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

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.