Taylor Lewis

WTM’S PIRATE PLAYER PROFILES

2011
A-:  188/319/269, 186 AB, 1 2B, 7 3B, 34 BB, 43 K, 16-20, SB

Lewis got off to a miserable start at State College, hitting .105 in June, and never really broke out of it.  He drew a lot of walks and had only slightly fewer walks than strikeouts, but a little less than one strikeout every four ABs is a lot for somebody who’s not hitting for much power.  Lewis did show very good speed, between the triples and the steals.  He was the regular center fielder and recorded six assists with only one error.

2012
A:  244/309/368, 250 AB, 7 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 22 BB, 61 K, 20-24 SB

Lewis started 2012 in extended spring training and didn’t join West Virginia even when Josh Bell got hurt.  He finally joined the Power at the end of June, when Carlos Mesa moved up to Bradenton.  He started off hot, but slumped in July before rebounding a little in August.  He had an OK walk rate, stole bases very well, and showed some gap power, but he struck out a lot.  He had no platoon split at all.  Lewis played mainly left, but saw some time in right and played center when Gregory Polanco was hurt.

2013
A+:  207/265/334, 323 AB, 11 2B, 12 3B, 2 HR, 22 BB, 103 K, 17-20 SB

Lewis opened the season as Bradenton’s left fielder.  He struggled all year, except for a good month of July when he hit 269/361/442.  He had only a small platoon split as he didn’t hit anybody well.  Lewis continued to show good speed, leading the league easily in triples and stealing bases effectively.

2014
A+:  246/283/341, 138 AB, 1 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 26 K, 10-16 SB

Lewis started the season in extended spring training, then returned to Bradenton in early May.  He served as a fourth outfielder, splitting his time between left and center, until he got hurt in early July and missed the rest of the season.  When he played, his hitting was just marginally better than the previous year.

Fun fact:  Lewis has more triples (28) in his pro career than doubles (20).

Lewis hasn’t made much progress.  If he returns in 2015, it’s likely to be back at Bradenton.