Mariners Draft Profile: Kyle Lewis

Now that the dust has settled from the MLB Draft last week, let’s take a look at the Mariners’ first pick, outfielder Kyle Lewis.

Center fielder Kyle Lewis is the reigning collegiate player of the year according to Baseball America after an excellent season with Mercer University, a small, private college based in Macon, Georgia. For the Mariners, who had resigned themselves to not being able to pick the player some scouts think is one of the best hitters in the draft with the 11th overall pick, seeing Lewis still on the board was a cause for celebration.

Mariners director of amateur scouting Tom McNamara said in a statement the day the Mariners brain trust selected Lewis, “We thought he was going to be picked before us. We’re very excited that he made it to us.” The surprise that a player of Lewis’ caliber fell to the Mariners at 11 appears to be well-founded.

Lewis hit .395, scored 70 runs, and blasted 11 doubles, two triples, and 20 homers, while racking up 72 RBIs and a 1.266 OPS his junior season for Mercer. He also walked 66 times against just 48 strikeouts. He was an fearsome run producer for Mercer. In three seasons for his college team, Lewis hit .364 with 39 home runs and 145 RBIs in 145 games (!).  The 6’4″ 20-year old played two sports in high school and started to bash baseballs during his senior year.

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Lewis appears to have the power and plate discipline to be a middle-of-the-order force. The only knock on him from other teams appears to be his lack of experience against top college competition, having played in the Southern League during his time at Mercer.  Still, Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto is all too happy to add a player of his caliber to a farm system that has been dragged down by incompetence and aimless coaching during the Jack Z era.

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After getting drafted last week, Lewis signed a contract with the Mariners in Seattle for just over $3 million. He will report to the Everett Aquasox after some conditioning in Peoria. My suggestion is to brave the traffic to Everett to see this guy hit when he arrives. With the way the Mariners’ front office gleefully took him with the 11th pick, he could be a star in the making.