What Happens with Lowell?

[YeAuldBroade]

I still say Lowell can be of great value as the RH DH, pinch hitter, back-up 3B and backup to Ortiz if the April-May '09 Ortiz shows up this season's "real" Ortiz. No one wants Lowell and we have to pay to get rid of him... that's dumb. Pay him and play him where he'll be an asset - and he can be an asset as a DH and off the bench.

[Dipre]

I still say Lowell can be of great value as the RH DH' date=' pinch hitter, back-up 3B and backup to Ortiz if the April-May '09 Ortiz shows up this season's "real" Ortiz. No one wants Lowell and we have to pay to get rid of him... that's dumb. Pay him and play him where he'll be an asset - and he can be an asset as a DH and off the bench.[/quote']

 

That's a fair take. My point is he should be nowhere near the field. The fact that he can still hit is not a question mark, so DH duty would be great.

[YAZMAN]

Lowell's career fld% is .017 better. In fact, it was higher than Beltre's for both of the past two years.

 

*waits for chorus of "you can't field what you can't get to"*

 

Brooks Robinson played third well almost until he qualified for Social Security.

[Dipre]

Lowell's career fld% is .017 better. In fact, it was higher than Beltre's for both of the past two years.

 

*waits for chorus of "you can't field what you can't get to"*

Brooks Robinson played third well almost until he qualified for Social Security.

 

You can't field what you can't get to!!!!

[YeAuldBroade]

Well he couldn't get to much last season, that's for sure ..... BUT, he did have the entire off-season for the hip to heal even more, so I'd have to see him in action to state that he can't even be a backup in the field anymore.

 

And Yazman, his fielding percentage is outstanding because he has sure hands - it's all the balls he can't get to that the average fielder can that's cause for concern. If he can reach it, he'll catch it - but what can he reach is the $1.09 question.

[Dojji]

Average defense. His bat is still there.

 

OK -- well, it'd be optimistic, but his skillset never depended that much on mobility to begin with -- he was always slow-footed, he's always depended much more on positioning, a strong arm and good reflexes than on the athletic plays Beltre makes, so as long as his hip is healthy enough that he can push off it properly, and he doesn't try to play through any more injuries, I don't see why he can't be average -- not as good as he was in 2006-2008, but not a liability with the glove.

 

Just because he doesn't get all of his mobility back doesn't mean he can't get enough back to be effective.

[Dipre]

OK -- well, it'd be optimistic, but his skillset never depended that much on mobility to begin with -- he was always slow-footed, he's always depended much more on positioning, a strong arm and good reflexes than on the athletic plays Beltre makes, so as long as his hip is healthy enough that he can push off it properly, and he doesn't try to play through any more injuries, I don't see why he can't be average -- not as good as he was in 2006-2008, but not a liability with the glove.

 

Just because he doesn't get all of his mobility back doesn't mean he can't get enough back to be effective.

 

We'll just have to wait and see.

[BSN07]

I agree Lowell with a full off season of training and not rehabbing could regain a good majority of his range. But to think he could do it over a full season would be extremely optimistic. If he can handle(physically and mentally) playing 3B 1 or twice a week, while DHing a couple times and coming off the bench late to pinch hit, then I'm fine with keeping him around. The Sox have enough question marks to warrant keeping him around for depth purposes for the first couple months of the season. Then when June-July rolls around, re-evaluate the situation.

[YAZMAN]

And Yazman' date=' his fielding percentage is outstanding because he has sure hands - it's all the balls he can't get to that the average fielder can that's cause for concern. If he can reach it, he'll catch it - but what can he reach is the $1.09 question.[/quote']

 

Do you think knowing you have Youk and Pedro on the right side allows the pitcher to pay a little more attention to the 3rd base side, and Lowell's quick hands plus good arm is the equivalent of an extra half-step?

 

BTW, great screen name.

[YeAuldBroade]

Do you think knowing you have Youk and Pedro on the right side allows the pitcher to pay a little more attention to the 3rd base side, and Lowell's quick hands plus good arm is the equivalent of an extra half-step?

 

BTW, great screen name.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

but... I think it's just too early to make any predictions about Lowell in the field this year. Honestly, I don't think Lowell was a complete disaster in 2009 (but an upgrade was definitely needed) and if he's at the same level as 2009 (if not improved) I think he could be a useful backup.

 

Someone above made the very good point that Lowell's range has always been limited but he positioned himself well. Just because he had hip surgery, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten how to play the game.

 

and Yazman... I just don't know how to evaluate a step or 1/2 step so I can't really answer your question.

[Ray10]

Who knows Sox have made it obvious that they have no interest in keeping him anymore.

[Palodios]

As much as I like Lowell, think about it. Why has he been so hard to trade if he would have average defense and above average offense? He must still have a lot of issues with his hip, meaning poor defense, and tons of double plays.

[YAZMAN]

and Yazman... I just don't know how to evaluate a step or 1/2 step so I can't really answer your question.

 

Even if it were a Mississippi Half-Step, Uptown Toodeloo?

[BSN07]

As much as I like Lowell' date=' think about it. Why has he been so hard to trade if he would have average defense and above average offense?[b'] He must still have a lot of issues with his hip[/b], meaning poor defense, and tons of double plays.

 

His thumb is the reason he's not a Ranger right now, not his hip.

[Dipre]

His thumb is the reason he's not a Ranger right now' date=' not his hip.[/quote']

 

That's because he was essentially going to DH, not play 3rd on a regular basis. The thought is ludricous IMO.

[YeAuldBroade]

Even if it were a Mississippi Half-Step' date=' Uptown Toodeloo?[/quote']

Especially that!

[TheMino007]

Lowell has still got some game left, offensively he still produced last year in limited time and is just as good as if not better a hitter than Beltre. Last year his UZR was something crazy bad like -17, but thats as bad as its ever been with him b/c he was hobbling around on a bad hip last year. His fielding % is still great, he doesn't screw up the balls that are hit too him. Range is horrible, and a joke compared to Beltre's, but with some improved health the range will improve too. Still, there is no way he can stay here, it would just be too akward. The backup role would be idea, but it just can't and won't happen.

[Palodios]

His thumb is the reason he's not a Ranger right now' date=' not his hip.[/quote']

 

The thumb causes nowhere near as many problems as his hip.

[Emmz]

I really wanted the Twins to push for Lowell to play 3rd. What we have is a bunch of crap. JJ Hardy is a wizard in the field who could mask his bad defense pretty well.

[Emmz]

Lowell has still got some game left' date=' offensively he still produced last year in limited time and is just as good as if not better a hitter than Beltre. Last year his UZR was something crazy bad like -17, but thats as bad as its ever been with him b/c he was hobbling around on a bad hip last year. His fielding % is still great, he doesn't screw up the balls that are hit too him. Range is horrible, and a joke compared to Beltre's, but with some improved health the range will improve too. Still, there is no way he can stay here, it would just be too akward. The backup role would be idea, but it just can't and won't happen.[/quote']

 

Lowell can't play defense to save his life anymore, that's really about it. I think it's definitely a possibility that he stays on the bench and contributes.

[BSN07]

The thumb causes nowhere near as many problems as his hip.

 

It does when teams like Texas were looking to acquire him for offensive purposes.

[TheMino007]

Last year was the first year he had a negative UZR since 04. Its pretty obvious that injuries are what has caused him to lose his defensive value. If he can be healthy his defense will improve and Lowell has always been a productive hitter regardless of his injury situation. Adrian Beltre isn't that much better than Lowell if at all

[Dipre]

The FO thinks otherwise. I'll believe them. Can you back that up with statistics by the way?

[Emmz]

Last year was the first year he had a negative UZR since 04. Its pretty obvious that injuries are what has caused him to lose his defensive value. If he can be healthy his defense will improve and Lowell has always been a productive hitter regardless of his injury situation. Adrian Beltre isn't that much better than Lowell if at all

 

Dude, you don't know more than the organization does about the issue. It's probably something that will hinder him throughout the remainder of his career, pretty significantly.

[TheMino007]

The FO thinks otherwise. I'll believe them. Can you back that up with statistics by the way?

 

What kind of stats? go look up his UZR and you will see what I'm talking about

[Dojji]

Dude' date=' you don't know more than the organization does about the issue. It's probably something that will hinder him throughout the remainder of his career, pretty significantly.[/quote']

 

that's why no one is projecting him to be an elite defender or play 150 games anymore, but if you limit his playing time, a year removed from the surgery, there's nothing stopping him from being an average defender -- as long as he hits up to his normal level that's good enough.

 

See the reason that Beltre's signing does make sense as much as I love to hate it is that even the downside is useful. If Beltre can't hit, then you run Lowell out there as your "starting" 3B, use Youkilis to limit his starts with V-Mart at first, and bring Beltre in as a late inning defensive guy. All of this reduces the wear and tear on Lowell, making him more likely to remain effective.

 

For the record since I saw you mention it above, if Beltre does pan out I still think that Minnesota would be a good place to speculate about for a midseason Lowell deal. Third base is really a weakness for them, but they have good utility and defensive backup 3Bmen, so if they can squeeze 120 games and 18 HR's out of Lowell's battered body this year and DH him occasionally to keep him fresh (can't Cuddyer still play a little third?). A return of a half decent reliever would be a good final legacy for Mikey.

[Dipre]

What kind of stats? go look up his UZR and you will see what I'm talking about

 

Offensive stats. Defensive stats.

 

You don't believe in park adjusted stats though, even though logic dictates that if you go from a ballpark that limits your skillset to one that helps it your numbers should improve.

 

See: Lowell,Mike.

[Dojji]

Offensive stats. Defensive stats.

 

You don't believe in park adjusted stats though, even though logic dictates that if you go from a ballpark that limits your skillset to one that helps it your numbers should improve.

 

See: Lowell,Mike.

 

Actually Lowell's played somewhat below his career in Boston level if you take out the 2005 outlier, 2007 was the only season he had here where he played up to the peak level he demonstrated in 2003-2004 in Florida.

 

In particular, Mike Lowell's homers were way down. Imagine that, a man known for righthanded power doesn't hit a lot of homers in Fenway. Must be because Fenway's not easy to homer in even for RHH. That's OK though, he hit a ton of doubles to make up for it.

[Dipre]

Or maybe it's because of the fact that the Lowell that the Red Sox got was no longer the 25+ HR in his prime Mike Lowell.

 

Repeating the same thing over and over doesn't make it true. Fenway is a haven for RHH's to hit HR's in, and the statistics back it up.

[riverside sluggers]

A scout told the Boston Herald Wednesday that trade candidate Mike Lowell is not moving well in the field or at the plate.

The Red Sox are hoping to dump Lowell for a bit of young talent before the regular season begins. But it sounds like they'll be fighting an uphill battle. "How he looked (yesterday), I would not have any interest in him," said the scout. "I don’t think he’s moving very well at all. Right now, his swing is very upper-body dominant. I don’t think he’s popping his hips or using his legs very much. It looked like he was swinging an iron gate."