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The Rays placed another player on MLB Pipeline’s top prospect by position rankings as Brandon Lowe has been named the 9th best 2B prospect in baseball.
Lowe slipped to the Rays in the third round of the 2015 draft, but could have gone higher if not for a torn ACL. Despite that, he still went 87th overall in the draft. He would not play during the 2015 season for the Rays, making his professional debut in 2016 with Bowling Green.
As a 22 year old this past season in Charlotte, Lowe brokeout and led the team in numerous offensive categories before being promoted to Double-A, where he hit a road block in terms of offensive production. Nonetheless, Lowe was sent to the Arizona Fall League upon the season’s conclusion.
Lowe’s success in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League is testimony to his advanced hitting ability. He may not offer much defensively or on the basepaths, but the potential is there for him carve out a role as an offense-oriented second baseman in the big leagues.
Lowe is slated to rejoin Montgomery at the start of the 2018 season, but if his bat makes noise, he could find himself in Durham earlier than expected.
Lowe joins Brent Honeywell and Brendan McKay, as they have already been placed on these prospect rankings by MLB Pipeline. Honeywell was named the 4th best RHP, while McKay was ranked as the 5th best LHP and the number one overall 1B prospect. MLB Pipeline does not appear to consider Jake Bauers a 1B at this time.