Texas Rangers: The emergence of Nathaniel Lowe as a key building block

The Texas Rangers have a handful of promising plans for the future, even after a dismal 100+ loss season in 2021.

One of those pieces is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who quietly had one of the more respectable breakout seasons in recent memory for the organization in 2021. The Rangers have struggled to find any consistent success at first base for a *really* long time. The last Texas Ranger to start at first base on three or more consecutive Opening Day rosters was Mark Teixiera, who did so from 2004-2007. From Napoli to Fielder to Moreland to Guzmán, it’s been a shuffling door of temporary holdovers at first.

Finally, it feels like Texas has their first baseman of the future. Nathaniel Lowe is probably never going to be an MVP, and he’s probably never going to be the best hitter in the best iteration of the Texas Rangers while he’s here. But for a guy that was an under-the-radar pickup from Tampa Bay prior to the 2021 season, he had one of the more promising breakout seasons of anyone in baseball last year.

Nathaniel Lowe is the first baseman the Texas Rangers have been seeking ever since Mark Teixeira was traded in 2007

It feels like, in a general sense, that the Rangers have a couple of key guys they absolutely should keep as they rebuild over the short term; guys like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who’s established himself as one of the best fielders in the league and continues to get better at the plate, or guys like Adolis Garcia who can play multiple positions in the outfield and bat flip opponents into submission.

I want to get Nate Lowe into those discussions.

I want to get Rangers fans excited about this guy’s future because I think it’s as bright as it could possibly be. I want to take a look at what worked for him, what didn’t work, and what to look forward to in 2022 and beyond as he anchors the infield of a rebuilding franchise.

Texas Rangers’ Nathaniel Lowe: Defense

Nathaniel’s swing will continue to get better and develop as he enters his mid-to-late twenties, but his defense leaves a fair amount to be desired.

That’s not to say he was disappointing in any way at the corner in 2021. He finished first in the American League in first basemen putouts, double plays turned, and errors – but I like to chalk that up to him starting 148 games at first, good for second in the American League, and fourth in all of baseball. There’s a lot of potential for him with the glove, but those errors I mentioned are the glaring red flag.

Lowe is lucky enough to have a Gold Glove-winning shortstop in Isiah Kiner Falefa in his infield, and the Rangers are heavily circulated within the daunted “2022 Shortstop Sweepstakes” as names like Correa, Story, and Seager will all be hitting the market this winter. Nick Solak and Andy Ibañez both have shown considerable improvement with their gloves at second base as well, as Solak improved his Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average numbers significantly after a short demotion to Round Rock.

Suffice to say, Lowe is going to be surrounded with infield talent in 2022. He’ll have players at every level that can elevate his defensive game, and it’s hard to have expected much more of him with the responsibility he was given last season. Three of his 11 defensive errors were throwing errors. There’s a lot of wiggle room for a 26-year-old who hasn’t entered his prime yet.

Texas Rangers: Where to go from here for Lowe?

If Nathaniel Lowe is to be the first baseman of the future for the Rangers, and signs are positive that’s the case, then he’s going to have to narrow down a more consistent style of play on both sides of the ball.

As of right now, Lowe’s job is his own to lose at first base. Curtis Terry provided nothing but futility at the plate in 2021, which was very disappointing after he demolished balls at the Triple-A level. Ronald Guzman is arbitration-eligible, and would have to be spoonfed a chance to compete for a job that Lowe solidified this year, so it makes the most sense for the organization to waive him after the World Series ends to get the roster size back down to 40.

Lowe himself becomes arbitration-eligible after the 2023 season, which gives the Rangers two years to scope his growth and see where he’s at when he turns 28. He’ll be at a much more comfortable point in his career, his bat will have developed a little better, and hopefully he will have some more discipline at the corner of the infield.

The Texas Rangers don’t have many bright spots at the moment. That’s part of the rebuild, especially when you lose 100 games – where can you draw positives from? What parts of the rebuild are working, and what are preventing us from doing so? Nathaniel Lowe is a bright spot in that machine. If the Rangers can supply the rest of their lineup with more talent over the short term, Lowe can continue to develop and hopefully solidify himself as the longest-tenured Rangers first baseman in decades.