Diamondbacks 2023 Player Reviews: Kyle Lewis

A rough and tough first season leaves Lewis in danger of being non-tendered despite an excellent Triple-A Season

This article is part of a series of player reviews for the 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks. It was a surprising and marvelous year for the team as they won 84 games to make the postseason. They advanced all the way to Game Five of the World Series before bowing out to the Texas Rangers. There are 54 players in all that had at least one at-bat or pitched at least one inning for the team this past season. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR (average WAR-Wins Above Replacement) produced, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR. These are their season stories.

Kyle Lewis: -0.47 aWAR

Kyle Lewis had a tough season in limited at-bats during his 2023 season / Jake Oliver

Kyle Lewis started his career with the Seattle Mariners where he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2020. He debuted in 2019 and had a terrific first season+ of games. Albeit, 2020 was just 60 games and 2019 consisted of 18 games. During those 76 games, he hit 17 home runs, had eight doubles, a .824 OPS, and a 127 OPS+. Then, he injured his knee repeatedly. 

From 2021-2022, Lewis appeared in just 54 games, with the vast majority of the other games spent on the injured list. His batting ability fell sharply to just a .215 average and .667 OPS with an 89 OPS+. The Mariners decided to cut bait ahead of his age-27 season and shipped him to Arizona in exchange for catcher/outfielder Cooper Hummel. Lewis was a prime change of scenery candidate and the D-backs took a flier on him.

Lewis made the Opening Day roster and started the season off great with a late-game pinch-hit two run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game two of the season. His hit led the D-backs to victory. Then, he encountered a slump and went hit-less in 17 straight at-bats. On April 8th, he went on the injured list with an illness that wiped out most of the next two months of his season. He returned to play on May 23rd in Triple-A with the Reno Aces. He would stay there, excelling in Reno until July 1st. During his first visit to Reno, he hit .308 with an OPS of .950 and 28 RBI in 26 games.

After returning to the MLB, he would again struggle with just three hits in 17 plate appearances. The D-backs returned him to Reno where he again hit extremely well. This time, over 21 games, he hit .434 with a 1.332 OPS and 17 walks to 15 strikeouts. The D-backs recalled him again for a five-game span where he had just two hits in 19 plate appearances with 10 strikeouts. It appeared as if he just couldn't catch up to the velocity and location of MLB pitchers. He finished his season in Reno where he hit .397/.442/.618/.1.059 with 24 RBI, six walks, and 14 strikeouts in just 16 games.

Overall, Lewis hit just .157/.204/.255/.459 with eight hits, two doubles, a home run, two RBI, three walks, and 21 strikeouts in 16 games and 54 plate appearances as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was mainly used as a DH with 11 games there in order to protect his knee. One does have to wonder if his knee is truly healthy or if the illness that caused him to miss so much time affected him the rest of the season.

2024 Status and Outlook:

Kyle Lewis is arbitration eligible again with just 3.067 years of service time. The D-backs could control him through 2026 if the team tenders him a contract. However, he's a potential non-tender because he is due a contract around $1.61 MM according to MLBTradeRumors. The team could deem him unworthy of that and let him go to clear up a 40-man roster spot and put that money elsewhere. If that is the case, he will become a free agent and likely join another team in hopes of re-establishing himself.

The D-backs could choose to bet on him once again with a proper off-season of health and training in the D-backs system. They could deem the offer to be worth trying to see if he can re-tap into his power and hitting ability that he showcased in Seattle. They are on the hunt for right-handed power and Lewis would give them that in spades if he can hit MLB-caliber pitchers. In a few weeks, the Arizona Diamondbacks will have to decide whether to offer Lewis a contract for arbitration or not. That will ultimately decide whether this relationship will continue or break up after a single season. If they keep him, he will work to become a regular designated hitter and serve as a fourth outfielder.

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