The acquisition of Nathaniel Rowe gives the Nationals a high-end first baseman they haven’t had in years. Lowe was an above-average hitter. every year He’s also played in the big leagues, giving the Nationals a high-scoring player. The only question is how high Rowe’s ceiling is. He doesn’t match Pete Alonso in terms of power, but he brings a lot to the table.
In 2022, he showed he can be one of the best hitters in baseball. he strike He had a batting average of .302, an OPS of .851, and a career-high 27 home runs. However, he was unable to repeat that in the following two seasons. Lowe is still a quality hitter, but his power won’t be the same after 2022. He hit 17 home runs in 2023 and 16 home runs in 2024.
Lowe knows very well that he needs to hit to get more power. At a press conference he said said He was trying to get back into power production. Getting Lowe back to his 25 home run level would make him one of the best first basemen in baseball. Even with the loss of some power, Lowe has improved other aspects of his game since 2022.
In 2022, Lowe will be a first baseman and a negative defender. -10 Above average out. However, he has remained a Gold Glove-caliber defender ever since. He won this award in 2023 and was a finalist in 2024. Lowe has the defensive ability to save some of the Nationals’ young infielders. Lowe has many similarities to Nationals first baseman Christian Walker. coveted He signed with the Astros as a free agent.
He has also become a more patient hitter in recent years. After walking at an average clip of 7.4% in 2022, he 12% or more each of the past two seasons. This plate discipline is why Lowe’s offensive floor is so high. However, this patience may have been the cause of his lower power generation. It is notable that when Lowe became more aggressive at the plate, he batted for more power. Lowe’s patience may have bordered on passive. The Nationals will help him maintain that patience while becoming more aggressive with his strike zone pitching.
Even though Lowe has been the player he’s been the last few seasons, it’s a huge upgrade for the Nationals’ first baseman. First base has been a revolving door since Josh Bell left. Dominic Smith, Joey Gallo, Joey Meneses and Juan Yepez all tried to hold down the cold corner for long periods of time but failed. Lowe will be able to stabilize the position. He brings the defensive ability that Dominic Smith brought while having more offensive upside.
Will Lowe be a great player or a needle mover? That remains an open question. Unless he returns to being the power hitter he showed in 2022, he will only become a better and more consistent presence. If he can hit for more power while maintaining most of his bat discipline and defensive ability, you have a borderline star. Acquiring Lowe in exchange for Robert Garcia, an interesting but inconsistent reliever, is a great bargain. Lowe has untapped upside at 29 years old, while also bringing a high level of professionalism that the Nationals need.
The Nationals still have a lot of work to do this offseason. Trading away one of their better relief pitchers made the hole in the bullpen even bigger. Lowe also doesn’t bring the guaranteed power the Nationals need. The DH slot is open, so expect the Nats to bring in another bat. But Lowe will be an everyday first baseman, something the Nationals haven’t had in a while.
