Seth Stohs

Age: 19 (DOB: 6-5-1999) 2018 Stats (Low-A/High-A): .292/.352/.451 (.803), 29-2B, 14-HR, 28/36 SB ETA: 2020 2018 Ranking: 1 National Top 100 Rankings BA: 9 |MLB: 5 | ESPN: 9 |BP: 8 |FG: 6 What’s To Like A lot. To show that, let’s take a look at where Lewis is in terms of the standard scouting tools (Hit, Hit for Power, Speed, Defense, Arm) and then add some more. HIT - Lewis has a good approach at the plate. While he generally knows the strike zone and doesn’t extend too much, he also is aggressive inside the zone. He stands at the plate, relaxed, and as the pitcher begins his delivery, he uses a big leg kick/lift. However, as you can see from the below picture, he remains very balanced. In the next photo, you can see that as his front foot touches the ground, his hands are ready to explode to the pitch and his weight transfers. https://twitter.com/twinsdaily/status/975328810831941633 He is aggressive and yet he rarely takes a swing that looks out of control. He doesn’t strike out real often (15.0% in Cedar Rapids and 16.8% in Ft. Myers). He will use the whole field, though he typically has shown much more power to his pull side. Very few hit .300 in MLB anymore, but he could be a .280-.300 type of hitter. HIT FOR POWER - Through the first 32 games of the season, Lewis was hitting .305, but he had just four doubles and one home run. Many were clamoring for him to be promoted to Ft. Myers because he had spent 18 games with the Kernels to end 2017. Over his next 43 games with the Kernels, the power arrived. He hit .323, but he added 19 doubles and eight home runs. He earned his promotion to the Miracle, and while he struggled some, he showed really good power in the pitcher-friendly parks for the Florida State League. In 46 games, he hit six doubles, three triples and knocked five home runs. (For comparison’s sake, Alex Kirilloff had seven homers in 65 games for the Miracle) While 30 home runs may be excessive, but Lewis could be a 20-25 homer per year guy during his big league career. SPEED - Byron Buxton. Who is the one player in the Twins organization who might - might! - be faster than Royce Lewis. As important as the pure speed, Lewis knows how to utilize his speed on the baseball diamond. His 28 stolen bases led the organization. He was caught just eight times and he is still learning the finer points. He is able to go from first-to-home or first-to-third really well. He also shows good instincts most of the time on the bases. He also uses his speed on defense. DEFENSE - Lewis has good range both up the middle and deep into the 5.5 hole. There are times when he winds up (no, not like Shawon Dunston for those of you who are in my age category) a little bit. He does a really nice job going back on pop ups and he takes leadership on the infield, another important trait for a shortstop. Tom Froemming put Lewis's defense under the Prospect Spotlight. Take a look below. In the video, I was at the game in Cedar Rapids when he made the running catch down the left field line. First, it reminded me of Derek Jeter, but when he caught it and knew it was a great catch, he had a Griffey Jr-like smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pNhG2RIZkI ARM - Lewis has a strong arm. He can make all of the throws. For those that think his future may be better out in center field, he has plenty of arm to play out there. INTANGIBLES - Lewis is a natural leader. By that I mean that he doesn’t have to work to lead, but teammates gravitate to him. He has a great charisma that plays well on the field and in the clubhouse. Lewis works hard. He added weight last season through a regimented lifting program in-season. He’s got good size. He’s tall and he’s strong but he has added the size and strength without losing any speed. In addition, Lewis never takes a play off. He hustles out every grounder. He looks to take second on singles to the outfield. He has instincts. And while some may not think that it matters, but when you watch Royce Lewis play baseball and practice, you can see the joy that he has, the love of the game. It is an intangible, but it is one of the reasons that Francisco Lindor is so much fun to watch and cheer for even if he is on the Twins top competitor. What’s Left To Work On The easy response for Lewis as far as things he needs to work out would be the cliche, “He needs to continue working on everything” or “He just needs more at-bats” or “He just needs more real-time situations on defense.” Well, let’s just say that cliches usually become cliches for a reason, because they’re true. Lewis does simply need more at-bats. He needs to continue working up the ladder and seeing pitchers with better command of their pitch mix. He needs to see more sharp sliders down and away so that he can keep working on trying to lay off of them. There are still question marks about Lewis’s defense. While I’ve talked to several people who saw him play in 2018 that said he took big strides and there is more of a certainty that he can be at least an average defensive shortstop. There are still some scouts who think that his speed and instinct would best play in center field. Lewis can make the great play. As noted, he has great range and can make the great plays. He just needs to keep working and be more consistent on the routine plays and the routine throws. Again, needs more time at shortstop and more opportunities. What makes Lewis so exciting as a prospect is that he does everything so well already. But what makes him so intriguing is knowing that he can still improve all areas of his game (even quite a bit in some places). While he is ahead of the pace at this point in this career than top young shortstops Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor, the Twins can be as patient as they need to be. What’s Next Royce Lewis is traveling to Ft. Myers today and will report as a non-roster invite to Minnesota Twins spring training. He will get the opportunity to work with and learn from the veterans, and also work with and be seen by the big-league coaches. With just 46 games in High-A Ft. Myers, plus a playoff run that that led to a Florida State League championship, it is likely that he will begin the season with the Miracle. It is very likely that he will spend most of his season with the Blue Wahoos in Pensacola. While I think that the odds are low that Lewis surfaces in the big leagues in 2019, I wouldn’t put anything past him. With Jorge Polanco now signed long-term, Jonathan Schoop set to spend the year in a Twins uniform, and Nick Gordon in Triple A, the Twins do not need to rush this talented prospect in 2019. I would not be surprised if Lewis is the Twins Opening Day shortstop and #2 hitter when they open the 2020 season (though being promoted 20 days later might make more economic sense). Twins Daily 2019 Top 20 Prospects Honorable Mentions 20. Jose Miranda, 2B/3B 19. Jorge Alcala, RHP 18. LaMonte Wade, OF 17. Zack Littell, RHP 16. Gilberto Celestino, OF 15. Yunior Severino, 2B 14. Ben Rortvedt, C 13. Ryan Jeffers, C 12. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP 11. Nick Gordon, SS 10. Akil Baddoo, OF 9. Blayne Enlow, RHP 8. Lewis Thorpe, LHP 7. Jhoan Duran, RHP 6. Brent Rooker, 1B/LF 5. Wander Javier, SS 4. Trevor Larnach, OF 3. Brusdar Graterol, RHP 2. Alex Kirilloff, OF TD Top Prospect: #1- Royce Lewis Get to know more about Royce Lewis and many more minor league players in the 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (paperback, $17.99) ORDER NOW: 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook (eBook, $12.99) The 2019 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook goes in-depth and provides player bios, scouting reports, statistics and much more on almost 160 Twins minor leaguers.

Signed just nine days after Jorge Polanco in July of 2009, the German-born Max Kepler is finalizing the terms on a contract extension. Phil Miller has more specifics on the deal with includes bumping up his 2019 salary significantly. He gradually worked his way up the minor league system, spending a second year at Elizabethton. He was the Twins minor league player of the year when he was named MVP of the Southern League in 2015. After the Lookouts won that Southern League title, he was called up to the big leagues and singled off of Johnny Cueto (then of the Royals) for his first major-league hit. He came back up to the Twins in early 2016 and since mid-season that year, he has been a fixture in the Twins lineup. A terrific defensive right fielder, Kepler also showed that he can play a quality centerfield as well. Offensively, he hit a career-high 20 homers in 2018. While his batting average dropped to .224 in 2018, he showed improvement against left-handed pitching and walked much more. Kepler just recently turned 26 and has been able to remain healthy through his early career. Last month, he agreed to a $3.125 million contract in his first of four arbitration years. With this deal, the Twins have bought out his four arbitration seasons plus one year of free agency and allowed for a second year. A 10:00 Eastern time press conference is scheduled in Ft. Myers. Could more extensions be in the works?

For today, Twins outfield prospect Jacob Pearson took time to let us get to know him a little bit more. He is a solid prospect, a former third-round draft pick who spent about half of the 2019 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Below, he penned some thoughts on his young career, but also about some of the things that he is very passionate about in his life. Look back at the Get To Know Jacob Pearson article we did last offseason after he was acquired from the Angels organization. With that, I turn the writing over to Jacob Pearson. Thank you Jacob for sharing a bit of your life and your story with Twins fans! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Many know me as a professional baseball player, but I am going to tell much more about me as a person and what I do inside and outside of baseball. LIFE OF BASEBALL Now this is what most people know about me, but I will share a couple stories of how my draft day and my first and second year of professional baseball went. Draft day was about as normal as draft day could go. I had no idea where I would go, or who would take me. The Twins were one of the first teams to call, followed by the Angels. The Angels ended up taking me before the Twins could, but everything works out how it is suppose to. Following my first year I was traded to the Twins. Now back track a bit, my first year was stunning to me. It was a whole other ball game at this level. I struggled and before I knew it, my first year was finished. I couldn’t grasp how fast it had gone by, but I knew I had some work to do in my first offseason. I showed up to Spring Training 2018 with the Twins following the trade. I was prepared to have a solid year. I was held down in extended spring training to work on my craft before making my way to Cedar Rapids to play with the Kernels. Full-Season ball is amazing, but I had no idea how to prepare as the season went on. The days started going by really fast again and before I knew it, I was headed into my second offseason following yet another rough year. Now all was not so bad, but it didn’t meet my expectations by a long shot. So this past offseason I worked on my craft harder and harder and figured out a way to approach the 2019 season. I am really excited for baseball to start again LIFE OUTSIDE OF BASEBALL For starters, I am currently engaged to my beautiful fiancé, Faith Guice. We will be getting married in November 2019. As a couple, we spend as much time as we can in the offseason hanging out with family, friends, and each other. Some activities include movie dates, traveling, and dominoes. Being home for several months at a time allows us to do almost anything we want. We spend Sunday mornings in Mt. Ararat Baptist Church. And if we ever have free time, Netflix fills the void. Jacob Pearson photo of his fiance My hobbies include hunting, fishing, and photography. Deer hunting will always be my favorite form of hunting because I have been doing it since I can remember, and I enjoy the peace of the outdoors. Over the last few years, I have picked up duck hunting, and I have found that to be very enjoyable. Going out to a blind at 5am with your buddies; there’s nothing better. Fishing is a hobby I take up during the season. Because it is not hunting season, summers allow me to be outside fishing and soaking up the sun. Hunting and fishing both bring excitement to me because there is the “what if” question. What if I see a big deer? What if I catch a large fish? Now photography needs its own paragraph because this is more than a hobby. I am very passionate about taking pictures and capturing the beauty of the earth. I started in photography in 2016 with a little camera from a pawn shop that my dad had bought me. Since then I have created my own business, taking pictures of people and their beauty. Now I mainly focus on astrophotography; capturing the beauty of the cosmos. A lot goes into taking pictures like this; the conditions have to be almost perfect. Luckily, I live in a place where the Milky Way is visible most of the time. A link to my Instagram and website will be listed below if you want to look further into this hobby of mine! Follow Jacob Pearson on Instagram. Follow Pearson Photos on Instagram. Follow Jacob Pearson on Twitter. Check out the Pearson Photos website (be sure to look in the Gallery. Here is a sampling: