Twins' young shortstops eager to learn from one of best

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Royce Lewis was once a star-struck teenage fan at Angel Stadium whose day was made when his dad pulled a few strings to give him a chance to meet Carlos Correa, one of his favorite players in the game. He can't wait to relive that moment with Correa -- now as a teammate -- once the Twins' reported new starting shortstop arrives in camp.

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"I remember him saying, 'I hope if you work hard, you’ll be [a No. 1 overall selection] like me,' or something like that," Lewis, the Twins' No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline, said. "It did happen, so I wanted to tell him. I think he’d get a little kick out of it."

Of course, that's not the only reason Lewis is excited to have Correa, who officially signed a three-year deal on Tuesday, in camp. Lewis and the other young middle infielders in the Minnesota clubhouse this Spring Training are already gearing up to watch and learn from how one of the best in the game plays the position, with the hope of one day following in his footsteps.

It's not necessarily that Correa's offensive profile will translate too well to their skill sets, as they noted. Nick Gordon is wiry, left-handed and contact-oriented. Austin Martin doesn't have Correa's power, and Spencer Steer's body is much smaller. Lewis can boast a more speed-heavy skill set.

But the biggest transition for many of these youngsters, as they adapt to the professional game and the Major League level, is the element of establishing a routine and understanding the mental side of the maturation -- and that's what they'll look for most in the coming weeks.

"It's everything," said Martin, ranked No. 2 in the organization. "It's the routine. It's his intent in what he does in his drills. It's his approach. It's his mindset. It's kind of just getting to understand how guys like that think and operate. You just try to take what you like from it and implement some of that into your journey."

"I'm excited to see how he goes about his business every day," said Steer, the Twins' No. 23 prospect. "I think that’s super important in baseball, knowing what you need to do every day to get ready."

The defensive ability that netted Correa 12 outs above average per Statcast and an MLB-leading 20 defensive runs saved at shortstop last season -- good for the American League Platinum Glove Award -- should serve as a particularly significant example for Lewis and Martin, the organization's top two prospects.

Lewis has had all the physical talent in the world since he was selected with the No. 1 overall selection in the 2017 MLB Draft and has continued to refine his defense at shortstop. Farm director Alex Hassan has noted that the Twins are comfortable with Martin's ability in the outfield but want to focus the 22-year-old's work this spring around the infield. The Twins were hesitant to use Nick Gordon at shortstop last season when he cracked the big leagues.

They've got plenty to absorb.

"He just [evolved into] Derek Jeter, is the way I put it," Lewis said. "A more modern Derek Jeter with a shortstop that was tall, lengthy, broad shoulders, everything that I grew up aspiring to be. I feel like physically I’ve gotten there now, and now it’s just about kind of picking the brains of these guys and getting that IQ and putting it into my game any way possible."

Lewis was similarly looking forward to working alongside noted defensive wizard Andrelton Simmons on the big league side of camp last spring before Lewis' ACL tear and surgery limited his ability to do that.

Not only does this give the 22-year-old Lewis a second chance at that kind of hands-on education, but Correa's arrival in the clubhouse offers a resounding solution to the Twins' question at shortstop that will offer Lewis the chance to ease back into action after two years away. The job could likely be open for him or Martin again after another year of development, considering the reported opt-outs that exist in Correa's contract after each of the first two years -- though Lewis isn't taking that as a given yet.

"Once [people] get here and they meet the guys in the clubhouse, in the locker room and they get to meet [manager] Rocco [Baldelli], all these guys around here, I think that they’ll actually fall in love with it," Lewis said.