"We thought he was going to be picked before us," said Mariners amateur scouting director Tom McNamara. "We're very excited that he made it to us. He's a 6-foot-4, [with a] middle-of-the-order potential bat that had a big year at Mercer University this year. He's a good athlete who we believe has a lot of potential."
Lewis is a semifinalist for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Dick Howser Trophy honoring the nation's top college player.
Lewis was a basketball and baseball standout at Shiloh High School in Snellville, Georgia, before playing three years of baseball at Mercer.