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

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.