Royce Lewis 2019 Top 100 MLB Prospects Stock Watch

Image credit: Royce Lewis (Photo By Tom DiPace)

This is part of a series highlighting several prospects in our 2019 Top 100 Prospects midseason update. To see the full rankings, click here. 

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Royce Lewis, SS, Twins

Rank: 10 
Preseason: 9

STOCK is: Neutral

Nearly every evaluator who sees Lewis comes back with the same, complex evaluation: Even though the numbers aren’t showing up, the tools that made him one of the best prospects in baseball are still evident.

“There’s a lot of moving parts to his approach and swing right now. He’s going to have to figure it out,” one scout said. “I give him the benefit of the doubt due to athleticism and makeup. He has bat speed, raw power and hand-eye (coordination). It’s all there.”

Lewis has a big leg kick and a complicated trigger at the top of his swing, and all that excess movement may be keeping him from accessing his natural gifts. Still, even though he was returning to the high Class A level, Lewis opened the season as the second-youngest player in the Florida State League.

Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, hit .226/.281/.325 with two home runs and 11 stolen bases through 62 games for Fort Myers.

Development is not linear, and Lewis’ talent should make him worth the wait. His prospect shine has dimmed, but only by the slightest of margins.