The Minnesota Twins have signed No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis to a contract amounting to $6.725 million, a record for a High School player. The Twins introduced Lewis at a News Conference Saturday at Target Field but did not confirm details of the deal. According to Lewis, he was not aware that he will be selected first overall by the Twins until his name was announced.
A native of San Juan Capistrano, California, Lewis officially signed his first MLB contract with the Twins between Games 1 and 2 of the team's doubleheader against the Indians. Lewis, a shortstop, said he did not look into reports and not having a social media account helped him before the Draft.
However, he believes that his ability will help him reach the top and it happened when his name was first called in the 2017 MLB Draft.
Lewis’ agent, Scott Boras, was confident that his client’s name will be first called despite the fact that there were multiple names mentioned as first overall hours before the Draft. "This was not a surprise for me," Boras told MLB.com.
Lewis tours Twin Cities, likes what he saw
According to Lewis, he toured the Twin Cities over the past couple of days and liked what he saw, saying was "beautiful and clean." He also had a chance to meet Minnesota manager Paul Molitor Saturday. "I'm like 'Whoa, over 3,000 hits and a .306 batting average. I'm like, I'd like to do that someday,’” said Lewis.
According to Lewis, he’s very excited to join the club sooner than later.
Lewis will have his first professional stint in Fort Myers, Florida where he will play in the Gulf Coast League. Known for his speed on the basepaths and arm strength, Lewis starred for JSerra Catholic High School where he hit .429 with nine doubles and four homers last season.
He also added 25 stolen bases.
Twins also sign No. 35 overall pick Brent Rooker
The Twins also signed Mississippi State outfielder Brent Rooker, their 35th overall pick in the 2017 Draft. Rooker is expected to receive the pick’s slot value of $1,935,300. The Twins plan to start Rooker’s career in left field at Rookie-level Elizabethton.
The 22-year-old Rooker led the NCAA Division I in doubles (30), slugging (.810) and OPS (1.305), on top of 23 homers and 18 stolen bases last season. The Twins drafted the 6-foot-4 Rooker last year in the 38th round but did not sign him. Rooker said he will focus on his development as an outfielder and work on his offense during his time at Elizabethton.
