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Examining B Lowe's Playoff Struggles



Brandon Lowe.

One of, if not THE, best 2B in baseball.

But yet, when you mention B Lowe you can't help but think about the playoff struggles. So just what happened to our dawg?

Let's start with who the player Brandon Lowe ACTUALLY is.

The sample size of a few seasons shows a consistent, above average bat and a versatile defender. His 2021 5.2 fWAR puts him in the company of MVP hopeful Cedric Mullins and fellow 2B Jose Altuve. (Side note, how exciting is it to have B Lowe up the middle with Wander?!)

Examining Lowe's 2021 at the plate it becomes apparent that he feasts on pitches inside but his weakness is the outside part of the plate, specifically low and outside. Below is a breakdown of his 2021 regular season xwOBA by zone.

Major League Baseball teams are smart, they have all the information and brainpower possible. The Red Sox seemed to know this bit of information and exploited it in the playoffs. The zone that Lowe saw most pitches thrown was low and away.

So did the game plan work against Lowe? A resounding yes, as he struck out 9 times out of his 18 total at bats and did not record a single hit.

Given the location of these pitches you would think about Lowe making an adjustment and hitting it the other way to left field. Take what the pitcher gives you right? Well, Lowe pulled EVERY SINGLE BALL he put into play in the 2021 ALDS.

In conclusion, Lowe's kryptonite is the pitch low and away. Time will tell if he will make the necessary adjustments.

This post was written by a member of the DRaysBay community and does not necessarily express the views or opinions of DRaysBay staff.