Nathaniel Lowe Wins First Silver Slugger Award

The Texas Rangers first baseman set career highs in batting average, home runs and RBI in 2022.

Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has been named winner of a 2022 Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award in an announcement Thursday during a televised awards show on MLB Network.

Lowe was tabbed at first base in the American League. It is the first career award for Lowe, and he is the first Rangers player to receive the honor since third baseman Adrián Beltré in 2014.

Lowe joins Mark Teixeira, who captured the award in back-to-back seasons in 2004 and 2005, as the only Texas first basemen to win Silver Slugger honors since the award’s inception in 1980.

In 2022, Lowe produced career highs in all four slash categories (.302/.358/.492/.851), home runs (27), RBI (76), hits (179), and total bases (292), becoming the first Texas qualifier with a batting average of .300-or-higher since Elvis Andrus (.302) and Beltré (.300) in 2016. He led the club and ranked among American League leaders in multi-hit games (2nd, 54), hits (4th), total bases (6th), batting average (7th), OPS (8th), and slugging pct. (8th).

Over the last nine years (beginning 2014), the only other Ranger to bat .300+ and hit 25+ home runs in the same season was Beltré in 2016 (.300 BA, 32 HR). Lowe is just the fifth first baseman (min. 75% of games at 1B) in club history to post a qualifying season with a batting average of .300-or-higher, joining Will Clark (3 times, last 1998), Rafael Palmeiro (twice, last 1991), Teixeira (2005), and Mike Hargrove (1977).

Lowe slashed .339/.399/.566/.964 (93-274) with 15 home runs and 38 RBI in 72 games after the 2022 All-Star break. His 93 hits following the break led MLB, and he ranked among the A.L.’s second-half leaders in batting average (2nd), total bases (2nd, 155), times on base (3rd, 120), and OPS (4th). It marked the most post-break hits by a Ranger since Michael Young in 2011 (97) and highest second ‘half’ batting average by a Texas qualifier since Shin-Soo Choo in 2015 (.343).

Lowe was the only Ranger selected for a Silver Slugger Award in 2022, as the other three Texas finalists at their respective positions did not win: Marcus Semien (2B), Corey Seager (SS) and Adolis García (OF and DH).

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