Kyle Lewis Stats & Scouting Report

AB	514
AVG	.235
OBP	.317
SLG	.414
HR	26

Full name Kyle Alexander Lewis
Born 07/13/1995 in Snellville, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 222 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Mercer
Debut 09/10/2019
Drafted in the 1st round (11th overall) by the Seattle Mariners in 2016 (signed for $3,286,700).

View Draft Report

In 2013, Georgia area scouts saw Lewis as a first baseman at Shiloh High. He had some power but his bat was raw. Undrafted that year, Kyle Lewis elected to attend Mercer, where he has blossomed into a top-of-the-draft talent. Lewis was more of a role player for the Bears as a freshman, but his stock soared as a sophomore, when he swatted 17 home runs and batted .367. Lewis went to the Cape Cod League for the summer and cemented himself as a first-rounder, showing power, arm strength and athleticism. Lewis is a righthanded hitter with plus-plus raw power. He has some swing-and-miss to his game, and his swing plane can be somewhat steep, but he's developed a reputation for destroying mistake pitches and working at-bats until he gets the pitch he's looking for. Lewis plays center field at Mercer and is likely to begin his pro career in center, but most feel that his tools will play better in right field. Lewis posts below-average run times to first base, reaching the bag between 4.3 and 4.6 seconds regularly, but his speed is better under way and some scouts like his defensive instincts. Should he have to move away from center, Lewis should fit well in right due to his excellent arm, which scouts have graded above-average to plus. There is some concern among evaluators about how Lewis' success in the mid-major Southern Conference will carry over to pro ball, though his strong performance in the Cape Cod League has mostly muted those concerns.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: It's been an arduous climb through the system for Lewis since the Mariners drafted him 11th overall in 2016, when he was the BA College Player of the Year. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a grisly home plate collision in his pro debut and struggled with setbacks throughout 2017 and 2018. But he finally made it to the majors in 2019 after a solid, healthy season at Double-A Arkansas and made a splash by homering in each of his first three major league games.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lewis is a power-over-hit type with high strikeout totals part of the package. There are a lot of moving parts to his swing, with a hand trigger and a leg kick, but he sees the ball well and generates the bat speed through the zone to produce high exit velocities. Now a tick below-average runner, Lewis' time in center field is likely coming to an end. The Mariners plan to station him in left field in 2020, where he'll be an above-average defender with solid instincts and an above-average arm.

THE FUTURE: Lewis may skip over Triple-A Tacoma and win the wide-open left field job in Seattle. It will likely be his job to lose in spring training.
Track Record: Lewis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a home plate collision in his 2016 pro debut. He has been working his way back from that injury ever since. Lewis' 2018 season got a late start when he was held back in extended spring training until May to strengthen his knee. After an appearance in the California League all-star game, Lewis moved up to Double-A Arkansas for the remainder of 2018.

Scouting Report: At the plate Lewis is balanced and short to the ball, with loose hands and the ability to adjust to fastballs in the zone, but he sometimes looks like he's trying to make up for lost time in every at-bat. He struggled to make consistent contact after the move to Double-A and has yet to show the plus-plus raw power he had in college and his pro debut. He is a fringe-average runner because of his knee injuries. Lewis is still capable of making highlight-reel plays in the outfield, with his average speed underway and solid instincts being the strong points. His lack of first-step quickness will likely push him to right field. He has an above-average arm.

The Future: Barring any further issues with his knee, Lewis should be ready for a full workload in 2019, likely heading back to Double-A to start the year.
Lewis' first full professional season was a trying one. The 2016 Baseball America College Player of the Year and Mariners first-rounder played just 49 games as he came back from a serious knee injury, with multiple stops and starts. Drafted 11th overall and signed for $3,286,700 in 2016, Lewis tore his anterior cruciate ligament and medial and lateral meniscus in his right knee a month into his career at short-season Everett in a grisly home plate collision. He spent the next 12 months rehabbing and finally returned to game action at high Class A Modesto in June 2017, only to bang his knee into the center field wall in his first game back and go back on the disabled list. He returned to Modesto in July and finished the season with a flourish, batting .429 in the California League playoffs to help the Nuts capture the league title. Lewis was assigned to the Arizona Fall League after the season but was shut down after two games because of discomfort in his surgically-repaired knee. When healthy, Lewis has everything you want to see in a premier, middle-of-the-order outfielder. He plays the game hard and has the strong work ethic that allows him to make the most of his above-average tools. He has solid bat speed and a feel for the barrel, with plus raw power. It was obvious to scouts who saw him in the Cal League that he was not always in rhythm at the plate, with his upper half not syncing with the lower half, but he should get back in the groove when his knee is 100 percent healthy. His hands work well, and he's got a line-drive stroke with loft and home run power to all fields. Lewis speed hasn't come all the way back, but he should again be an average runner when healthy, perhaps a tick more underway. While Lewis has primarily been a center fielder, scouts don't see the instincts needed to stay there despite his ability to cover plenty of ground. An above-average arm makes him better suited for right field. He's primarily been a DH since returning from his knee injury out of caution. Lewis aggressive by nature, so the Mariners will make sure he's 100 percent healthy before putting him back on the field. He is expected to be completely healthy by spring training and has a chance to see Double-A at the start of 2018. Lewis' above-average offensive potential makes him a future regular corner outfielder, potentially a first-division one if his power plays as plus in the major leagues.
In the age of never-ending prospect showcases and 14-year-old class rankings, Lewis was somewhat of a late bloomer. He played varsity all four years at Shiloh High in Snellville, Ga., but never won anything more than regional honors and went undrafted out of high school. No Southeastern Conference school offered him a scholarship--including Georgia less than an hour away--and he ended up at Mercer, which had just two NCAA tournament appearances in its 65-year history when Lewis arrived on campus. He split time playing baseball and basketball growing up, but once he began focusing solely on baseball in college, he flourished. With his elite athleticism and intelligence, Lewis adapted quickly and made the Atlantic Sun Conference all-freshman team. He became a middle-of-the-order impact regular as a sophomore, thrived in the Cape Cod League (.300/.344/.500) and emerged as one of the most potent forces in college baseball as a junior, hitting .395/.535/.731 with 20 home runs and winning the Golden Spikes Award and the BA College Player of the Year. The Mariners had him ranked as one of the top three players on their board, and they were shocked and ecstatic when he fell to them at No. 11. He signed for $3,286,700. Lewis got off to a blazing start as a pro before he tore the ACL and medial and lateral meniscus in his right knee in a grisly collision at home plate just 30 games into his pro career at short-season Everett. Lewis is an offense-first center fielder with plus power to all fields and a patient approach that allows him to control the strike zone and punish mistakes. He has some swing-and-miss to his game, like most power hitters, but he has enough feel for the barrel and understanding of what to do at the plate that he still is regarded as an solid-average hitter. He is a below-average runner out of the box but ticks up to average underway. His instincts, reflexes and efficient routes make up for whatever he lacks in terms of raw speed in the outfield and make him an above-average defender. His plus arm, combined with average speed, have some evaluators predicting he ends up in right field. However, the Mariners will leave him in center for now. There is concern about how his knee injury will affect his power base and already suspect speed, but Lewis is a hard worker who plays the game with passion and a big smile. There is little doubt among observers Lewis will put in the work to get back to the diamond as quickly and strongly as possible His makeup, aptitude and work ethic draw raves, with his combination of talent and personality making him a potential face-of-the-franchise type player. Lewis draws comparisons with his childhood hero Adam Jones, another former Mariners top prospect. He had surgery on his knee in August and is not expected to begin baseball activities until April. He will continue his rehab at the team complex in Arizona until then, with an eye on reporting to a full-season affiliate by mid-summer. Low Class A Clinton is his likely destination, but high Class A Modesto is a possibility with its drier climate making for a better playing environment post-surgery. If Lewis returns to full health, an accelerated track up the minors and to the majors by 2018 is very much in the cards.

Draft Prospects

In 2013, Georgia area scouts saw Lewis as a first baseman at Shiloh High. He had some power but his bat was raw. Undrafted that year, Kyle Lewis elected to attend Mercer, where he has blossomed into a top-of-the-draft talent. Lewis was more of a role player for the Bears as a freshman, but his stock soared as a sophomore, when he swatted 17 home runs and batted .367. Lewis went to the Cape Cod League for the summer and cemented himself as a first-rounder, showing power, arm strength and athleticism. Lewis is a righthanded hitter with plus-plus raw power. He has some swing-and-miss to his game, and his swing plane can be somewhat steep, but he's developed a reputation for destroying mistake pitches and working at-bats until he gets the pitch he's looking for. Lewis plays center field at Mercer and is likely to begin his pro career in center, but most feel that his tools will play better in right field. Lewis posts below-average run times to first base, reaching the bag between 4.3 and 4.6 seconds regularly, but his speed is better under way and some scouts like his defensive instincts. Should he have to move away from center, Lewis should fit well in right due to his excellent arm, which scouts have graded above-average to plus. There is some concern among evaluators about how Lewis' success in the mid-major Southern Conference will carry over to pro ball, though his strong performance in the Cape Cod League has mostly muted those concerns.

Minor League Top Prospects

The reigning BA College Player of the Year missed the first half of the season recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, and his comeback was further delayed when he aggravated his knee after banging it into the center field wall in his first game back. But Lewis returned to Modesto's lineup for good on July 20 and showed the same all-fields power, prolific tools and ability to adjust that made him a top draft selection a year ago, though the long layoff affected his consistency. "He's got all the physical attributes," Stockton manager Rick Magnante said. "There's power, there's arm strength, there is foot speed. The setup, the swing, it all looks fundamentally sound. He looked like a frontline prospect and certainly one who was worthy of a first-round pick." Lewis' knee still caused discomfort at times getting down the line and in the outfield, and the Mariners took it slow by limiting him to DH duty in 25 of his 38 games. He spent significant time working on his outfield play before games and will carry his recovery process into the Arizona Fall League.
Were it not for a grisly knee injury, Lewis might have played his way out of the league. Instead, the 11th overall pick in this year's draft and the BA College Player of the Year had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament as well as torn medial and lateral meniscuses. Â The injury should cost him at least part of the 2017 season, and it was severe enough to temper some enthusiasm for his future. While on the field, Lewis showed solid instincts in center field as well as a plus arm. Evaluators who saw him early noticed he had trouble with fastballs above the hands--but once he got acclimated the results were spectacular. His swing mechanics are complex and include a deep load and a leg kick, but managers weren't concerned because of the simplicity of the swing itself and his ability to get the barrel of the bat out quickly. If he comes back from his knee injury with the same speed and athleticism, Lewis could be a center fielder with the ability to hit for average and power.

Top 100 Rankings

Best Tools List

Rated Best Athlete in the Seattle Mariners in 2019
Rated Best Athlete in the Seattle Mariners in 2018

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: It’s been an arduous climb through the system for Lewis since the Mariners drafted him 11th overall in 2016, when he was the BA College Player of the Year. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a grisly home plate collision in his pro debut and struggled with setbacks throughout 2017 and 2018. But he finally made it to the majors in 2019 after a solid, healthy season at Double-A Arkansas and made a splash by homering in each of his first three major league games.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lewis is a power-over-hit type with high strikeout totals part of the package. There are a lot of moving parts to his swing, with a hand trigger and a leg kick, but he sees the ball well and generates the bat speed through the zone to produce high exit velocities. Now a tick below-average runner, Lewis’ time in center field is likely coming to an end. The Mariners plan to station him in left field in 2020, where he’ll be an above-average defender with solid instincts and an above-average arm.

THE FUTURE: Lewis may skip over Triple-A Tacoma and win the wide-open left field job in Seattle. It will likely be his job to lose in spring training.
TRACK RECORD: It's been an arduous climb through the system for Lewis since the Mariners drafted him 11th overall in 2016, when he was the BA College Player of the Year. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a grisly home plate collision in his pro debut and struggled with setbacks throughout 2017 and 2018. But he finally made it to the majors in 2019 after a solid, healthy season at Double-A Arkansas and made a splash by homering in each of his first three major league games.

SCOUTING REPORT: Lewis is a power-over-hit type with high strikeout totals part of the package. There are a lot of moving parts to his swing, with a hand trigger and a leg kick, but he sees the ball well and generates the bat speed through the zone to produce high exit velocities. Now a tick below-average runner, Lewis' time in center field is likely coming to an end. The Mariners plan to station him in left field in 2020, where he'll be an above-average defender with solid instincts and an above-average arm.

THE FUTURE: Lewis may skip over Triple-A Tacoma and win the wide-open left field job in Seattle. It will likely be his job to lose in spring training.
Lewis did not see game action during spring training and was held back in extended spring training until the second week of May to give his surgically-repaired knee time to strengthen. Returning to high Class A Modesto, Lewis has shown explosiveness in his legs and moves around the outfield well. At the plate, he is balanced and short to the ball, with loose hands and the ability to adjust to fastballs in the zone. He’s played mostly center field this season, but opinions that he’ll eventually move to right field, where his average or better arm will play, are becoming more prevalent. Lewis will continue to be watched closely to see if the knee can hold up for a full season, but for now the signs are positive.
Track Record: Lewis' first full pro season in 2017 was trying. The 2016 BA College Player of the Year played just 49 games as he came back from a serious knee injury, with multiple stops and starts. Drafted 11th overall and signed for $3,286,700 in 2016, Lewis tore his anterior cruciate ligament and medial and lateral meniscuses in his right knee a month into his career at short-season Everett in a grisly home plate collision. He spent the next 12 months rehabbing and finally returned to game action at high Class A Modesto in June 2017, only to bang his knee into the center field wall in his first game back and go back on the disabled list. He returned to Modesto in July and finished with a flourish, batting .429 in the California League playoffs to help the Nuts capture the league title. Lewis was assigned to the Arizona Fall League after the season but was shut down after two games with discomfort in his surgically-repaired knee. Scouting Report: When healthy, Lewis has everything you want to see in a premier, middle-of-the-order outfielder. He plays the game hard and has the strong work ethic that allows him to make the most of his above-average tools. He has solid bat speed and a feel for the barrel, with plus raw power. It was obvious to scouts who saw him in the Cal League that he was not always in rhythm at the plate, with his upper half not syncing with his lower half, but he should get back in the groove when his knee is 100 percent healthy. His hands work well, and he's got a line-drive stroke with loft and home run power to all fields. Lewis' speed hasn't come all the way back, but he should again be an average runner when healthy, perhaps a tick more underway. While Lewis has primarily been a center fielder, scouts don't see the instincts needed to stay there despite his ability to cover plenty of ground. An above-average arm makes him better suited for right field. He's primarily been a DH since returning from his knee injury out of caution. The Future: Lewis is aggressive by nature, so the Mariners will make sure he's 100 percent healthy before putting him back on the field. He is expected to be completely healthy by spring training and has a chance to see Double-A at the start of 2018. Lewis' above-average offensive potential makes him a future regular corner outfielder, potentially a first-division one if his power plays as plus in the major leagues.
Background: In the age of never-ending prospect showcases and 14-year-old class rankings, Lewis was somewhat of a late bloomer. He played varsity all four years at Shiloh High in Snellville, Ga., but never won anything more than regional honors and went undrafted out of high school. No Southeastern Conference school offered him a scholarship--including Georgia less than an hour away--and he ended up at Mercer, which had just two NCAA tournament appearances in its 65-year history when Lewis arrived on campus. He split time playing baseball and basketball growing up, but once he began focusing solely on baseball in college, he flourished. With his elite athleticism and intelligence, Lewis adapted quickly and made the Atlantic Sun Conference all-freshman team. He became a middle-of-the-order impact regular as a sophomore, thrived in the Cape Cod League (.300/.344/.500) and emerged as one of the most potent forces in college baseball as a junior, hitting .395/.535/.731 with 20 home runs and winning the Golden Spikes Award and the BA College Player of the Year. The Mariners had him ranked as one of the top three players on their board, and they were shocked and ecstatic when he fell to them at No. 11. He signed for $3,286,700. Lewis got off to a blazing start as a pro before he tore the ACL and medial and lateral meniscus in his right knee in a grisly collision at home plate just 30 games into his pro career at short-season Everett. Scouting Report: Lewis is an offense-first center fielder with plus power to all fields and a patient approach that allows him to control the strike zone and punish mistakes. He has some swing-and-miss to his game, like most power hitters, but he has enough feel for the barrel and understanding of what to do at the plate that he still is regarded as an solid-average hitter. He is a below-average runner out of the box but ticks up to average underway. His instincts, reflexes and efficient routes make up for whatever he lacks in terms of raw speed in the outfield and make him an above-average defender. His plus arm, combined with average speed, have some evaluators predicting he ends up in right field. However, the Mariners will leave him in center for now. There is concern about how his knee injury will affect his power base and already suspect speed, but Lewis is a hard worker who plays the game with passion and a big smile. There is little doubt among observers Lewis will put in the work to get back to the diamond as quickly and strongly as possible. The Future: Lewis draws comparisons with his childhood hero Adam Jones, another former Mariners top prospect. He had surgery on his knee in August and is not expected to begin baseball activities until April. He will continue his rehab at the team complex in Arizona until then, with an eye on reporting to a full-season affiliate by mid-summer. Low Class A Clinton is his likely destination, but high Class A Modesto is a possibility with its drier climate making for a better playing environment post-surgery.