Texas Rangers: Nate Lowe and Nathaniel Lowe are two different players

We’ve seen this whole name-change thing before in baseball, most prominently when former MLB outfielder B.J. Upton became Melvin Upton Jr. But Nathaniel Lowe has elevated the baseball name change to a whole new level, especially with his recent performance at the dish.

The man once known as ‘Nate’ is a completely changed hitter, and for the better. In fact, a torrid last week of August earned him AL Player of the Week honors, after slashing .385/.407/1.331 with four homers and 11 RBI. And all of this coming as Nathaniel, rather than Nate.

And since the All-Star break? Nathaniel has been even better.

That’ll do just fine.

Nathaniel Lowe is a markedly improved hitter for the Texas Rangers as compared to Nate Lowe

If you recall, Nathaniel Lowe has been going by ‘Nathaniel’ since last season. While he had a fine 2021, Lowe wasn’t anywhere close to his current level of production. And people are now starting to take notice.

That’s not to slight Nate Lowe, who was a solid player with potential. But this ‘Nathaniel’ has really come into his own. THIS Nathaniel has 20+ home runs in a season for the first time ever and a season OPS of .847, easily his best to date.

And if this is indeed the version of Lowe we’re getting for the long haul, he’s making a very compelling case to be in the fold for the Texas Rangers for years to come.

We do have to rain on Nathaniel’s parade slightly here, however, because his defense at first base is well… subpar a best, with no real improvement on the horizon. That likely spells a future role as the Rangers’ DH, though there will be plenty of competition for that role as well. It will be interesting to see how Texas handles Lowe going forward, but his drastic improvement with the bat has been remarkable to witness in 2022.

With this kind of offensive production, there will surely be a place for Nathaniel Lowe on the Texas Rangers.