Nathaniel Lowe Sees Texas Rangers Similarities in Washington Nationals
Most baseball fans associate Nathaniel Lowe with the 2023 World Series champion Texas Rangers, and rightly so. Lowe was an integral part of that franchise's first world championship.
But it wasn't that long ago that Lowe was part of one of the worst teams in Rangers history. His first full season with the franchise was in 2021, and Texas lost 102 games and traded away some of its best assets to restock its farm system.
In some ways, Lowe sees similarities between where the Washington Nationals are now and where the Texas Rangers were then.
“The pieces may not all be there yet, but I was a part of a Texas team … my first year we were terrible,” he said to Washington-based reporters after his trade to the Nationals for reliever Robert Garcia. “And we didn’t have the big names. We had good players. To see it grow into what it grew into was so special. And it feels like another opportunity to do something like that.”
The Rangers got better quickly. That following offseason Texas signed shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Marcus Simien to long-term contracts. The next offseason the Rangers signed pitcher Jacob deGrom to a five-year deal.
Players like Lowe, catcher Jonah Heim and third baseman Josh Jung came along quickly, and with three-time World Series champion manager Bruce Bochy at the helm, Texas ended its long wait for a world title.
He sees himself in a unique position. For most of his career, Lowe has been the young player in the clubhouse. He's had players like Simien, Seager, deGrom and veteran pitcher Nathan Eovaldi leading the way every day.
As he joins the Nationals for 2025, he is potentially their oldest everyday player and he's not yet 30 years old. Lowe wants to embrace that opportunity to be a veteran leader for the first time.
“It’s kind of odd. Looking at all the ’97s and ’98s and 2000s on the roster is a new experience,” he said. “Now being a guy who can be a voice of reason in the clubhouse and can definitely help this younger core continue to develop is going to be a new challenge, and it’s going to be something exciting.”
Washington hasn't had a winning season since it won its first World Series in 2019. The organization has built up from within and it has a cavalcade of young stars that are ready to take starring roles next season, from budding outfielders like James Wood and Dylan Crews to All-Star shortstop C.J. Abrams.
Lowe joins the lineup as a potentially stabilizing force, one that batted .302 in 2022 and has averaged 20 home runs the last three season.
He has a reputation for drawing walks and is a Gold Glove defender at first base. He comes to the Nationals satisfying one of their primary offseason needs and appears ready to lead.
