Royce Lewis Needs to Have an Open Mind

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, 1985Fan said:

Ok, Mr. Twins pessimist. I’m an optimist, so I’ll keep my hope for Lewis going. If it doesn’t happen, that’s baseball. A beautiful game of failure that fans and players somehow stay optimistic. Your Mets history should tell you that “you gotta believe”! 

The Mets haven't won a world series in my lifetime...

Optimism is all fine and dandy, but it's no basis on which to build a baseball team.

[Twinsrtheworst]

46 minutes ago, RpR said:

The main reason Lewis is getting trashed so badly, is he was the wonder child that was going to come up from  AAA and save the team.  Then he , sadly , hd a cluster of home runs with bases loaded and those drooling over wonder boy Lewis, cannot believe he is not that talented.

Nope, he’s just the new, insert player name, in a long line to get trashed on here. It’s what generates clicks, and revenue for this sight. It is what it is. Low hanging fruit basically.

[djvang]

15 hours ago, DocBauer said:

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?

 

Classic Lewis. Look where that pitch is. And he swings at it every time. I don't think he can read the spin.

[jaimedude]

There is opportunity at a short stop, outfield or 1st base. Lewis would increase his value to any team by being able to play multiple positions. 

[bean5302]

On 5/26/2026 at 9:18 AM, Matthew Trueblood said:

Boy, I just don't see what you're seeing in what Tom wrote. It seems like a very clear-eyed, even-handed take on a player in a very real career crisis! You're sort of acting like Tom is making up the major climb that now lies before Royce, but look at this more reasonably.

1. Lewis has been an atrocious hitter for the last 21 months now, going all the way to August 2024.
2. Lee isn't a viable shortstop, but he's hitting enough that they need to keep giving him some chance to show whether he can stick. Third base is probably his best spot.
3. The team sent Lewis down and installed Lee at his old position! This isn't some flight of fancy; it's what the actual big-league team just did.

I think you've gotta grapple with reality a little more here. Royce doesn't have a clear path back to the majors and his most likely one is not as the everyday third baseman. He needs versatility, or a new defensive home where he fits better into someone's plans, even if it's not the Twins'. I don't think any other org is out there hoping to pounce on him for a full-time job at third, either.

Atrocious, huh? Lets pretend that statement is accurate. Why would the Twins even welcome an atrocious hitter in the lineup?

DH is worth 2.0 WAR less than 3B in a full season.
1B is worth 1.5 WAR less than 3B in a full season.
RF and LF is worth 1.0 WAR less than 3B in a full season.

It would be nonsensical to have a hitter who is so bad they can't be used at 3B regularly receive plate appearances while holding down a negative value defensive position.

There is only 1 position in baseball where it's potentially worthwhile to pencil an atrocious hitter into the lineup. The argument Royce Lewis is a defensive catcher on par with the best catchers in the league is so obviously ludicrous I'm assuming you're certainly not implying that.

Or maybe shortstop? It's not great to have an "atrocious" hitter at SS, but the Twins made due with Brooks Lee and Andrelton Simmons in seasons recent enough to remember. It's a stretch to have an atrocius hitter play there, though, unless they're like, Ozzie Smith. I'd also be shocked if you had the opinion Lewis would be such a gifted fielder there now that his decline in quickness and speed would likely be severe limitations on his range.

Simply put, your argument doesn't make any sense. In order for positional flexibility to add to a players value, they have to hit well enough to justify penciling them into the lineup on a regular basis at negative value defensive positions OR they need to be exceptional defenders at premium positions.

If Lewis doesn't hit well enough to justify playing him at 3B, he doesn't hit well enough to have him on the roster, period.

[Matthew Trueblood]

2 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Atrocious, huh? Lets pretend that statement is accurate. Why would the Twins even welcome an atrocious hitter in the lineup?

DH is worth 2.0 WAR less than 3B in a full season.
1B is worth 1.5 WAR less than 3B in a full season.
RF and LF is worth 1.0 WAR less than 3B in a full season.

It would be nonsensical to have a hitter who is so bad they can't be used at 3B regularly receive plate appearances while holding down a negative value defensive position.

There is only 1 position in baseball where it's potentially worthwhile to pencil an atrocious hitter into the lineup. The argument Royce Lewis is a defensive catcher on par with the best catchers in the league is so obviously ludicrous I'm assuming you're certainly not implying that.

Or maybe shortstop? It's not great to have an "atrocious" hitter at SS, but the Twins made due with Brooks Lee and Andrelton Simmons in seasons recent enough to remember. It's a stretch to have an atrocius hitter play there, though, unless they're like, Ozzie Smith. I'd also be shocked if you had the opinion Lewis would be such a gifted fielder there now that his decline in quickness and speed would likely be severe limitations on his range.

Simply put, your argument doesn't make any sense. In order for positional flexibility to add to a players value, they have to hit well enough to justify penciling them into the lineup on a regular basis at negative value defensive positions OR they need to be exceptional defenders at premium positions.

If Lewis doesn't hit well enough to justify playing him at 3B, he doesn't hit well enough to have him on the roster, period.

What I'm really trying to tell you is that Lewis might never belong in a regular big-league lineup again. He needs to be open to position changes because the team is (rightfully) no longer holding his old one open for him. Moving him around isn't about finding a way to get his bat in the lineup, from the team's perspetive. It's about him still having a career, because versatility is one way bad players can hang around a while.

[bean5302]

12 hours ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

What I'm really trying to tell you is that Lewis might never belong in a regular big-league lineup again. He needs to be open to position changes because the team is (rightfully) no longer holding his old one open for him. Moving him around isn't about finding a way to get his bat in the lineup, from the team's perspetive. It's about him still having a career, because versatility is one way bad players can hang around a while.

He may never find his way into the big show again. That's true.

If he does, it's going to be because his bat looks like it will play. I don't think it's something which is going to be justified based on his ability to stand at different positions on the field is my point.