The Jed Lowrie Conundrum

by Jgaztambide on Jun 6, 2007 2:51 PM EDT

Jed Lowrie is a SS prospect for the Red Sox, drafted in the supplemental round in 2005 out of Stanford. Lowrie dropped in the MLB draft, having a "disappointing" .317 / .416 /.594 (1.010 OPS) junior season following up his 1.239 OPS sophomore season at Stanford

After being drafted, Lowrie hit a respectable .328 / .429 / .448 in 2005 in 201 AB for The Lowell Spinners in Low A.

In 2006, Lowrie had a pretty bad ankle injury, missed 5 weeks, came back in time to play 97 games, but slumped badly after his injury. It was obvious his ankle injury bothered him all year. In August, he put up a .327 / .380 / .529 line to finish up the season, making fans (like me) optimistic)

2007 was a big year for Lowrie, starting in AA Portland. His first month was terrible, but he went on a recent hot streak and his current line for the 2007 season stands at .293 / .432 / .463, with a 40/30 BB/K ratio

Some things obviously stand out, like his fantastic plate discipline (.140 IsoOBP) and a very very good BB/K ratio. He doesn't have a lot of HR power, but has plenty of gap power.

His defense, while not his strong suit, is enough to play SS at the major league level, though it will likely be average at best.

So my question to the board is, what kind of prospect is Lowrie? Was 2006 an abberation and the result of his ankle injury, or is he simply not good enough to make it in the majors? Where does he rank among SS prospects, considering his success in AA, plate discipline, ability to stay at SS, and strong college pedigree?

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Not a Fluke

I think 2006 was not a good indication of his value. He didn't recover gracefully from his early-season problems, but he did have a very solid second half and has picked up where he left off this year.

I'm curious about his power potential - some thought he had 20 HR power when he was drafted but he hasn't put it together yet. On the other hand, he's not exactly a singles hitter; he is on pace for 40+ extra-base hits this year.

by FI @ Minor League Ball on Jun 6, 2007 2:57 PM EDT reply actions

Solid Prospect

The funny thing about this is Lowrie was a 2B in college but really a SS. He'll be improving all the time. He eventually has to be better than Julio Lug-o.
Boston has the right idea. Surround big guns with sabermetric players like Pedroia, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Youkilis, ect. Lots of oppotunities to score runs.

by HumboltThunderbolt on Jun 6, 2007 3:27 PM EDT reply actions

What position

I think Lowrie will hit well enough to play MI in the majors. I see him as a disciplined gap hitter with little HR power. He reminds me a bit of Frandsen with the bat. He does not remind me of Frandsen in the field. Because I am usually watching him play Akron, he is being compared to AstroCab when I watch. The difference in defense is huge and Cabrera may even hit better. Personally, I think his future is 2B.

by sdtribefan on Jun 7, 2007 5:46 AM EDT reply actions