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Texas Rangers: Any update on Martin Perez’s contract status?
Few could have predicted Nathaniel Rowe’s 2022 season. In a year that was disappointing in many ways for the Rangers, Lowe’s breakout in his campaign was one of the main bright spots, especially given that it seemed so unlikely.
233 with one home run and eight RBIs on May 16. 579 on his OPS thanks to his .292 slugging percentage, the fourth-lowest on the team at the time. Lowe started the season in somewhat promising fashion, finishing April with his OBP of . His bat cooled significantly in his May, a month in which he averaged .
Fast forward to the end of the year. 300 average to finish the season. He led his team in batting average and finished with the second highest slugging percentage and his OBP. Only Mark Mathias finished with better numbers in each category, but Lowe’s 645 plate appearance gives him a much larger sample to study compared to Mathias’s 74.
2022 will be a breakout season for Nathaniel Rowe, establishing himself as one of the core players of the Texas Rangers.
From June 1 through the end of the year, Nathaniel Rowe was one of the best hitters in baseball. 914 OPS is his ninth-best overall in the league, tying him with Nolan Arenado. .317 batting average is 6th, BABIP (.376), wRC (86) is 3rd each.
So how did Lowe’s 3.2 WAR sit only 38th overall in the league during this impressive period? The answer is simple. Among players who played at least 100 innings at first base in the 2022 season, Rowe was the last to die with an above-average defensive run.Lowe doesn’t cut his words when talking about his defense and needs improvement. I admit to being As Tony Beasley told Levi Weaver of The Athletic (subscription required), sometimes improving defense is best done in the offseason.
With this in mind, 2023 will be a big season for Lowe. Or if it was a sign of what was to come, I don’t know yet.
If Nathaniel Rowe can improve to be an average defensive first baseman while maintaining this type of offensive production, he could be in contention for an All-Star spot. If indicated, Bruce Bochy and Chris Young may need to consider whether Lowe is a better fit at DH.
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