BOSTON – Rangers manager Chris Woodward sat down with Nathaniel Lowe earlier in the week for a frank conversation about what he needed to see over the final quarter of the season.
The improvement is quite necessary; the talk about it perhaps not so much.
Lowe may be his own harshest critic.
“Going through a season like this where I’m under-performing and is the team is under-performing as a whole, it just takes a toll,” Lowe said this week. “If I had to describe it, I hate it so much. The mental aspect is something I need to work on. It hasn’t been pretty.”
Back to that in a minute. But first this breaking news: The Rangers won a road game Saturday and by a wide margin. Their 10-1 win over Boston, which included a season-high 17 hits, was the club’s second largest margin of victory. Only a June 11-run win at the world champion Dodgers was better.
Every Ranger had a hit Saturday, including Lowe, whose second-inning double was the first of the team’s season-high seven. Lowe eventually scored the first run, too. But he also left runners stranded in three later at-bats. And a being a first-baseman means being a run-producer.
There are plenty of jobs up for grabs for 2022; the Rangers did not intend for first base to be among them. But, five months into his first full season, here we are. He simply has not hit for the power required of a full-time corner infielder. A sub-.400 slugging percentage simply isn’t acceptable at the position.
In particular, he’s struggled with fastballs. While his strike-zone discipline and ability to hit offspeed pitches the opposite way have been assets, his inability to pull fastballs for power has been his biggest flaw. He hasn’t pulled a fastball for extra bases since late April. He’s pulled just 10 fastballs for hits all year. Lately, the situation has become even more pronounced. Lowe has not homered since July 2, regardless of pitch.
On Saturday, the left-handed hitting Lowe was able to catch up to a second-inning fastball from Eduardo Rodriguez to double off the Green Monster to begin the Rangers’ first rally of the night. But he struck out in the next two at-bats with runners in scoring position.
It has been a season-long issue. He ranks 10th among the 21 qualifiers at first base in on-base percentage, but is next to last in slugging percentage. And, as a result, 19th in OPS and sliding steadily.
The Rangers have worked with him on trying to get his bat started a little bit more quickly and to keep his top hand from rolling over during his swing. On Wednesday, the first of two games this week he was out of the starting lineup, Lowe spent batting practice with a bat placed in front of his feet to keep him from closing off his swing and robbing it of extra power. He took the extra step of taking batting practice with two different groups.
“There have just been some mechanical issues there when he tries to lift a ball or tries to pull it,” Woodward said. “He kind of comes over the top, which creates some inconsistencies with his path. He’s really trying hard to change some old habits. It’s going to take a little time, to be honest, for that to fully stick. But he’s got to be able to get the fastball in the air. I don’t really care if he pulls them; I just want him to drive them. To be a first baseman in this league, obviously, he’s got to be able to do that.
“I fully support any change or anything he wants to try in a game right now,” Woodward added. “If you feel like you need to get out in front of a fastball or do something that may end up in three swing and misses, I’m okay with that. Just as long as I know that he’s trying to create a solution for what he knows he has to do moving forward. Everybody’s got their own journey. This isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”
It’s not the only project Lowe has been working on, either. On Friday, when he was also out of the lineup, he spent most of the pre-game session working on picks at first base. According to Fangraphs, he was at -3 runs saved at first base entering Saturday; only two full-time first baseman were worse.
“I’ll take this year as a learning experience,” Lowe said. “But it’s a results-oriented game. I want the front office to see that I can do this job, to prove that I can play here and help this team win. There is a month and a half left to do that. That’s what I want badly to do.”
Briefly: RHP Nick Snyder made his MLB debut in the ninth. After falling down 3-1 to his first hitter, he came back with a 100.5 mph fastball and then got a grounder. He pitched a perfect inning, crossing 100 mph four times. … For the second straight game, DJ Peters made a sensational play in center field. On Saturday, he went up against the wall for a catch of Rafael Devers’ long drive, then made a strong throw from the warning track to double off Kiké Hernandez at first. On Friday, he also made a leaping catch on Devers into the wall. … The Rangers signed RHP Buck Farmer to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Round Rock. Farmer, 30, had a 6.37 ERA in 36 appearances (35 1/3 innings) for Detroit this year. … Red Sox officials made no decision on Saturday regarding Sunday’s game. Forecasts related to Hurricane Henri call for rain most of the day with winds in the range of 20-30 mph.
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