This prospect is impressing Twins this spring

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Spend a little time in the Twins' clubhouse, and you'll quickly start to see a bit of why Royce Lewis, the top prospect in the organization, remains so highly regarded despite a difficult 2019 season in the Minor Leagues.

It's not just the raw physical tools; it's also the passion for the game and the maturity beyond his years that have quickly stood out to the players that have spent time around the 20-year-old.

At the rough halfway mark of Spring Training, MLB.com surveyed seven veterans around the Twins’ clubhouse about which players in camp have impressed the most since workouts in Fort Myers began in late February. Six of them immediately mentioned Lewis. And though two of those players eventually settled on other candidates, the all-around respect for the young shortstop's demeanor and character was evident.

"He's a pro's pro right there," said Sergio Romo. "You talk about being 20 years old and having an idea of what it's like to walk and talk like a veteran. That's impressive. And yet, he's still trying to learn everything. That's really, really, really impressive."

Royce Lewis, SS (four votes)
Role: No. 1 prospect in organization
A former No. 1 overall pick, Lewis struggled at the plate across two levels in 2019 by hitting .236/.290/.371, but he still tallied 12 homers, 26 doubles and 22 stolen bases for Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola before he took the Arizona Fall League by storm and led all prospects there with 30 hits to claim the Most Valuable Player Award. It doesn't appear likely that he will surface in the Majors this season, but he could be on the radar in 2021.

The 20-year-old started the spring 0-for-11 before crushing a homer against the Rays on Sunday and following that up with a double, a near-homer and another near-double on Monday as his quality of contact has started to improve.

What his teammates are saying
"The way he swings and the way he plays. He's, what, 19 or 20 years old? I saw him swinging and I was impressed by how he plays the game. He swings hard and you can tell that he knows about the game and he's got a plan when he's going to hit. You can tell that he's a guy who really likes baseball." -- Jhoulys Chacín

"Lewis is the one. I went to see him in High-A in his first full season and it seemed like he was a little fatigued, and since then, he went to the Fall League and he came here and he looks really mature. He's a really smart kid. It seems like he's always asking the right questions and he wants to learn. He always goes around. 'If you see something, let me know.' 'What about this?' Not only the active players. You see him talk to Rod [Carew] and Tony [Oliva] and Torii [Hunter]. The guy is always trying to absorb." -- Nelson Cruz

Trevor Larnach, OF (one vote)
Role: No. 3 prospect in organization
The Twins challenged Larnach with what president of baseball operations Derek Falvey called an aggressive push to Double-A in the 2018 first-round pick's first full season in professional baseball. He responded by hitting .309/.384/.458 across two levels in 2019 and was named the Florida State League's Most Valuable Player.

The 23-year-old is 5-for-16 with two homers and two walks this spring. There's no chance he'll be on the Opening Day roster, but another strong showing in the upper Minors and the right circumstances could conceivably pave a way for Larnach to bust into the Majors at some point this season.

What his teammates are saying
"A ton of power with a super refined approach. He has an idea of what he wants to do, and he's been that way since he came out of college. Solid." -- Mitch Garver

Mitch Garver, C (one vote)
Role: Starting catcher
Garver won't be sneaking up on anybody this season. The 29-year-old backstop is the defending Silver Slugger Award winner at the position in the American League after he broke out with 31 homers in 93 games and posted the fifth-highest slugging percentage in baseball among hitters with at least 350 plate appearances. Garver's unwavering confidence in his ability, his cerebral approach to hitting and his work ethic in improving his all-around game have continued to stand out this spring as he prepares to be the club's Opening Day backstop for the first time in his career.

What his teammates are saying
"He has got a Swaggy P thing going on out there right now, and I absolutely love it. The fact that he really, really seems to have found some kind of identity, and whatever it is, thinking about that dude, it's really one of the most impressive things I've seen in spring. His confidence. He's got some swag. It's a for sure swag. It's a secure swag." -- Romo

Rich Hill, SP (one vote)
Role: Injured list, eventual starter
Hill hasn't even thrown off a mound this spring, but the veteran southpaw, rehabbing from a "primary repair" surgery on his left elbow and nearing his 40th birthday, already looks to be having an impact with his clubhouse presence. That's all he really can do until his projected return to the field sometime in June or July, but his presence was clear when, for example, he wandered out to the back fields on Tuesday morning to observe as Jake Odorizzi threw a simulated game.

What his teammates are saying
"He's doing that rehab process, so his days are a little more short than a lot of ours, so he has a lot of conversations and he has a lot of knowledge that he brings here. He's had such a unique career that he's got a lot of feedback to give guys, a lot of things that he sees. He's always watching." -- Odorizzi