Scott Lewis

Scott Lewis: Left-handed Pitcher

Age: 23 Height: 6’0” Weight: 185 Bats: Switch Throws: Left

Stats & Stuff: Once again, the Indians gambled on an injured player and drafted Lewis in the 3rd round of the 2004 Draft out of The Ohio State University. At Ohio State, Lewis was a dominant pitcher, as his sophomore season in 2003 he went 9-1 with a 1.61 ERA and struck out 127 batters in just 84 innings pitched, and won Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. But, while he has a history of being a dominating pitcher, he also has a history of injury. After his brilliant 2003 season at Ohio State, he was being considered as a first round possibility in the 2004 Draft; however, he later suffered a severe arm injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery and resulted in him missing a lot of the 2004 season. The injury problems have followed him to the minor league circuit, as prior to the 2006 season he had been limited to only a total of 21 IP in 2004 and 2005 at Mahoning Valley, going 0-3 with a 4.71 in 10 games over those two seasons. Finally healthy, last year Lewis went 3-3 with a 1.48 ERA in 27 starts last year at Kinston, and held opponents to a .203 average and struckout 123 in 115.2 IP. With his 1.48 ERA, Lewis won the Minor League ERA Title with the best ERA in all the minors.

The Good: The Indians handled Lewis with kid gloves last year, and it worked as he managed to stay healthy all year. Probably the biggest positive all season was that Lewis was able to take the ball every fifth day and handle his workload. Lewis didn’t figure into very many decisions last year because he was on a strict 70-pitch count all season, which was mandated by the Indians because he was still recovering from the Tommy John surgery in 2003 and bicep tendonitis which had plagued him since 2005. The strict pitch count also helped him build up arm strength. The Indians were most encouraged last year with the progress Lewis made in recovering from Tommy John surgery, specifically the aggressiveness in releasing the ball.

To the casual observer, his high strikeout rate and low walk-hit rate may seem to indicate he throws some serious heat; however, this is not the case with Lewis. Lewis has a fastball that only tops out in the 87-90 MPH range consistently, but it was the tremendous command of his secondary pitches that made his fastball play up and look faster. The power and depth he has added to his nasty 12-6 curveball was a key for him last year, and his curveball is now rated as the best in the system. Lewis also has good arm action, and good deception throughout his delivery. His changeup has developed into a plus pitch, and he gets a lot of action on his pitches in the strike zone.

The Bad: Health. That’s the key word with Lewis, as if he is healthy, he is an amazing pitcher. While he was healthy last year, Lewis needs to prove he can be a durable pitcher and stay on the field for the Indians. Also, Lewis does not throw hard, so he will need to depend on his excellent command and secondary pitches to get more advanced hitters out on a regular basis. Lewis also needs to become better at repeating his delivery and ironing out some flaws in his delivery mechanics.

The Outlook: Last year, Lewis made 27 starts and did not suffer any setbacks. Because of his strict pitch count and a smaller pitching roster at Akron, Lewis was held back at Kinston all year because his 4-5 inning starts would be too taxing on the Akron bullpen. This year, Lewis will move up to Akron and a step closer to the major leagues.

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