Minnesota Twins former first overall draft pick Royce Lewis hopes to be ready for 2023 Opening Day: "My goal is to be ready for spring"
Royce Lewis is one of the Minnesota Twins' top prospects and was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft. He made his MLB debut in 2022, but would play only 12 games before suffering an injury. Lewis now has his sights set on being on the Twins' major league roster for Opening Day, but it is an uphill battle.
Lewis suffered a torn ACL that took him out for the remainder of the season and took away critical development time. This is the second time Royce has torn his ACL, with the first tear coming in 2021.
Dan Hayes of The Athletic shared comments from the undeterred Royce Lewis on what he plans to do in 2023.
Ideally, Royce Lewis would enter camp competing for the #MNTwins’ 2023 Opening Day roster.
“My goal is to be ready for spring. … But we’ve talked about that’s just not realistic and every time we talk on the phone it feels like I get reminded of that.”
theathletic.com/4032115/2022/1…
"My goal is to be ready for spring. … But we’ve talked about that’s just not realistic and every time we talk on the phone it feels like I get reminded of that" - Royce Lewis
The Minnesota Twins prospect knows that there will be nothing easy about this process, but refuses to be discouraged by it.
Royce Lewis can be a great addition to the Minnesota Twins if he can stay healthy
Far too often, great prospects have their MLB careers derailed by injuries. Two catastrophic injuries in two years is incredibly difficult to come back from, but it's not impossible. New York Mets star pitcher Justin Verlander has famously undergone two Tommy John surgeries and is still dominant.
Lewis is projected to have a brilliant year in 2023, as Nash Walker pointed out on Twitter.
Royce Lewis has a 127 wRC+ projection for 2023 via Steamer, the highest on the Twins. 2.2 fWAR in just over 300 plate appearances.
"Royce Lewis has a 127 wRC+ projection for 2023 via Steamer, the highest on the Twins" - Nash Walker
If Lewis can come back and play at this level, he will have a real shot at winning the 2023 Rookie of the year award.