Brandon Lewis

Lewis weighed 285 pounds in high school and received little college or professional interest because of it. He went to Los Angeles Pierce JC and dropped 70 pounds in two years to get in shape, and he earned a scholarship to UC Irvine after winning MVP of the California Collegiate Summer League last year. Lewis draws comparisons to C.J. Cron and Ryon Healy for his massive raw power. He hit 14 home runs this spring playing his home games at cavernous Anteater Ballpark, tying the program’s single-season record, while also leading UC Irvine in batting average, doubles and RBIs. Lewis’ raw power is easily plus-plus, and he has a loose, workable swing that allows him to frequently find the barrel and hit gargantuan pull-side home runs. He has some swing-and-miss to his game but not an overwhelming amount for a power hitter, although he has struggled against better velocity. Lewis is a big-bodied, below-average third baseman with a below-average arm who projects to move to first base, so a lot of pressure will be on his bat. Teams who believe he will hit enough to get to his power are considering him in the middle of the top 10 rounds.