Boom Boom Lowe
Brandon Lowe (TBR): 4-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB.
A slow start to the season saw Brandon Lowe hit only one home run with a .170 AVG and 87 wRC+ through May 31st while battling an oblique/side injury. Lowe has shaken off the rust now though, as he went 4-for-4 yesterday and picked up his 12th homer of the season. Half of those home runs have come in July in fact, with Lowe hitting six home runs so far this month alongside a .313/.397/.656/1.054 slashline.
Power has always been Lowe’s best asset and a quick look under the hood backs up his recent production. A 15.9% Barrel rate, 90.6 mph Avg Exit Velocity, and 43.9% HardHit rate are all at or above Lowe’s career averages.
You only need to look at his rolling charts since turning a corner to see that Boom Boom Lowe in action:
Lowe should be less likely than some of his teammates to get traded at the deadline between his extensive injury history and two years remaining on a team-friendly contract. The Rays have made it clear they will be sellers, however, so keep an eye out for contenders with an interest. A hitter-friendly ballpark could do wonders for Brandon Lowe.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Thursday:
Brent Rooker (OAK): 1-5, HR, R, RBI.
I considered leading off with Brent Rooker here as he’s one of a handful of players with more home runs than Lowe over the last month. Rooker’s homer last night against the Angels was an absolute scorcher at 111.0 mph and would’ve counted as a home run in all 30 ballparks. Rooker also had a pair of flyballs that clocked in at 97.4 and 103.5 mph later in the game that he just couldn’t get under properly.
Obviously, the plate discipline will hold Rooker back from being a top-tier player as his 30.7% K rate ranks in the bottom eight percent of the league but Rooker’s proven himself to be a worthwhile bat in spite of it. Unlike Lowe, it’d be surprising if the A’s don’t ship Rooker out to a contending team over the next few days so there may be an uptick in counting stats on the horizon as well.
Marcus Semien (TEX): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
Marcus Semien is currently in the midst of an on-base streak of 16 games and picked up his 15th home run of the season yesterday. One of the most consistent hitters in the game, Semien put up a relatively quiet first half with 13 homers, three stolen bases and a .242/.311/.392/.703 slashline.
Never one to stay down for long, yesterday was Semien’s second homer in seven games since the All-Star break. Perhaps more importantly, he’s still putting up an 82nd-percentile sprint speed so the second half could bring more stolen bases. After all, he only had five stolen base attempts in the first half of 2024. Last year, Semien had twice as many attempts going into the All-Star break.
Nathaniel Lowe (TEX): 2-3, 2B, R, BB.
While Semien put up the Rangers’ lone home run yesterday, it was Nathaniel Lowe who had two of the hardest-hit balls in this game with a 107.4 mph single that he topped later in the game with a 107.7 mph double. Over the past month, Lowe has six home runs, a .310 AVG, and a .394 OBP. Déjà vu, anyone?
Ha-Seong Kim (SDP): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI.
Ha-Seong Kim has been sneaky good in 2024 with 10 home runs and 19 stolen bases. A .226 batting average may scare some people away but you can benefit from that.
A .245 BABIP in the first half is a great start if you’re looking for some positive regression here. When you dig a bit deeper, Kim is actually putting up some career highs with a 4.9% Barrel rate, 88.2 mph Avg Exit Velocity, and 36.5% HardHit rate. Even his plate discipline has improved this season with a career-high 12.7% walk rate and career-low 16.1% strikeout rate.
Put it all together and I think last night’s 106.8 mph double was the start of a big second half for Kim.
Matt Olson (ATL): 2-4.
The decline of Matt Olson has been a major factor in Atlanta’s offensive struggles. After eclipsing his career highs with 54 home runs and a .283 batting average last season, regression was definitely to be expected for Olson, but I’m not sure anyone expected this.
There’s still some power there but with extreme drops from a 16.4% to 9.8% Barrel rate, .321 to .164 ISO, and 27.8% to 12.1% HR/FB, this feels like a lost season for Olson.
Heliot Ramos (SFG): 3-5, 2B, RBI.
Heliot Ramos is in the middle of a stellar breakout campaign that would garner NL Rookie of the Year traction if he wasn’t just over the threshold to be eligible for the award.
Ramos brought his batting average up to .294 with a 3-for-5 game yesterday and his 14 homers are backed by a 14.8% Barrel rate, 91.6 mph Avg Exit Velocity, and a 48.9% HardHit rate. Still only 24 years old, the Sun God warrants more attention than he’s received so far. The Giants will continue to lean on him if they intend to work their way back into the postseason.
Colton Cowser (BAL): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Over in the AL, Colton Cowser has firmly planted himself in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation with near-identical numbers to Ramos. Yesterday’s 406-ft, 102.3 mph blast put Coweser up to 14 home runs with a 14.6% Barrel rate, 91.2 mph Avg Exit Velocity, and a 48.6% HardHit rate.
While a 29.5% strikeout rate isn’t ideal and borders on Brent Rooker territory, Cowser’s glove should keep him in the Orioles lineup every day. A 99th-percentile OAA in left field could very well put Cowser in the running for a Gold Glove in his rookie season. Cowser better start making some room in his trophy case!
Connor Norby (BAL): 2-4, HR, R, RBI.
The Baltimore Orioles called Connor Norby back up this week after Jorge Mateo hit the IL with a dislocated elbow and Norby immediately rewarded them with the second home run of his major league career, a 100.5 mph bomb.
Norby put up 16 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a .297 batting average in 375 plate appearances for the Norfolk Tides in Triple-A this season. With Mateo set to miss a solid chunk of time, Norby should continue to see playing time down the stretch and has all the tools to emerge as a key part of this young Orioles offense going forward.
Xavier Edwards (MIA): 2-4, R, 2 RBI, SB.
Xavier Edwards has been one of the lone bright spots for the Miami Marlins in 2024, albeit in a small sample size. Through 90 plate appearances, Edwards has yet to homer but has five stolen bases and a .368 batting average.
Edwards could be a cheap source of stolen bases in the second half as he will continue to play a key role in the Marlins’ middle infield. A 13.3% walk rate and 15.6% strikeout rate could be the start of the young speedster finally living up to the prospect hype.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter/X)