Brandon Lowe could also be the most effective of Tampa Bay Rays’ anonymous bunch

The Tampa Bay Rays are off to probably the greatest begins to an MLB season in latest reminiscence. A thirtieth win by way of 40 video games offers the membership the most effective report by way of that mark because the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who went 35-5 en path to a 104-win season and a World Collection title.

This Tampa group is usually lauded — deservedly so — for placing collectively contenders irrespective of who they commerce away, who will get injured, or how low their payroll is. Getting caught up within the narrative that the Rays are in a position to put collectively a successful crew made up of a bunch of replacement-level gamers is doing a little bit of a disservice to the staples of their lineup which were persistently nice — gamers like second baseman Brandon Lowe.

Lowe might be the most effective participant that by no means will get introduced up when discussing the most effective within the recreation. Half of the reason being in all probability as a result of he’s on the Rays, and the opposite half is that he’s solely performed at the least 100 video games in a season as soon as. His incapability to remain on the sector is the largest motive he’s solely made one all-star recreation regardless of having a profession OPS+ of 128.

In 2021 he had probably the greatest power-hitting seasons from a second baseman ever — 39 residence runs, tied for the sixth most all-time. You may not bear in mind this as a result of it was overshadowed by Marcus Semien — then with the Toronto Blue Jays — having the one most residence runs ever by a second baseman with 45 that very same yr.

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Lowe’s success mired by injuries, anonymity outside of Tampa

In 2019, his lone All-Star season, he had 16 home runs on July 2, the last day he played in the first half of the season before getting injured (He was named to the All-Star team the next day). He was tied for fifth in home runs among second basemen at the time. He would return for a handful of games in September, adding one more to his total for an impressive 17 home runs in 82 games.

He surely would’ve been a selection in 2020 had it not been a shortened season in which there was no all-star game. Lowe hit an absurd 14 home runs in 56 games (out of 60). At those rates, over a whole season, he would’ve hit about 38 home runs in 151 games, nearly matching his total in 2021. I know that’s assuming he stays healthy for the entire season which isn’t a given, but the fact is whenever he’s on the field he’s been incredible.

Even this year when he hasn’t gotten off to the best start in terms of making contact with a .193 batting average, he still has seven home runs. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Lowe is 95th percentile in barrel rate, 87th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 79th percentile in average excite velocity. His average exit velocity is — are you ready to be shocked? — the most among second basemen. It’s also the exact same as 235-pound Garrett Cooper and 255-pound Salvador Perez.

At this point, it’s probably starting to sound like I’m trying to get Brandon Lowe to go to the prom with me, but the point is that there are plenty of good players on the Rays who don’t get enough credit because they’re seen as part of some indestructible Rays’ hive mind. Someone got injured? Don’t worry. A minor league journeyman you’ve never heard of shall rise up to take his place and be even better. Cut off one limb and two more shall take its place. Hail Hydra! Stop us if you can, Mr. Stark!

The organization is clearly doing a lot of things right, but the players are the ones who actually have to go out there and win games. The players aren’t bumbling ass-backward into 30 wins in 40 games Three Stooges style. Some of them are actually pretty good.