Lowe’s rise gives Tampa Bay many rays of hope
Some future Major League Baseball players who got their start in Hampton Roads are can’tmiss prospects in high school.
Justin Upton (No. 1), Melvin “B.J.” Upton (No. 2) and Michael Cuddyer (No. 9) were early firstround draft picks before their high school graduation ceremonies.
Brandon Lowe wasn’t regarded that way when he played at Nansemond River High in Suffolk.
Sure, Lowe had a memorable high school career — he was the Southeastern District and Eastern Region Player of the Year and a first-team All-Tidewater pick — but dozens of pro scouts didn’t crowd behind the backstop to chronicle his every move.
So how do you explain seeing Lowe batting second as the start
ing second baseman as the Tampa Bay Rays opened the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees on Monday?
Perseverance and hard work, to name two reasons, are how Lowe did it. (It’s nice to hear MLB broadcasters have learned “how” to pronounce his name correctly
— it rhymes with “how.”)
“Brandon was always a small kid. So he was forced to prove himself over and over,” Nansemond River coach Mark Stuffel said recently. “He squared the ball up almost every time he swung. I knew he was good and he worked hard.”
Lowe was a four-year starter for Nansemond River and drew recruiting interest from Old Dominion, VCU, VMI and Virginia Tech before signing with Maryland.
Lowe’s college career started late after he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and missed his entire freshman season. He battled his way back and became an integral part of Maryland’s lineup.
“That was really the toughest part — getting back and doing the initial thing that tore it,” Lowe told the Daily Press during his sophomore season in college. “It was more of a mental block. I mean, you’re out for eight months because you did this one little thing. It took me a week or two once I got the brace on to realize, ‘Hey, you’re able to do all this.’ ”
Lowe, who was born in Newport News, left Maryland after a solid career — his single-season 136 total bases in 2015 rank fifth all-time in Terps history — and was a third-round pick of Tampa Bay. He quickly climbed toward the major leagues and stopped with the Durham Bulls at Harbor Park to play the Norfolk Tides in 2018 as one of the minor leagues’ hottest hitters. During one nine-game stretch, Lowe batted .472 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs.
“I’m just putting in a lot of work in the offseason trying to figure out how to use my whole body in the best way possible,” Lowe told The Pilot at the time. “It was a lot of work. I just kept grinding in the offseason, kept grinding during the season, and it’s starting to pay off.”
That attitude, it seems, now is paying off in the majors.
Lowe was an all-star in 2019, but after missing most of the second half with an injury, he has returned to form in this coronavirus-shortened season.
That lack of notice in high school and injuries haven’t slowed Lowe’s ascent to major league star.
Lowe led the Rays in hits (52), home runs (14) and RBIs (37) during the regular season.
Lowe also has made his mark in the Tampa community. He and his wife, Madison, pledged $100 to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay for every home run he hit last season — he finished with 17.
“He’s been tremendous,” manager Kevin Cash told the Tampa Bay Times recently. “Everything we’ve done offensively, all the good things, it seems like he’s right in the middle of. Whether it’s the big hit, the big home run. … When we’re down or tied, we feel really confident when Brandon’s walking up to the plate.”
During his playing days for Nansemond River, at least one area scout saw Lowe’s potential. Ducky Davis, a longtime local umpire before becoming a major league scout, predicted Lowe “would be drafted some day and hit .275 at every level,” Stuffel said.
“Ducky’s prediction has been pretty spot on,” Stuffel added. “I knew Brandon would hit at every level but never thought he would hit with all the power he has.”