Rangers 1B Nathaniel Lowe Proud to Hit .300, Says Average Matters

Nathaniel Lowe, after the best season of his career, is focused on improving his defense.

Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has had close to four months to reflect on it.

It, in this case, is hitting .300 for a season.

It’s still a big deal to him.

“I grew up in an era where batting average mattered,” Lowe said recently. “To be one of those guys to be able to eclipse that .300 mark and now realize that no one will take that away from me. I had a year hitting .300 in the Major Leagues. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.”

Lowe improved his batting average for the third straight season in 2022. Back in 2020, when he was still with the Tampa Bay Rays, Lowe batted just .224 in 21 games.

He arrived in Arlington for the 2021 season and received everyday playing time for a full season. He batted .264 with 18 home runs and 72 RBI.

But 2022 turned out to be Lowe’s breakthrough season.

Lowe batted .302/.359/.492/.850 for his first .300 season. In fact, he became the first Rangers player to bat .300 or better in a season since both Adrián Beltré and Elvis Andrus both did it in 2016.

Lowe also had career highs with 26 doubles, 27 home runs and 76 RBI. He was one of four Rangers to hit at least 25 home runs last season, joining Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Adolis García.

For his breakthrough season, Lowe was named the Rangers Player of the Year and earned his first Silver Slugger award.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment and something that I’m very proud of,” Lowe said.

Now, he said, he has to do it again, with expectations attached.

Lowe was eligible for arbitration for the first time, but he and the Rangers agreed to a one-year deal worth $4.05 million.

Lowe expects to maintain his standard at the plate. He also expects to improve his defense. He had a .993 fielding percentage last season, with just nine errors.

In an effort to improve, Lowe’s agent facilitated a group of Major Leaguers that worked together this offseason, a group that included New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has won two Gold Gloves.

Lowe said he’s learned a lot from Lindor and the other players he worked with. He’s also excited about the shift ban, which he believes will streamline his decision-making.

“I just need to get more aggressive at going to get the ball,” Lowe said. “That’s it. I think the fact that there’s no shift is going to help that because now I’m not worried about cutting off Marcus or worried about not getting to the ball because I don’t have to rely on the computer.

"The computer is going to help definitely, but we’re playing baseball again. There is no shift and it’s going to expose and make or break defensive players and I’m excited for that challenge.”

Lowe is the third different Mississippi State product in the last 30 years to man first base for the Rangers, along with Rafael Palmeiro and Will Clark. Both had big moments for the Rangers.

Lowe hopes his big moments are ahead.

“Practice has gotten old, my golf game has peaked, it’s time to go again,” Lowe said.

Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training to the team’s facility in Surprise, Ariz., on Feb. 15, with position players to follow by Feb. 20.

The Spring Training game schedule starts on Feb. 24 with a game against Kansas City at the Surprise complex shared with the Royals.

The Rangers wrap up their exhibition season with a pair of games at Globe Life Field against the Royals on March 27 and 28. The Rangers open up the regular season at home against Philadelphia on March 30.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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