"40 in 40" - Lowrie, Jed
by BobZupcic on Jan 6, 2011 4:47 PM EST
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PrintJed Lowrie - #12 (MI, SS)
Bats: Both, Throws: Right
Age: 26 (Turns 27 on April 17th), Size: 6'0" 180 lbs
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round (Supp.) of the 2005 amateur draft
Contract: Pre-Arb, Arbitration 1 eligible in 2012 (Earliest FA - 2015)
Comments: In 2005 Lowrie went from the draft to short-season Lowell and hit 0.329 with a 0.429 OBP in 240 PA. In 2006 he moved up to High-A Wilmington and had a so-so season, posting a 0.726 OPS. It was in 2007 that Lowrie really busted out. Between AA and AAA Lowrie put up a 0.298/0.393/0.503 across 585 PAs. During that season he also smashed 47 doubles and 13 Homeruns. In 2008, Lowire earned a spot as a utility player with the parent club after Mike Lowell went on the DL and he did not dissapoint with a 0.739 OPS in 306 PAs (This included 25 doubles). Lowrie started the 2009 season on the 25-man roster as the super-sub infielder, but quickly went on the DL with a wrist injury. Wrist problems hampered his entire 2009 season and his luck got no better as he started the 2010 season with mononucleosis. Finally back and healthy in July of 2010, Lowire produced a half-season that has many Sox fans penciling him in as the starting SS over the incumbent Marco Scutaro. Despite the small sample size (197 PA), Lowrie's 0.907 OPS was the second highest mark for a SS, behind Troy Tulowitzski.
Career Stats (2010 Stats):
PA: 579 (197)
BA: 0.255 (0.287)
OBP: 0.336 (0.381)
SLG: 0.425 (0.526)
OPS: 0.761 (0.907)
wOBA: 0.334 (0.393)
wRC+: 102 (146)
Unique Facts: Lowrie was the PAC-10 Player of the year in 2004 while with Stanford and was the Sox minor league player of the year in 2007. Lowrie hit the first homerun at Citi Field in the exhibition game on April 4th, 2009.
Analysis: If it were not for his wrist injury, Lowrie would likely already be the starting SS on the team and Marco Scutaro might be wearing another uniform. Despite the setbacks, Lowrie proved last year that the hitting prowess he showed in his brief minor league career is still with him. He will press the Sox for a starting position and its hard to see him not beating out Scutaro as he is just the better player. That's not alot to dislike about Lowrie and a heck of a lot to like. He gets on base, smacks doubles, has decent homerun power and can play multiple positions. Assuming health, I can envision a season with a slashline of 0.280/0.375/0.480 with about 35 doubles and 17 HR.
Tomorrow: Daisuke Matsuzaka
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Bill James is also notoriously conservative.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
Projections for young players are all wacky though.
I personally wouldn’t put any weight on any projection scheme for a player with less than 2 years of service time. It’s just impossible to deal with changing talent, small sample sizes, and projecting the future all in one.
maybe we should hold on to Scutaro. :P
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
by Bloggy on Jan 6, 2011 9:09 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
It's a fact:
The notch after “11” on Nigel Tufnel’s guitar amplifier just has a picture of Jed Lowrie
"Laser show. So relax."
"For the Patriots [playing the Jets], it was like fighting Piston Honda knowing that every time he raises an eyebrow, he's about to throw a jab."
by nuthinboutnuthin on Jan 6, 2011 7:24 PM EST reply actions
I really hope Jedi stays healthy and I get to see him every day from April first on.
I love Lester, Pedroia, and Gonzo!!! ITS MAN LOVE!
I am a huge lowrie fan
i really hope he can stay healthy cause i dont think what he showed last year in 200 pa was a fluke he is that good. now that being said i also love scutaro i think he is a glue type ballplayer a guy that just gets it done day in and day out and even though scutaro isnt the most talented player out there he finds a way to help his team win . but that being said i think scutaro starts the season at ss but lowrie takes his job before may. lowries talent wont hold him back. only his inability to stay healthy can stop him in my opinion.
Oy, not the injury argument again
He has had bad luck, not a pattern of injuries. He’s had one injury and one disease, which may have in part been related to the treatment of his injury.
Also, don’t forget that Lowrie will be coming out of the offseason nearly two years removed from his injury, while Scutaro is recovering from shoulder issues. If he can’t play SS as effectively as he used to, then you have to give Lowrie the starter job.
Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell
I think the expectations are high
I like Lowrie, always have. His first callup it seemed like he was constantly hitting doubles and producing a hit in clutch situations (ie. men in scoring position w 2 outs). He was excellent last year down the stretch. I just dont understand why everyone is putting him in the top 3 ss in the whole league. I think Lowrie is a very solid player all around, I just dont see him being a Tulo.
Because his bat has the potential to be top 3 among SSs.
The shortstop position in MLB currently is experiencing a league-wide power outage, except for a few players. Lowrie’s .900+ OPS last year in 200 PA would be second behind only Tulowitzki among shortstops. Even if he “only” hits for an OPS of about .825, he will still end up third, behind only Hanley Ramirez and Tulowitzki.
Fenway: "An alternate and better universe, disguised as a ballpark." --Thomas Boswell
Exactly
It’s not about Jed being an incredible player (though he might be) it’s about there not being any good shortstops in the league.
Also, Hanley may be moving to third soon, with his defense I would not be surprised.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
by TheLoneDavid on Jan 7, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions
I'd agree with you if he didn't have the minnor league #s to back it up
It’s hard to argue with the season he put up in 2007 as a 23 year old in AA/AAA
Plus he has shown the one skill that is usually a factor in ML success from the minors – OBP
but that was for 2 months
I remember alex cora raking for april and may during Petey’s rookie season but the fact is he couldnt do that for a whole season….granted i have a lot more faith in Lowrie doing it for a full season but I just dont understand why everyone is just assuming he can put up a .825 OPS for a full season when he hasnt even showed he can play a full season. I just dont see him being a Hanley Ramirez or a Tulo type.
He's done it twice
in 2008 before he broke his wrist and the incompetent medical staff sent him out there to make it worse, and then this year. That tells me it’s not a fluke.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
by TheLoneDavid on Jan 7, 2011 12:17 PM EST up reply actions
plus he did it in the minors as well.
I put a lot of stock in guys who can do it at multiple levels over multiple years.
yes this is what seems to get missed so much
his pro baseball career did not start when he came up to Boston. The most impressive part about the numbers is that he’s put up similar numbers through his pro career.
Seriously
If he comes to Spring Training healthy he will produce, which I think he will. Tito HAS to start him right??
I mean how can we waste such a good young talent on the bench?
I think one of the main reasons we signed Scooter, while still have Lowrie, was the fact that Scooter could easily transition into a good utility infielder? That is what the plan looked like to me atleast.
That and we didn't know if Lowrie was going to be able to play again.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
so the Sox paid Scoot 9 million per year
to transition into a utility player? You pay 9 million per year for a starter, 450 grand is a utility
my bad 2 yrs 12.5 mill
you still dont pay a utility 6.75 million per year
Having a payroll like Boston's mean you can pay for a 6.5 million utility player.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
We paid Lugo 9million to play for ANOTHER TEAM
This would be no problem.
"We are not normal, We are Legends. People will tell their kids about us." - Deon Butler before Ohio State Game 2008.
To be fair
he provided more value for the Sox when he was on the O’s than he ever did in Boston.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
but Lugo had to absolutely bomb as a player
for them to do that. Are you expecting Scoot to make that many errors and bat right around the mendoza line?
No, but I don't expect them to release him.
I expect them to play the better player.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
the potentially better player
and they are not going to unless there is an injury or Scutaro is batting .250 in June and Lowrie is batting .300 at the same time.
The better player
You’re acting like Lowrie only played last season.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
Official Baker of Red Sox Nation
Think of it like this:
You are paying ~$7mil for the shortstop and utility IF positions. Scutaro + Lowrie. Scutaro is either your starting shortstop, or he is insurance if Lowrie cannot/will not perform and can cover the other positions.
It’s a good deal if you look at it this way.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
I know you might not like this
when I say: That’s how I look at the Lackey (& Beckett & Dice-K) contracts.
Yeah, they are overpaid for 3-4-5 starters. But Lester and Buchholz are massively under paid.
The cheapness of our 1-2 allows us to over pay for the back end of the starter rotation.
:-D
To help you swallow that, Bloggy, try to pretend in your mind that Lackey & Buch have swapped salaries.
I'm simply not a reasonable man in this matter.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
We even both refer to the object of our disdain
as “Meathead”!!
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
or you pay your starter 450,000
and trade your 6.5 million SS to a team who desparately needs one. This assumes you’ve gotten someone you feel comfortable with at the utility spot.
This
we had NO – zero SS options last year. To land someone like Scutaro coming off a career year, we probably had to go two years. Now that we have this “problem” of having a Major League ready young SS with pop in his bat…….Scutaro becomes trade-bait
Not a bad problem to have in my book
well he has only played a total of maybe a season
he has never played a full season. Sox management doesnt consider him the future at the position. I hope he proves me wrong and he plays a whole season without getting hurt and puts up .850 OPS, I just dont think it will happen. I see him more in the range of .750 ops for a full season.
And for say, how many great seasons does Scoot have in his lengthy career?
1.5? He was a super utility before that year in Toronto, which is a major outlier in his career and he had half a good season here. Lowrie, has maybe one whole season of good play under his belt and is significantly younger. One’s career is likely going uphill and the other down.
"We are not normal, We are Legends. People will tell their kids about us." - Deon Butler before Ohio State Game 2008.
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