'I never dwell in the past': Lewis talks goals, mentors and Derek Jeter

After becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis repeatedly has been hit by the injury bug. Lewis, 25, already had two right ACL surgeries, in 2021 and '22. Last year, he had left oblique and hamstring strains that limited him to 58 games. Lewis had problems staying on the field this year. Entering Friday’s action against the White Sox, Lewis has played only 30 games because of quad and hip problems.

When he is on the field, however, Lewis provides the power the Twins need to compete for an AL Central title. In 100 big league games dating back to 2022, Lewis has a slash line of .299/.359/.578.

In a recent sit-down with MLB.com in New York, Lewis answered a wide range of topics from staying injury-free and to his love for Derek Jeter.

MLB.com: Even though you have had your share of injuries, your name is in the Twins record book. You are second in team history behind Kirby Puckett with four postseason home runs. You have the highest OPS among Twins rookies and you have a record four grand slams in a season. Do you ever think what might have happened if you stayed healthy the last two years?

Lewis: I never dwell in the past. I think I’m able to grow and learn about what happened in the past, for sure. … I look forward to the future. Those injuries, unfortunately, have been holding me back a little bit. I look forward to putting those things in the past, not dwelling on them and just learning from them.

MLB.com: You are 25 years old. What are you doing to stay on the field during the rest of the season and beyond?

Lewis: Everything and anything possible. I’m spending as much money as I need off the field just to stay healthy, whether it’s getting additional massages from what we already have on the team. I go home and I get a secondary massage or whatever it may be. I’m doing chiropractic work. We are doing everything we possibly can.

MLB.com: Besides being healthy, what is the biggest aspect of the game you want to improve on?

Lewis: I think the main thing right now is baserunning -- learning when to run really hard or to coast for a routine double or hey, I can beat out that ground ball. I’m learning my way about the baserunning side.

From the defensive side, I feel like I’m still learning how to play third base. I’m still learning my angles and … where I need to throw, whether it’s over the top, from the side, down low or whatever it may be. Every play is a little bit different.

Offensively, I feel I’m always challenging myself with my plate discipline. I feel it is much better than it was. I’ve always seen the ball very well, but it’s choosing what to swing at versus which pitch is out of the zone. Those are ways of trying to get better.

MLB.com: Speaking of your plate discipline, I was looking at your Minor League record and you were OK, not great. But once you entered the big leagues, something clicked at the plate. What was it?

Lewis: Mentally, I wasn’t as strong as I am today. [In the Minor Leagues], I would get upset if I went 0-for-4, 0-for-3 or whatever it may be. I let it translate into the next day. It would affect me. When you are young and get drafted, that’s why you go [straight] to the Minor Leagues. You never see a kid, 18, go straight to the big leagues. When they do, they are mentally strong because this game is hard. You are going to fail seven out of 10 times and that makes you a Hall of Famer. You have to be built for failure. You have to understand it and grow from it. What I say now is, instead of saying I lost, I learned last night. I made outs three times. I learned from each at-bat. So I was thankful for that opportunity that I received because I was able to play in a Major League Baseball game, which is my dream. Two, I learned from the mistakes I may have made.

MLB.com: What made you stop thinking about yesterday’s game and just focus on one game at a time?

Lewis: Just learning from my mentors, Torii Hunter and Matt Kemp. These guys have been really helpful for me in my life and my career. I couldn’t be more thankful for the Hunter family as a whole, because they treat me like family. I love and care about them like they are family. They took me in and took me under their wing.

MLB.com: What did Hunter teach you the most?

Lewis: Honestly, it was about the mind. He simplified the game, because a lot of baseball is overthought and you overdo things a lot. For me, I simplify my game, whether it’s the approach [at the plate] -- don’t make excuses. ... Learn how to get better at it. Learn not to swing at that pitch and move on. Torii has harnessed me into doing that over and over, and I truly believe in it.

MLB.com: I remember Kemp playing with the Dodgers. How much has he helped you?

Lewis: He works with me on my swing all the time. I hit with him and Torii at their batting cages. I couldn’t be more thankful, because these are people I grew up watching and loving the way they played the game. They helped me become the person I am today as a player.

MLB.com: It’s not a secret that Derek Jeter is the No. 1 guy you idolized as a kid. I understand when the Twins were at Yankee Stadium this past June, you couldn’t believe you stood on the same field Jeter played on. Could you talk about what Jeter means to you?

Lewis: He means a lot to me because he is the guy that [made me] want to play baseball, and that’s all I wanted to do. Because of his parents being biracial -- a black dad and a white mother -- I have the same parents. So I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to do what he did and play baseball for 20-plus years. So far, I’ve been blessed to have that opportunity of everything going smoothly and going that way. I just can’t wait to meet him one day and learn how to better my game and my life.

MLB.com: You come from a great family. When you turn 45 years old, do you plan to follow in your parents’ footsteps and go into the winery and restaurant business?

Lewis: I plan to still be in baseball when I’m that age. When I’m 50, I’ll be definitely drinking more wine each night, probably with my dad. Me and my dad will probably hang out, drink some wine and cook out for the family. We will look forward to spending time together.

MLB.com: What’s your favorite wine?

Lewis: My favorite wine is pinot noir. You can’t go wrong with that. You can have it with or without dinner and feel comfortable. It’s not too strong on your taste buds, for a lot of those people who don’t drink wine. I think it’s a good intro to the red.

MLB.com: What is your favorite food that your parents have in the restaurant?

Lewis: My favorite food has to be the pork belly lollipop that they sell. Obviously, the steak is very good. They are turning it more into a steakhouse, and I think the steaks are amazing. You can’t go wrong with any of it. My personal favorite would be the ribeye or the New York strip.