Royce Lewis Needs to Have an Open Mind

[Nshore]

As far as Lewis playing 1B, with his leg history I don't think I want him making those stretches for throws over there.  It won't be pretty.

[mluebker]

Whatever the Twins do, it's not going to be much more than the old cliche: rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

IF Lewis rediscovers how to use a bat while in St. Paul, and IF the Twins haven't decided they've had enough and try to trade him, then he's going to end up at first base eventually, if for no other reason than to reduce the possibility of him being injured playing a more strenuous position.

So why not get him ready for that now, instead of bringing him back up with Twins for on-the-job-training against MLB competition that always seems to put him on edge?

Even if he starts hitting again, there's pretty much nowhere else he's going to fit on a Twins team of the future.

[NYCTK]

1 minute ago, Nshore said:

As far as Lewis playing 1B, with his leg history I don't think I want him making those stretches for throws over there.  It won't be pretty.

That leaves only one option. Put him in bubble wrap and hope the pitcher just walks him, after which point the Twins must immediately pinch run for him. 

[KirbyDome89]

4 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Where does the need to create and propagate this utterly false narrative come from? Lewis came up as a SS. He was told he was going to play multiple positions when the Twins signed Correa in 2022. Lewis went out and played CF as requested.

In 2023, Lewis was told he was going to be the Twins starting SS. Correa got re-signed and Lewis was told he was going to move to 3B. No tantrums. No complaints. He played 3B.

In 2024, Lewis was asked about 2B and he said learning the position on the fly while injured, in a slump, in a playoff chase scared him a little. He didn't refuse to play 2B. In fact, he did play 2B. 

For whatever reason, a substantial contingent of fans on this site just have to create false context around any trepidation a player has about any change. It honestly disgusts me. Same BS that Max Kepler refused to play CF. Never in his career did Kepler say he wouldn't play CF. He preferred right field. That's not "I refuse to play CF." But not to fans here. Amazing the fans didn't lose their mind when Griffin Jax wanted to try starting again. OMG, he refuses to pitch out the bullpen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's just such BS.

Rafael Devers refused to play 1B for the Red Sox. That's what a refusal looks like.

Your framing of the Lewis 2B fiasco is disingenuous, particularly if you're going to claim a false narrative/context around the attempted swap.

"He didn't refuse to play 2B, in fact he did play 2B." Yeah, a single start and a whopping 8 total innings after which he publicly complained about playing 2B and magically never made another appearance at the position. But sure, technically he didn't refuse lolol....

“I’m terrified out there. Little things like that are just adding extra elements to a September push that’s important to me. I don’t know. We have plenty of really good second basemen, and I don’t want to mess up our defense just because we’re going to try something new. It’s not spring training or Triple-A for that.”

That was the quote Lewis gave after his singular start at 2B. We want context right, so who were those other "really good 2B?" Kyle Farmer and Edouard Julien. More context; that 2024 squad was in a tailspin, and desperate to get what they perceived as their best bats in the lineup every remaining game. They weren't asking Lewis to be the 2B of the future, they were trying to fit an extra corner bat into the lineup to stop the bleeding, but I guess Julien and Farmer playing at a sub replacement level qualified as plenty of good 2B options...

[Patzky]

22 minutes ago, Nshore said:

As far as Lewis playing 1B, with his leg history I don't think I want him making those stretches for throws over there.  It won't be pretty.

Without Royce at third there will be fewer of those tough stretches required. 😔

[Nshore]

I think Royce would be well advised to do everything he can to make it work with the Twins rather than jump to another org.  He's been treated very well here.  I was at the game recently where he had a particularly horrific error, failed to turn a routine double play, and allowed a run to score.  I don't think I heard a single "boo" from the fans.  If he was playing for the Yankees for example, they would have booed him right out of the stadium.  The fans here want to get behind him again - and hopefully it happens this summer.

[NYCTK]

11 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Your framing of the Lewis 2B fiasco is disingenuous, particularly if you're going to claim a false narrative/context around the attempted swap.

"He didn't refuse to play 2B, in fact he did play 2B." Yeah, a single start and a whopping 8 total innings after which he publicly complained about playing 2B and magically never made another appearance at the position. But sure, technically he didn't refuse lolol....

“I’m terrified out there. Little things like that are just adding extra elements to a September push that’s important to me. I don’t know. We have plenty of really good second basemen, and I don’t want to mess up our defense just because we’re going to try something new. It’s not spring training or Triple-A for that.”

That was the quote Lewis gave after his singular start at 2B. We want context right, so who were those other "really good 2B?" Kyle Farmer and Edouard Julien. More context; that 2024 squad was in a tailspin, and desperate to get what they perceived as their best bats in the lineup every remaining game. They weren't asking Lewis to be the 2B of the future, they were trying to fit an extra corner bat into the lineup to stop the bleeding, but I guess Julien and Farmer playing at a sub replacement level qualified as plenty of good 2B options...

But you're ignoring how it was a really good thing the Twins listened to him and let him stay comfortable at 3B.

He went on to finish the season hitting .150 / .218 / .188. 

 

 

[Woof Bronzer]

3 hours ago, wornsmooth said:

Management acts like the players are interchangeable.

I definitely appreciate this concern, I just think that in the modern game players are asked to move around more, both in position and batting order, than in the past.  Like it or not, it's the game.  The Dodgers do this kind of maneuvering constantly and it has worked out well for them. 

More importantly though, aren't you really describing a utility player.  Their whole value is derived in their versatility and it has been that way for decades.  As disappointing as it is to say, that's where Royce Lewis is at.  He's busted out as a starter. There are 1000 guys who work just as hard and who "want it" as much as Royce down in the minors.  He's not a #1 draft pick anymore, just a guy fighting for an MLB job.  The Twins have given him every possible opportunity to stick in the majors.  He didn't take them up on it, and now things are different for Royce.  We will see how he adapts.  

[David Maro]

More than likely moving him off of 3rd could effect his bat all over again. I think we all know that if Rocco was still managing Lewis would still be with the big club. Look how long it took Shelton to move Wallner and Lewis. Maybe Zoll stepped in and helped with the move.

After all this is a business that needs butts in the seats. The weather is now warming up and playing Gray and Arcia as everyday players won't help in that regard.

This team is a mess with far too many same position players that are now being moved all over the field. Look at Clemens who has played 1st,2nd,RF and now LF. The only positions that are consistent are catcher with Jeffers when healthy and CF with Buxton when healthy. Martin was moved from the infield to LF to play against LH pitching and now playing RF and even CF. This to me shows Falvey left an organization in flux that is going to take a couple of years to straighten out.

[Vanimal46]

So far I’m just happy that the FO isn’t taking the bait after a hot start in St Paul. Lewis crushing inferior AAA pitching doesn’t do much for me. I hope they have a long term plan to actually solve his problems. 

[karcherd]

47 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

So far I’m just happy that the FO isn’t taking the bait after a hot start in St Paul. Lewis crushing inferior AAA pitching doesn’t do much for me. I hope they have a long term plan to actually solve his problems. 

I am not sure their short term plan worked well, maybe they need to stop trying to fix him and let him work on his swing mechanics that were working in spring training.

[nicksaviking]

3 hours ago, NYCTK said:

He also publicly suggested he was going to continue doing what was comfortable last season when he also sucked. 

I just don't see why many fans are constantly blaming everyone but Royce for Royce's descent into obscurity. 

No one's exonerating Lewis. I'm simply point out that I personally am not holding it against him for not following the advice of a group of coaches who had a seven year track record of failing to install productive advice on every player before him. 

[Twinsrtheworst]

Well the fact that the writer states.”.Sure, his ACL might explode again at any moment out there, but what’s left to protect?” Absolutely disgusts me. He has a life outside of baseball. I truly hope you don’t make a living by your writing. He is a human being first and foremost, understand that before you write about anybody.

[NYCTK]

20 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

No one's exonerating Lewis. I'm simply point out that I personally am not holding it against him for not following the advice of a group of coaches who had a seven year track record of failing to install productive advice on every player before him. 

The Twins famously fired their hitting coach after 2024, meaning there was a different hitting coach in 2025. 

Dude is stubborn, and has demonstrated it through his comments to the media. And now he's a stubborn AAA player. 
 

[ashbury]

3 hours ago, KirbyDome89 said:

We have plenty of really good second basemen

It's not the same thing at all, but this reminds me of something all-time flake Rey Quiñones was reported to have told his manager.

Quote

'I don’t need to play [shortstop] every day, and you have other guys who should play so they can get better, So I don’t need to play tonight.'

 

[Greglw3]

8 hours ago, Tom Froemming said:

And part of the point I'm making is he needs to let that timing stuff go. Lots of guys play unfamiliar positions in season. He needs to be open minded, not rigid about when a change can/should happen. 

And stop telling Twins reporters that "you guys all think I suck". And stop holding that super long bat at the edge of the handle where the only real advantage is swinging for home runs and overall bat control is at a minimum as far as contact and using the whole field goes. That would be a good starting point for Royce.

[Linus]

If Royce hits in the show they will find a spot for him. I think the stink about changing positions is overblown. Royce wears his heart on his sleeve and that comes back to bite him sometimes. I’m more concerned about his comments that deflect responsibility for his poor performance. Anyway I hope he figures things out - the Twins need bats. 

[tony&rodney]

This thread is almost a mirror image of all of the comments that praised Royce Lewis and said he was just a few swings away from stardom or the articles that wanted to explore a long term contract for Lewis. I'm sorry for those who have a Lewis jersey or t-shirt but baseball is just a really tough game to conquer. I have no doubt that Lewis works very hard and listens to voices of advice. Putting together decent plate appearances is a challenging job. People fail at baseball. I'm wishing Royce Lewis all the best in his life but I'm also ready to see him get an opportunity for a fresh look with another team. Who? That is a more interesting topic for me.

[Wedman13]

9 hours ago, RpR said:

 

The Chances of a Drafted Baseball Player Making the Major Leagues: A Quantitative Study

https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-chances-of-a-drafted-baseball-player-making-the-major-leagues-a-quantitative-study/

For those who think Lewis' probable failure is an oddity.

Zero idea what point you are trying to make.  1-1 picks since 1990 have been pretty solid.  In fairness to Royce, he was a bargain signing, as Hunter Greene was pretty unanimously seen as the best player.  But..... if we didn't save on Royce we wouldn't have been able to sign Blayne Enlow, so there's that

[Wedman13]

11 hours ago, wornsmooth said:

I think some of the problems the Twins have had with both their team defense and their inability to develop hitters is their constant tinkering with the positions that the players are expected to master.

Today you play shortstop. Ok, tomorrow second day base.

And so on. How can you concentrate oIn hitting when you are also trying to learn a different position?

How can you ever master one fielding position when you are constantly being moved around?

Management acts like the players are interchangeable.

 

I agree with this fully.  Same with the lineup.  Many players are creatures of habit.  This is probably the only excuse I'll ever make for MW, and I'm sure the analytic fanatics will disagree, but it was complete malpractice to ever start last season with Wallner as the lead off hitter.  (My opinion)

[Rod Carews Birthday]

4 hours ago, karcherd said:

I am not sure their short term plan worked well, maybe they need to stop trying to fix him and let him work on his swing mechanics that were working in spring training.

I’m guessing that if his swing mechanics that worked in spring training were still working, there would have been no reason to fix him. However . . .

[PatPfund]

I'm a big fan of Tom's, but Lewis's problem isn't where he plays defense, it's that he can't hit at an MLB level for ANY position, and hasn't for quite some time now. The Saints should play him at one spot and see if they can get him hitting in a fundamentally sound way. If they can to a level that Lewis is the best option at 3B, then call him back up. (Hopefully Lee, Culpepper, and Keaschall hit/play well enough to make it all a competition, but if Kreidler, Gray, and Clemens are the roadblocks then you probably aren't a serious big leaguer.) If he can't figure it out, he wouldn't be the first (or last) to have a brief run in MLB before fading away.

[DocBauer]

I just got off work and haven't had time to peruse through all the comments, so forgive me if I repeat things already touched on.

I think one of the most important things Royce can do is shut off any media accounts he has. He's just too sensitive. Personally, were I an athlete of any sort, I'd NEVER read anything but family and friends stuff, and cute animal stories. Everything else is just toxic. 

1] For some crazy reason, he seems to think some want him to fail. Other than a couple faceless trolls on the internet...see my previous comments above...NOBODY wants him to fail! We all WANT him to succeed! 

2] Just accept your body has changed and you just aren't who you were 2-3 years ago. You're just as fast or athletic as you once were, but you're still damn athletic overall, but are more powerful than you were. You need to find a comfortable stance that allows you time to see the ball, but still have the reaction time to swing with a solid power stroke. I thought that was the reason for private coaching this last offseason?

3] Combined with point #2, Royce, when did you decide that pitches 3" under the zone, 8" low and outside the zone, and 6-8" above the zone were within your ability to HIT? I mean, COME ON, a HS kid facing a ML pitcher...probably scared out of his mind...could flail at the stuff you've been swinging at. (A bit of hyperbole granted). Didn't you USED to have a "hitting zone" you felt comfortable with?

4] Recognize your coaches are just trying to get you to find a zone and swing that WORKS. They're actually on your side Royce!

5] And this is probably most important, your career is in YOUR HANDS. Despite a smiling, optimist who has gone through a **** ton of injuries, including a pair of bad knee injuries, your career isn't over yet. It's OK if you're FINALLY frustrated and pissed off things didn't go the way you and everyone thought and planned. The fat lady hasn't sung yet. 

Get your HEAD straight! EVERYONE WANTS you to succeed. You still posses enough talent to tell "life" to "get out of your way" because you ARE going to re-discover a ZONE that works. And you're going to put in the work and listen to coaches that WANT to help you. And you might want to "listen" to the voice in your head that says; "Come on Royce, you know what to do."