Last on the list is a guy who has somehow recently turned 32 without anyone noticing. Jed Lowrie is the prototypical replacement, offering you steady counting stats without excelling in any one category. He’s been around the majors now for seven years, without ever fulfilling that big power potential he showed early on when he hit nine home runs in fewer than 200 at-bats for Boston.
Last year was a disaster for Lowrie. Slashing .300/.432/.567 through April 27, he was forced to undergo thumb surgery which put him out until August. When he came back, he didn’t really have a place on the diamond since Carlos Correa had debuted. He spent time at third but fought ineffectiveness the rest of the season and eventually was traded back to Oakland and the end of the year.
White Cleat Beat
Oakland is where Jed has had the most success in his career, hitting 15 home runs and scoring 80 runs for them in 2013. It looks like this magic has found its way back into his bat, as he’s off to a blistering start slashing .313/.352/.361. Like Wong, Lowrie’s power output is far too low to sustain, and he should see a jump as he hits some more hitter-friendly parks throughout the summer.
Bob Melvin is known for his ever-changing lineup card, and Lowrie has been put down everywhere from second to seventh this season. That shouldn’t scare owners as most of his appearances have been at the two- or four-hole, providing him a great chance at both scoring runs and driving home some of the better Oakland hitters.
Again, like a broken record, Lowrie won’t provide owners with any of the steals they’ve lost, so they’ll have to find them elsewhere. But if his early season hot streak continues, he has a shot to give you some solid totals in the other categories. His ownership numbers are going up steadily across the past week, and he should be owned in 30% or so of leagues by mid-May. With his positional flexibility he offers a help to any lineup struggling with their infield positions.
Next: Ones to Watch