a few walks but not a lot. August was a mess: little contact, more walks, but no pop. Sept/Oct he started making contact again, but was swinging at everything (1 walk in the last 25 games? Oof.) Is he serious about hitting or guessing out there?

I was pleased to see the improvement on defense; he looked much more sound and confident out there in the second half of the season, and didn't seem to be taking his troubles at the plate out into the field.

Obviously, he gets tendered. Hopefully he can get on a good off-season program that gets him in a better place at the plate and with a strong and healthy lower half going into spring training. The talent is still there, and it's hard to believe that he simply won't hit if he can avoid significant leg injuries.

[Larry Janisewski]

On 10/15/2025 at 1:05 PM, Lefty74 said:

Watching Royce hit in 2025 was painful. His feet are moving all over and he seemed to make a swing decision almost prior to the ball being released. I don’t remember him doing that when he first joined the Twins. He and to an extent Wallner (who also was often out of balance) had swings that made me feel they were lucky to hit the ball.

I also think Royce has maturity issues. That is why I believe Torii Hunter would be a great choice for manager. He has a positive personality but doesn’t appear to be the kind of guy to let things go. He’d force change and accountability IMHO. 

I'd rather see Hunter as a bench coach. I feel he would be able to work more closely one on one with the players as well as gain managerial experience.

[NYCTK]

16 hours ago, Chembry said:

Lol…it wasn’t me, it was a direct quote from the SI article. I should have been clearer on that.

I was simply stating he hit better as the season went on.  Do you disagree?

Edit: I do understand your point about cherry picking dates and somewhat agree.  I tend to compile and calculate my own stats.  I was just too lazy this time and quoted the article.  But to some extent, you have to pick dates to show a point. I don't know how the author decided on August 17th as the start date.  However, the end date was defined by the date the article was published, which was September 23rd. 

Your point on OPS is well taken.  However, the OPS quoted in the article (.791) is still well above league average of .719 for 2025.  It would also put him at 54th place of all MLB hitters, above Spencer Torkelson, Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Lowe, Elly De La Cruz, Jarren Duran, Jose Altuve, PCA, Ian Happ, Trevor Story, Mookie Betts, etc...   It did surprise me that Lewis only walked 10 times since August 1st and 25 times all year.  His BB rate was 6.2%.

https://www.si.com/mlb/twins/minnesota-twins-news/royce-lewis-admits-he-came-back-too-soon-from-hamstring-injury

Sorry if you felt I was attacking you. I was just responding to the argument.

Kind of, but he was so bad at the beginning of the season, it kind of proves me wrong. Split by approximate quarter seasons to avoid intentional cherry picking. 

1st quarter: 540 OPS
2nd quarter: 810 OPS
3rd quarter: 640 OPS
4th quarter: 690 OPS

So, he had a real hot stretch in the middle of the season (957 OPS over 103 PAs) but otherwise he was pretty bad generally speaking. 

I am happier with him now than I was in April because he did appear to make actual improvement on defense. But I just don't like him, as a player. Here's hoping he can prove me wrong. 

[Thumbs Down Guy]

On 10/15/2025 at 11:28 AM, mikelink45 said:

No choice here - especially when another failed prospect - Miranda is next in line.  

I suspect that I should not have reacted with a "laughing face", but it did make me laugh. Keep up the great comments.

[Thumbs Down Guy]

On 10/15/2025 at 11:49 AM, NYCTK said:

Grrrr. I hate when my boss tells me to do something within the purview of my job description at the job I am extremely fortunate to have.

One can easily understand why he complained to the media about this egregious mistreatment. 

..., other duties as assigned.

[Thumbs Down Guy]

23 hours ago, DMcQ said:

Lewis is a cheap fan favorite. Especially with kids. If Buxton waves his no trade clause we need someone to root for. ⚾️

I hope Buxton never waives his no trade. I really enjoy witnessing what he is while he is healthy. If the Twins bust his spirit which allows him to see he should move on I will be sad on that day.