In three years, Mercer’s Kyle Lewis went from undrafted to potential No. 1 draft pick
Hurrying home to fulfill yet another obligation, Kyle Lewis pulled into his childhood home’s driveway shortly after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The Mercer outfielder previously agreed to an interview but had a feeling he would be strapped for time. There were no worries on the other end, especially after he dropped a couple of hints in a text message of what he would be doing during the day.
“Hey something came up that’s pretty urgent,” he wrote, which was later followed by, “I’ve got to go Atlanta for something but I should be back (in time).”
“Urgent” was probably the correct choice of words given the magnitude of how his life will soon change.
Lewis made the 30-minute drive to the state’s capital Tuesday to visit with the Atlanta Braves, holders of the No. 3 overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft. That came a day after flying to Philadelphia and back to visit with the Phillies, who are considering selecting Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick. The Phillies have coveted Lewis for some time, with senior adviser and former manager Charlie Manuel sitting in on three of Lewis’ games this season.
Three years ago, the scenario seemed highly unlikely.
Lewis was undrafted out of Shiloh High School and chose to play baseball at Mercer. Not one SEC program offered a scholarship, which allowed the Bears to snatch a steal in recruiting.
Lewis went on to make a lot of Southeastern programs look silly with the slight, especially after this past season when he posted a .395 batting average, .535 on-base percentage and .731 slugging percentage. Part of his on-field motivation stems from those who not only doubted him out of high school, but also for those who continue to do so today.
Lewis said he doesn’t read too much about what others write about him online. But early in the season, after a hot start, he looked around at what folks were writing. As much as he already had proved, apparently there was still more to do.
“I used to sometimes go on the internet and read — not too much — but go on there and see somebody who would say, ‘Kyle Lewis has got some good numbers, good stats and whatnot.’ Then there are comments saying, ‘Oh, he doesn’t play any good pitchers.’ It’s always put a chip on my shoulder from that standpoint,” he said.
The notion that Lewis hasn’t faced quality pitchers is unfounded and a narrative baseball scouts have dismissed. Lewis was the Great Lakes League MVP in the summer of 2014 and hit .300 with seven home runs and 24 RBI during the 2015 Cape Cod League season.
He faced great pitchers then. His swing during this past season at Mercer remained spectacular. He was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. He batted .395 with 20 home runs and 72 RBI and was also Baseball America’s Player of the Year.
Proving doubters wrong isn’t the main motivating factor for Lewis. But it does contribute to some of the drive he puts forth in his craft.
“That’s been a part of his motivation for sure,” his father, Chuck Lewis, said. “I don’t know if it’s a big chip. But it does give him an extra boost to ... show he’s with the best players. It’s not a grudge match or anything like that. But it’s fueled him for sure.”
Kyle Lewis’ family and friends, along with the Mercer baseball team and coaching staff, will gather in a private celebration to watch Thursday’s draft. He’s set to become Mercer’s first-ever first-round pick, and given the top-five standing, it could be a long time before the Bears produce another prospect to top him. And that might never happen if the Phillies wind up taking him first overall.
Lewis is set to pass former Mercer infielder Pat Creech, selected by the Montreal Expos in the second round in 1973, as the program’s highest overall draft pick. Mercer hasn’t had a player selected in the first four rounds since 2007, when the Braves took Cory Gearrin with the 138th overall pick.
“You can put him in the SEC at Arkansas or in the ACC at Georgia Tech, and he’s the best player on those teams,” Mercer head coach Craig Gibson said.
CBSSports.com baseball analyst Mike Axisa said he couldn’t recall the last time a player went from undrafted out of high school to an elite-level pick in just a three-year span.
Axisa likened Lewis’ hitting to Matt Holliday, saying that Lewis will hit for average and stay consistent at the plate.
“He benefited from going to college,” Axisa said. “Some players are ready from going to high school to the pros. He wasn’t ready yet. He put in the work, and he deserves credit for doing that. He made himself into a really good player.”
Lewis will soon be in for a big payday, assuming he is in fact drafted as high as he’s expected to go. Lewis has yet to take any money from an agent and has paid for each visit to a major league team on his own dime, which does give him leverage since the option of returning to Mercer technically still exists. That, however, would only happen in an extreme circumstance.
As a reporting crew set up cameras and lights to interview him for roughly 30 minutes Thursday, Lewis waited patiently and ate a post-workout sandwich and drank a glass of milk, before following it up with another snack. As 4:30 p.m. approached, with the interview nearing its end, Lewis politely noted he had another phone interview with a different media outlet. Lewis has been running nonstop of late and has even had to begin ignoring some messages since his phone has continuously buzzed with calls and texts.
When the interview concluded, Lewis picked up a few of his award plaques strewn across the coffee table. He was asked if they would make the trip with him to his next location, wherever that may be.
“No, they’ll stay here and go on the wall,” he said. “Hopefully there are more plaques to hang up, though.”
This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 6:06 PM with the headline "In three years, Mercer’s Kyle Lewis went from undrafted to potential No. 1 draft pick."