Fastball

Minnesota Twins Continue to Get Historic Production From Royce Lewis

Royce Lewis hasn't always been available in his career, but when he has been, he's continued to mash at nearly unprecedented levels.

Brady Farkas

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis (23) celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Target Field on Aug 2.
Minnesota Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis (23) celebrates after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago White Sox in the first inning at Target Field on Aug 2. / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
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The Minnesota Twins lost on Tuesday to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The 7-3 final was the ninth win of the year for Cubs rookie Shota Imanaga, who is 9-2 with a 3.06 ERA in his first year in the United States.

With the loss, the Twins are 63-49. Though Minnesota didn't do much offensively, they did get another home run from infielder Royce Lewis. The slugger, who has spent most of the season injured with a variety of problems, went 1-for-4 with the homer and two RBI. He now has 14 homers this season in just 36 games.

Furthermore, he continues to produce at a historic rate in his young career.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Royce Lewis has 31 career HR

only players with MORE in their first 105 career games:

Mark McGwire: 39
Cody Bellinger: 35
Pete Alonso: 34
Rudy York: 34
Gary Sánchez: 33

others w/31:
José Abreu: 31
Ryan Braun: 31
Aaron Judge: 31

Lewis is one of the best power hitters in the game, but the problem is just that he hasn't been on the field enough. He tore his ACL in 2022 and played just 12 games, returning to play 58 in 2023. This year, he's played just the 36.

In addition to being a power threat, Lewis also hits for a solid average. He's a .298 career hitter with a .954 OPS. If the Twins, who currently own the No. 2 spot in the wild card race, are to make real noise in the playoffs, then Lewis will absolutely be a big reason why.

The Twins and Cubs will play again on Wednesday at 2:20 p.m. ET.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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