M’s first-round pick Kyle Lewis is coming to Everett

On Saturday Seattle Mariners first-round draft pick, outfielder Kyle Lewis out of Mercer University, signed with the team. Then we got this:

Kyle Lewis will report first to Peoria to work out for a few days, then report to Short-A Everett, according to Tom McNamara.
— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) June 12, 2016

That means the talented Lewis will begin his professional career with the Everett AquaSox, who open their season next Friday.

Lewis, who was selected 11th overall, immediately becomes one of the top prospects in the Mariners’ minor-league system. This season with Mercer he batted a gaudy .395 with 20 homers, 72 RBI, 66 walks and 48 strikeouts in 61 games. Some may question his level of competition, but he was also a standout in the Cape Cod League last summer. There was some talk that he was worthy of the first-overall pick, so the Mariners received good value at No. 11.

Here’s MLB.com’s scouting report on Lewis:

Lewis may have boosted his stock more in the past year than any college prospect for the 2016 Draft. Undrafted out of a Georgia high school in 2013, he played sparingly as a freshman before nearly winning the Southern Conference Triple Crown and then starring in the Cape Cod League in 2015. He repeated as SoCon player of the year in 2016 while contending for the NCAA Division I lead in batting and home runs, making it a virtual lock that he’ll become the first first-rounder ever from Mercer.

With his leverage and bat speed, Lewis has easy pop to all fields. His swing is busier than most scouts would like, but his approach is generally sound and he tied for the D-I lead with 66 walks entering NCAA tournament play.

Lewis is a fringy runner out of the batter’s box, but he has solid speed once he gets going. Some evaluators think he has a chance to stay in center field, but most believe he’s destined for right field, where he could develop into a serious home run threat with average or better tools across the board.

So there’s a good reason to get out and see the AquaSox this season. But there’s no guarantee Lewis will spend the entire season in Everett, so make sure you get to Everett Memorial Stadium early.