Cory Lewis Stats & Scouting Report

IP	180.333
ERA	2.495
WHIP	1.172
BB/9	3.643
SO/9	10.481

Full name Cory Andrew Lewis
Born 10/09/2000 in Fountain Valley, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'5" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School UC Santa Barbara
Drafted in the 9th round (264th overall) by the Minnesota Twins in 2022 (signed for $140,000).

View Draft Report

Lewis is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound righthander coming off a strong 2022 season as the Friday night starter for UC Santa Barbara. He posted a 3.57 ERA over 88.1 innings with 107 strikeouts and 42 walks. Lewis' fastball isn't overpowering at 88-91 mph, but the pitch plays up with tremendous riding life. He also throws a 78-80 mph breaking ball, a changeup and a knuckleball that could be a viable pitch at the next level. Lewis will need to refine his control to stick as a starter, and adding a bit of velocity wouldn’t hurt either, but analytical teams are excited about his fastball data. Others are intrigued by his knuckleball and think it can become his primary weapon with more development.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

BA Grade/Risk: 45/High.

Track Record: There hadn’t been a successful knuckleballer in the majors for several years before Matt Waldron joined the Padres rotation. Now, the Twins may have their own knuckleballer before long, though like Waldron, Lewis’ knuckler is part of a well-rounded arsenal. Lewis’ 2024 season got off to a slow start. He missed the first month and a half with a shoulder impingement. When he returned, he ramped up slowly, but he dominated the Texas League in August, posting a 1.20 ERA with a 40-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 30 innings. He was promoted to Triple-A St. Paul for his final start of the season. Lewis is the younger brother of Athletics 2010 fourth-round third baseman Chad Lewis, who had a four-year minor league career.

Scouting Report: Lewis’ knuckleball is one of the weirdest pitches anyone has ever seen. Most knuckleballs float to the plate in the mid-to-high 70s. Lewis’ is an 82-86 mph flutterball that is harder than the knucklers thrown by Waldron and R.A. Dickey. It can get away from him, but amazingly he allowed just one wild pitch all season. His 89-91 mph fastball plays up because of its riding life, and the fact that hitters are looking for a knuckler. He also has a low-80s slider and high-70s curve. They are two distinct pitches with the curve having more depth. Both are fringe-average pitches. He even tosses in a low-80s changeup sporadically. Despite throwing a knuckleball 20% of the time, he has average control and he’s proven almost impossible to run against. He gave up three stolen bases in seven attempts in 2024.

The Future: Lewis is a truly unique pitcher, but his combination of just-good-enough stuff paired with a knuckleball that hitters haven’t ever seen gives him a solid shot to be a depth starter/bulk-inning reliever. He should be on call in St. Paul in 2025.

Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Split: 60 (KN) | Control: 50.
BA Grade: 45/High

Track Record: Lewis was UC Santa Barbara’s Friday starter, and fellow Big West alum and now Twins teammate Brooks Lee described him as one of the toughest pitchers he’s faced. The Twins picked him in the ninth round, in part because of his excellent fastball movement and feel for pitching, but also because he had an intriguing knuckleball. His .198 opponent average was one of the best in the minors among starters with 100+ innings.

Scouting Report: While most knuckleballers throw that pitch as their main weapon, Lewis has a four-pitch repertoire that would give him a chance even if he didn’t throw his knuckler. Adding in the knuckleball is what turns a tough at-bat into a brain-scrambler. Lewis’ average fastball has below-average velocity at 90-92 mph but exceptional carry. He has three fringe-average secondary offerings including a low-80s top-down curveball, a low-80s bullet slider that doesn’t move much but works because of everything else he has and a 79-80 mph changeup. None of those are true weapons, but he throws all of them enough to keep them in a hitter’s head. And then there’s the knuckleball. It’s the hardest knuckleball anyone has really seen. It dances like a knuckler, but at 80-84 mph, it comes in at slider speed. He only throws it a few times a game, but it’s a weapon because hitters usually have never seen anything like it.

The Future: Lewis is a hard pitcher to peg. Some scouts see a crafty but vanilla starting pitching prospect who will be challenged by more advanced hitters. Others see a pitcher who already has multiple ways to get hitters out as well as a knuckleball that makes him a truly unique pitcher.

Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Knuckleball: 55 | Control: 50

Draft Prospects

School: UC Santa Barbara Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
The Friday night starter for UC Santa Barbara, Lewis is a 6-foot-5, 235-pound righthander coming off a strong 2022 season. He posted a 3.57 ERA over 88.1 innings and 16 starts, while striking out 107 batters (28.8 K%) and walking 42 (11.3 BB%). Lewis doesn’t have an overpowering fastball—it sits in the upper 80s and will touch 92-93 mph at peak—but the pitch has tremendous riding life with exceptional induced vertical break numbers. He also throws a 78-80 mph breaking ball, a changeup and a knuckleball that some scouts think could be a viable pitch at the next level. Lewis will need to refine his control to stick as a starter at the next level, and adding a bit of velocity wouldn’t hurt either, though analytical teams should be excited about his fastball data.

Career Transactions

Minnesota Twins invited non-roster RHP Cory Lewis to spring training.
St. Paul Saints activated RHP Cory Lewis.
RHP Cory Lewis assigned to St. Paul Saints from Wichita Wind Surge.
Wichita Wind Surge activated RHP Cory Lewis.
Wichita Wind Surge transferred RHP Cory Lewis to the Development List.
Wichita Wind Surge activated RHP Cory Lewis from the 60-day injured list.
Wichita Wind Surge sent RHP Cory Lewis on a rehab assignment to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
Wichita Wind Surge sent RHP Cory Lewis on a rehab assignment to FCL Twins.
Wichita Wind Surge sent RHP Cory Lewis on a rehab assignment to FCL Twins.
Wichita Wind Surge transferred RHP Cory Lewis from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Right shoulder impingement.
RHP Cory Lewis assigned to Wichita Wind Surge. Right shoulder impingement.
Cedar Rapids Kernels activated RHP Cory Lewis.
RHP Cory Lewis assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
RHP Cory Lewis assigned to Cedar Rapids Kernels from Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.
RHP Cory Lewis assigned to Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from FCL Twins.