Royce Lewis Feeling Better Prepared for Twins Season + Position Change

Last season was a frustrating one for Royce Lewis. The Minnesota Twins fell apart down the stretch, and his own performance was all over the map. The young star vocalized some of his emotions at the end of the year, when it became clear he needed an offseason to reset his body and mind, after a trying 2024 season.

Fresh outlook coming for Minnesota Twins Royce Lewis

Now that he’s gotten that opportunity, Royce Lewis feels like a new man, with a new perspective. Yes, he changed up his routine and cleaned up some of the fundamentals that had gone array, at the end of last summer. But most of all, he was able to digest the 2024 season into something he could learn and grow from.

There has never been doubt surrounding Lewis’ passion or his talent. It’s about being a big-leaguer… a professional. What exactly does that mean? Royce Lewis told Dan Hayes (The Athletic) recently that he let his emotions get the best of him last fall. When the team started spiraling out of control around him, Royce let his emotions suck him down with the sinking ship, something he won’t let happen again.

“It was a mixture of everything, honestly. I’m a very emotional person. I ride off of how everyone’s feeling kind of in the clubhouse — and when you’re losing, the clubhouse is not very happy and exciting. The stress level was up. We’re trying to make the playoffs. The team as a whole kind of stopped hitting… It was a big year to learn.”

Royce Lewis reflecting on 2024 (The Athletic)

Last season Royce Lewis hit .233/.295/.452 with 16 doubles and 16 home runs. The 107 OPS+ was the lowest of his career. After coming out hot, Lewis slumped and seemingly couldn’t find his way out. This offseason, Royce has focused on taking a more intentional approach to his training process. That includes less bulk, less swings, more intentional workouts with specific objectives.

One of the biggest differences at the professional level is understanding the grind that is the Major League regular season. Lewis had never played more than 58 games in any big league campaign. The 82 games he tallied in 2024 was a sizable leap. Understanding how to keep both physically and mentally engaged during that stretch is a learned process.

Turns out Royce Lewis just waited to hit his "return to the lineup" homer until he was facing Tarik Skubal.

He is at it again. pic.twitter.com/vY5y897REL

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 27, 2024

“We’re working on keeping the body loose. (I’m) back to being bouncy, electric and not as tight. Just because I can do a bunch of power doesn’t mean I need to deadlift 600 pounds. I’m kind of going away from that and back to kind of what I used to do.”

Royce Lewis on changes in his preparation (The Athletic)

Baseball is a difficult sport, and the way it humbled Lewis last season seems to have given him a new perspective. As Gopher football coach PJ Fleck says, “learning is growth”. Everyone stumbles and fails. In Royce Lewis’ case, outside of injuries, he hasn’t failed very often in his baseball life.

Related: Longtime Minnesota Twins Outfielder Finds New Home Out East

Now he has. So, does the youngster learn from it, and respond. That’s what proves a good athlete, at this level, where everyone is the best of the best. As of now, it sure seems like the former No. 1 overall draft pick is taking the correct approach.

A welcomed change on the dirt for Lewis too

As the Minnesota Twins were trying to hang on down the stretch last season, Lewis admits he felt the pressure. That led to him pressing at the plate, as both he and the team were floundering. That’s why he was not happy when asked to move to second base.

From the quote he gave Hayes for Friday’s piece, it sounds like Royce was already feeling overwhelmed, and the proposed position change just pushed him over the top. Lewis has noted, even since the beginning of this position-change controversy, that he’d be more willing to a move, if he had more time to prepare.

Related: Minnesota Twins Taking Calls on Another All-Star Talent

Well, now he has that because, by all accounts, it appears the current plan is for Royce Lewis to play 2nd base in 2025. Carlos Correa has the shortstop position locked down, and the Twins are grooming Brooks Lee and Jose Miranda at 3B. That’s fine with Lewis, who told Hayes he is willing to play any position in the infield, and that he’s been taking ground balls at 3B, 2B and SS.

“I just needed some time. It’s hard to make a transition like that in the middle of the year. When you’re in the playoff hunt, I was already like dealing with the stresses of trying to hit and figure out how to play through fatigue at the end of a season. It was my first time going through that in like five, six years. I wanted to focus on some of those things rather than (second). It’s a totally different side of the world. I know a ground ball is a ground ball. But it’s the little things — coverages, footwork, double plays, worrying about my knees running in the outfield… That’s why I was hesitant at the time.”

Royce Lewis on playing second base (The Athletic)

Lewis has been worth two outs above average, at the hot corner, each of the past two seasons. It’s plausible he winds up a better defender at second base, and the power profile would be a bonus there as well, even if he is trying to slim down and get more limber.

Related: Veteran Infielder Named as Realistic Free Agent Target for Minnesota Twins

It took time for Lewis to gain this understanding and perspective, but that is expected for a kid whose early career has been delayed so often by injury. The learning curve tightened in 2024, though. Hopefully, that leads to another big step forward, in 2025.