Bahamian Ian Lewis named FCL Marlins MVP

There’s another Bahamian in the Miami Marlins organization accomplishing great things besides the current major leaguer.

Ian Lewis, the number 26 overall prospect of the Marlins, just 18 years old, has been named as the organization’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Florida Complex League (FCL), and received his recognition on Sunday at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, as Jasrado “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. and the Miami Marlins took on the Philadelphia Phillies.

Lewis is following right in the footsteps of Chisholm, getting his professional career off to a blazing start. He plays with the FCL Marlins, a Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins which plays its home games at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, and had a strong first season in the minors.

Lewis batted .302 with three home runs, 27 RBIs (runs batted in) and 24 runs scored in 43 games. The 5’10” 177-pound switch-hitting infielder banged out 45 hits in 149 at-bats and stole nine bases in 13 attempts. He finished with seven hits in his last 14 at-bats including multi-hit performances in three of his last four games.

Lewis has eye-popping speed, making him a base-stealing threat when on base, and allowing him to cover plenty of ground in the middle of the infield. He won’t be a slugger but he has some gap power and his speed will allow him to stretch some singles into doubles.

Lewis finished with a slash line of .302/.354/.497 with 10 doubles, showed his speed with an FCL-leading five triples and added three homers. He predominately played second base, and sparingly positioned at third base and shortstop.

Lewis helped his team finish with a 27-27 win/loss record, second in the FCL East Division behind the FCL Mets.

Defensively, in 2021, Lewis had a .928 fielding percentage at second base in 111 total chances, a 1.000 fielding percentage at third base in six chances and a 1.000 fielding percentage at shortstop in nine chances. He had 41 total putouts, 77 assists and helped turn 17 double plays while committing just eight errors.

Lewis received the highest signing bonus for any player from The Bahamas in the 2019 international class, signing with the Marlins for $950,000. Lewis spent 2020 at the Marlins’ instructional league camp as the season was cancelled because of the threat of the coronavirus pandemic. But this past season, the Marlins’ number 26 prospect showed exactly what he could do. He showed tremendous promise for the future with a stroke rookie season.

The Marlins boast a top five farm system in Major League Baseball (MLB), according to MLB Pipeline. Lewis and Chisholm are two of the four Bahamians in the Marlins system. The others are Andrew Arthur and Steven Adderley who are both assigned to the Dominican Marlins of the Dominican Summer League – another Rookie-level affiliate of the Miami Marlins.

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/bahamian-ian-lewis-named-fcl-marlins-mvp/