The Major League Baseball season is not even a week old but Nate Lowe has put all American League pitchers on edge! No player in all of baseball has had a better start to 2021 than Lowe as he is hitting .381 with 3 home runs and a league leading 14 runs batted in (baseball-reference.com). Dear goodness, that would be a great month for most MLB players!
Who is Nate Lowe and is he destined for stardom? Here is a breakdown of Lowe’s career to this point and how he will improve the Texas Rangers chances of reaching the MLB playoffs in 2021.
Background Info on Nate Lowe
Lowe was a standout hitter for the Mississippi State Bulldogs before being selected in the 13th round by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2016 MLB Draft. The 6-4 220 pound first baseman quickly rose through the Rays Minor League system in only three years. Lowe’s best pro season was in 2018 as he smacked 27 homers, drove in 102 runs, and hit a whopping .330!
That type of offensive production allowed Lowe to make his Major League debut in 2019 with Tampa. The Virginia native only appeared in 50 games but made the most of his time with the Rays with seven bombs and eight doubles. Lowe struggled with his batting average in the pandemic shortened 2020 season only hitting .224.
The Rays decided to trade Lowe to the Rangers for three Minor League prospects in December of 2020. Considering Lowe’s red hot start with the Rangers, it appears as if the Rangers got the far better end of that trade. If Lowe can keep his groove at the plate going, he may end up as the American League Player of the Month for April.
How will Lowe’s skills help the Rangers this season?
Texas was desperate to get more production out of the first base position. Ronald Guzman was a decent prospect but the Rangers were growing frustrated with his lack of development at the plate over the past three seasons. Lowe has the potential to hit for a much higher average than Guzman and with much greater power numbers.
Though Lowe is only average defensively and is not a fast runner, his bat more than makes up for these deficiencies. Remember, not many first basemen in pro baseball run well and many play poor defense. If the Rangers get too concerned about Lowe’s defense, they can simply slide him into the DH spot in the order.
Lowe has a short but quick swing for such a big man. The left-handed hitter has a great eye at the plate and can quickly recognize breaking pitches. Lowe shows tremendous power to all fields which is what all MLB teams desire out of the first base position. In the past, pitchers have been able to tie Lowe up with inside fastballs. However, Lowe has gotten himself into much better shape and can turn on the ball much quicker these days.
