Berry Newsletter: Josh Lowe demonstrating All-Star potential

ST. PETERSBURG — When the Rays traded Austin Meadows to the Tigers and promoted outfield prospect Josh Lowe to the Opening Day roster, it showed just how much Tampa Bay’s front office believed in Lowe. As if the Rays’ actions didn’t speak loudly enough, president of baseball operations Erik Neander’s words made it clear.

“He has the potential to be an All-Star player,” Neander said then. “That’s how we see him.”

Lowe flashed some of that potential during the Rays’ season-opening sweep of the Orioles, getting on base in five of his 12 plate appearances, while putting his power and speed on full display Saturday with a 106.7 mph line drive that turned into a standup triple.

“He’s going to impact us in all facets of his game,” manager Kevin Cash said.

The funny thing about Lowe’s first full series in the Majors was what stood out the most. When you talk to evaluators about the 24-year-old, you hear about his physical tools — his power and speed, his arm strength, his range in the outfield, stuff like that.

But then Lowe came out this weekend and put together some of the Rays’ most impressive at-bats. In six of his first nine plate appearances, Lowe worked the count full, emblematic of a lineup that grinded out at-bats and wore out Orioles pitchers all series long.

Brandon Lowe said it was “really impressive to see a guy like that be so mature in his approach.” Cash said “[Josh Lowe’s] at-bats might be the highlight of the series offensively,” which was saying something after Sunday’s complete performance.

“He’s not in a hurry to get the at-bat over with. If he falls behind, he knows he’s got the ability to extend the at-bat,” Cash said. “Early on, if he likes a pitch, he also knows he has the ability to jump all over it and feel confident that he’s making the right decision. So, very impressed with his at-bats to date.”

Lowe said he felt “comfortable” seeing so many pitches — 5.2 per plate appearance, to be specific — and figures it’s “just a matter of time before I start squaring up” some of those he’s been fouling off. But much like Ji-Man Choi and Yandy Díaz, corner infielders not necessarily known for their power, Lowe appreciates the impact he can have on the Rays’ lineup just by working tough at-bats and driving up opponents’ pitch counts.

He wasn’t out to show everything he can do all in one weekend, but he offered a pretty good glimpse of the potential that Neander mentioned.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for people to go out and try and prove they can do everything on one day. It’s a really long year,” Lowe said, smiling. “Over the course of the season, I’m going to prove it to everybody. But yeah, I’m just excited for the rest of the year and to win a lot more games.”

RECOMMENDED READING

We knew the Rays would call upon No. 18 prospect Tommy Romero, one of their top arms with Triple-A Durham, at some point this season. “Some point” comes tonight. With Ryan Yarbrough on the 10-day IL, Romero will debut as Tampa Bay’s starter against Oakland on Tuesday. Read more >>

It seemed a little funny when Brett Phillips walked into the clubhouse Sunday, long after the game had ended, still in full uniform and a little out of breath. Well, here’s why: The man who always says “baseball is fun” ran the bases with kids at Tropicana Field. Read more >>

The Rays were the first team to use the PitchCom pitch-calling technology in a big league Spring Training game, and their whole staff is using it in the regular season. Mark Sheldon, Reds beat reporter for MLB.com, explains how it’s helping Cincinnati outfielder Nick Senzel with his defense. Read more >>

Barrier broken: MLB.com’s Dawn Klemish covered history on Friday, telling the story of Rachel Balkovec’s managerial debut for the Yankees’ Single-A Tampa affiliate in Lakeland. Read more >>

RAYS TRIVIA

How many home runs did Randy Arozarena hit to set an MLB postseason record in 2020?

A. 8

B. 9

C. 10

D. 12

THREE UP, THREE DOWN WITH BRETT PHILLIPS

MLB.com: We all know you said hot yoga helped you get in “best shape of my life”-level condition this offseason. What is Brett Phillips’ secret to success in hot yoga?

Phillips: The secret to success in hot yoga is, first of all, not thinking it’s easy. Go in with the mindset that it’s going to be tough. Don’t do what I did and think, “Oh yeah, I’m a professional athlete. I’m going to make this look so easy.” I was humbled real quick, for about the first month. Second thing, hydration. Make sure you’re very well hydrated, because you will be sweating more than you’ve ever sweat before. Third thing, you’ve got to be mindful. Like, you’ve got to find a place to slow your mind down and kind of breathe in, because obviously we all know — for myself — stretching hurts. And to be the best yogi that you can be, you have to kind of breathe into spots and learn to just, like, clear your head. Those are my three things of advice, if anyone’s out there looking to get into hot yoga.

MLB.com: As a local man (from Seminole), what is your favorite spot to recommend to people? When family or family friends come in to see a game at The Trop, where do you tell them to go?

Phillips: Oh, man. Well, in my area, you’ve got Mike’s Pizza and Pub. It’s a great place. I used to be a pizza delivery driver for him back in high school. Mike Dodaro was one of my Little League coaches growing up, so it’s a great place. And then another place I’ve been going to since I was 7 or 8 years old is Greek Village in Seminole. I know I’m missing a lot right now, but those two are some spots that I enjoy hitting up.

MLB.com: You’ve made the rounds around the Majors in your career. What’s your favorite road city?

Phillips: Favorite road city honestly was going to Anaheim, going out to Newport Beach. It was the first time I’d been introduced to Newport Beach. Going out there, just the weather was amazing. Nice coffee shops right there on the beach to sit out there and kind of clear some space in between the ears before the games. I really enjoyed that. Obviously subject to change, but that’s what I’ve got for you for now.

ON THE FARM

Let’s take a quick look around the Rays’ Minor League system coming out of Monday’s off-day. If you want to see where Tampa Bay’s top prospects began the season, start with this comprehensive preview from MLB.com’s Sam Dykstra.

Triple-A Durham (2-4): The Bulls will begin their first home series of the season, a six-game set against Jacksonville, on Tuesday. The highlight so far has been the early season performance of Spring Training standout catcher/infielder Ford Proctor (6-for-13, four walks) and recent trade acquisition Isaac Paredes (5-for-14, double, triple, homer, five walks, four RBIs). And, of course, there was the promotion of No. 18 prospect Tommy Romero, who worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings in his season debut.

Double-A Montgomery (2-1): No. 20 prospect Austin Shenton, referred to as a “mini-(Mike) Moustakas” by teammates, is off to a 4-for-11 start capped by his 2-for-4 performance with a solo homer on Sunday. This roster is loaded with top prospects, including Shenton, Taj Bradley, Curtis Mead, Greg Jones, Kameron Misner, and Blake Hunt.

High-A Bowling Green (3-0): Heriberto Hernandez, the outfielder with a powerful bat, is 4-for-11 with three doubles to start the season. This roster also has a bunch of intriguing infield options, including Osleivis Basabe, Tanner Murray and Ronny Simon. And the Hot Rods pitched great in their opening series, allowing only five earned runs in 27 innings for a 1.67 ERA.

Low-A Charleston (2-1): No surprise in a system this deep, but Charleston is also stacked with prospects to watch. Shortstop Willy Vasquez, who jumped to the No. 10 spot in the organization, is 4-for-11 with a double and a triple. He’s joined in the infield by top 2021 Draft picks Carson Williams and Ryan Spikes, athletic outfielder Mason Auer (5-for-8, two doubles and a triple) generated some buzz in camp, and the pitching staff is headlined by No. 13 prospect Sandy Gaston.

TRIVIA ANSWER

C. 10

Arozarena became a household name during the 2020 playoffs by crushing 10 home runs during the Rays’ run to the World Series. He set the MLB rookie record in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Astros, when he hit his seventh home run. He set the MLB record with his ninth, which came in Game 4 of the World Series against the Dodgers. He extended that record by going deep in the first inning of Game 6.

FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW

To subscribe to Rays Beat, visit this page and mark “Rays Beat” from our newsletter list. Make sure you’re following the Rays or that they’re checked as your favorite team.