Lewis named AL Rookie of the Year finalist

SEATTLE -- Though his name wasn’t on any of the preseason favorite lists, it would be wrong to say nobody saw Kyle Lewis’ bid for the American League Rookie of the Year Award coming prior to the 2020 season.

His Mariners teammates knew. His coaches knew. The guys who saw him return to Summer Camp in tip-top shape and brimming with confidence after MLB’s three-month hiatus knew.

On Monday, the Seattle center fielder was named as one of three finalists for the AL Rookie of the Year Award, based on voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, along with White Sox center fielder Luis Robert and Astros right-hander Cristian Javier.

The winner will be announced Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. PT on MLB Network.

? 2020 awards coverage

Robert got much of the preseason publicity, while Lewis prepared quietly with the Mariners despite having hit six homers in 18 games as a September callup in 2019.

Much of that had to do with Lewis’ relative obscurity on prospect rankings, where the 2016 first-round Draft pick had slipped down the ranks over the previous few years while working back from a serious right knee injury sustained during his first season in the Minors.

? All-time AL Rookie of the Year winners

“I had a lot of dark nights, sitting around where you wonder if you’ll come back and ever be the same,” Lewis said Monday on MLB Network. “Getting my explosiveness back, especially defensively, was something I was worried about for a little bit, just being able to make the plays at the wall I like to make and leave my feet when I need to make plays.

“I’d sit around and try to write in my journal and do whatever I could to keep my mind the way I needed to be. But ultimately, you just have to take it one day at a time, put your best foot forward, and you never know what’s going to happen.”

Lewis wasn't included on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list coming into 2020, and he was at No. 10 on the Mariners’ Top 30 list. The former Mercer University standout ranked No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list in 2017 and No. 70 in ’18, but his lengthy injury comeback and average Minor League numbers led to some “prospect fatigue,” as he got passed up by more recent Draft picks and international signees.

Even in 2019, Lewis’ numbers for Double-A Arkansas weren’t eye-popping, as he posted a .263/.342/.398 slash line with 11 homers and 62 RBIs in 122 games before his late-season promotion to the Majors. But the Mariners kept saying that Lewis was hitting the ball harder than anyone in their system and was dealing with a home park in Arkansas that suppressed right-handed offensive production.

Once Lewis arrived in Seattle, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder looked every bit the part of a budding big league standout, and he’s done nothing but back that up since. After his initial power surge in September 2019, Lewis picked right back up as the Mariners arrived at T-Mobile Park for Summer Camp this past July, homering three times in the first two intrasquad games.

“I’m glad he’s on my team,” Mariners left-hander Marco Gonzales said after giving up one of Lewis’ initial blasts on July 12. “This has been fun to watch. The kid is really something special. He’s got my early vote for Rookie of the Year.”

Credit Gonzales with some foresight, as the first to begin the Rookie of the Year push for Lewis. But the youngster did the rest of the work on his own, getting off to a blazing start in which he hit .328/.418/.527 with eight home runs in 36 games through Aug. 31.

Though Lewis cooled considerably in September, he still ended up with a .262/.364/.437 slash line and led all AL rookies in fWAR (1.7), runs scored (37), walks (34), total bases (90), on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS (.801). He was also tied for first in home runs (11).

Lewis led the Mariners in batting average, home runs, runs and walks, joining Mark McGwire of the A's in 1987 as the only rookies to lead their team in all four categories since 1969.

Even with the slow September, Lewis continued opening eyes with his defensive prowess in center, and Seattle manager Scott Servais said the youngster will only be better for his experiences in this unique season.

“Kyle got off to a fantastic start,” Servais said. “I don’t think anybody expected the batting average on balls in play to stay as high or him to stay as hot as he was. I don’t think anybody expected him to hit .350 all year. But we love the player. He took huge strides forward defensively with his ability to get into center field and do a really nice job out there. We’re certainly pushing for him to win Rookie of the Year, and I believe he will. He deserves it.”

Lewis is vying to become the fourth Mariners player to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors and the first since right fielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2001. The other two were closer Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000 and first baseman Alvin Davis in 1984.