All Royce Lewis Does is Hit Grand Slams… Even in Spring Training

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Photo: Minnesota Twins - (@Twins - X)

The Minnesota Twins parted ways with Sonny Gray and Jorge Polanco this offseason, and didn’t bring much in outside of aging first baseman, Carlos Santana. The AL Central is so bad right now, though, that the Twins are still projected by anybody who matters in the MLB world to be the best team in the American League Central by a long shot.

A large chunk of that optimism, despite the offseason losses, is thanks to a healthy (fingers crossed) Royce Lewis, who some are projecting as a dark horse MVP candidate. Lewis has only played 70 MLB games in his professional baseball career and the only thing holding people back from declaring him the next superstar of this league is his inability to stay on the field.

Royce Lewis hits Spring Training Grand Slam for Twins

Lewis has had his career upended by torn ACL injuries two different times, and leading up to both, he was quickly on his way to proving himself as one of the best offensive players on the roster. Royce hopes those days are behind him, though. And he let Twins fans know how good he is feeling today with one of his patented (yes I said it) grand slams in his 2nd at-bat of the day vs Boston at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

Why any pitcher would throw to Royce Lewis while the bases are loaded is beyond me, at this point. Even in a spring training game, I’d recommend not ruining your spring stat-line by doing something so stupid. Walk him, take the run and try for the next guy.

Related: Twins’ Royce Lewis is a Dark Horse AL MVP Candidate

Sure, that may sound irrational, especially in an exhibition game… but let Do-Hyoung Park remind you just how good this 24-year-old kid is at hitting missiles into the bleachers every time he comes up with the bases loaded, And no, these numbers do not count today’s 4 RBI rocket launch.

  • Royce Lewis career with bases loaded: 7-for-12, 5 grand slams, 24 RBI and a 2.449 OPS

Lewis played in 58 regular-season games in 2024. He posted a .309 batting average, with 15 home runs and a .921 OPS. In the Twins’ six playoff games, Royce developed his man-strength, powering four homers over the fence and racking up 5 RBI in the process. Both metrics were playoff highs for Minnesota. Put it this way, between Royce Lewis and Carlos Correa, the Twins lineup doesn’t seem like very much fun to face in clutch moments right now.

Related: Minnesota Twins 2024 Season Preview

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