Rangers Spring Training Preview: Nathaniel Lowe

Nathaniel Lowe, Rangers' Player of the Year for 2022, is focused on improving his defense.

InsidetheRangers.com previews every player on the Texas Rangers 40-man roster heading into Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona.

1B Nathaniel Lowe

In 2022: Lowe had a breakthrough season. He was twice named the Rangers Player of the Month, won his first Silver Slugger award and was named the Rangers Player of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

He became the first Rangers hitter in a half-dozen years to hit better than .300 for the season. He set career highs in practically every major offensive category. Among AL hitters he was in the Top 10 in hits, batting average, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging and total bases. He even improved his fielding percentage by .002 points from 2021. The left-handed hitter had the season everyone has been waiting for.

After the All-Star Break, there might not have been a better first baseman in the AL, honestly. Not bad for a left-handed hitting first baseman from the same alma mater as Will Clark and Rafael Palmeiro (Mississippi State).

Lowe batted .302/.359/.492/.850 with 74 runs, 26 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs and 76 RBI. He walked 48 times and struck out 147 times.

Lowe’s Career at a Glance: Lowe was taken in the 13th round out of Mississippi State by the Tampa Bay Rays, where he made his Major League debut in 2019. After a 2020 in which he batted just .222 in 21 games, the Rays traded Lowe to Texas along with Jake Guenther and Carl Chester in exchange for Heriberto Hernandez, Osleivis Basabe and Alexander Ovalles. Lowe won the starting first baseman job in 2021 and hasn’t relinquished it since.

Contract Status: Lowe avoided salary arbitration with the Rangers and signed a one-year deal worth a little more than $4 million.

In Surprise: There is no intrigue around Lowe’s role on the team. He’s the starting first baseman. He spent the offseason working to improving his defense, taking part in a group organized by his agent that included New York Mets star Francisco Lindor. Lowe may not be able to hit .300 again in 2023, but the Rangers expect his power numbers to remain steady at a position that demands it.

2023 Texas Rangers 40-Man Spring Training Previews:

Joe Barlow | John King | Dane Dunning | Brett Martin | Jake Odorizzi | Yerry Rodriguez | Owen White | Cole Ragans | Andrew Heaney | Glenn Otto | Josh Sborz | Ricky Vanasco | Cole Winn | Nathan Eovaldi | Jon Gray | Jonathan Hernández | Spencer Howard | José Leclerc | Martín Pérez | Brock Burke | Jacob deGrom | Taylor Hearn | Jonah Heim | Sam Huff | Luisangel Acuña | Ezequiel Duran | Josh Jung | Bubba Thompson |

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