Lowe carving out special place in Rays history

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

DETROIT -- Slowly but surely, Brandon Lowe is carving out a special place in franchise history.

Lowe launched his 20th home run of the season on Sunday at Tropicana Field, and it wound up being the deciding run in Tampa Bay’s sweep-securing, 4-3 victory over Toronto. It was the 125th home run of his career, all with the Rays, and delivered his 360th RBI.

The RBI pushed him past Hall of Famer (and Rays Hall of Famer) Fred McGriff for seventh on Tampa Bay’s all-time list. This season, he’s passed Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton on the team’s home run list, pulling three shy of Aubrey Huff (128) for third on the club’s all-time list.

Lowe also ranks among the club’s all-time leaders in bWAR (ninth, at 16.2) slugging percentage (.482, fourth behind McGriff, Evan Longoria and Carlos Peña) and adjusted OPS+ (125, tied with Longoria for third behind Yandy Díaz and Peña).

It’s impressive stuff, but Lowe isn’t quite ready to think about it yet. He has a good reason: He’s not done building his Rays résumé -- and hopes he won’t be anytime soon.

“That’s a hard one to kind of look at,” Lowe said Sunday morning. “I feel like it’s one of those things that, if I’m here and I’m back next year, I won’t look at it because I have a chance to build on it and climb higher in the ranks. But God forbid something happens and I don’t make it back with the team, then I feel like I’ll take a step back and kind of look at my place in the history of the Rays.

“But as of right now, I don’t plan on anything being different. So let the numbers be where they are right now and look to build on them.”

Lowe was referring to the fact that he has a $10.5 million club option for next season, one the Rays seem likely to exercise but could buy out for $1 million. There is also the ever-looming specter of a trade, something Lowe understands as well as anyone, having seen so many players come and go since making his Major League debut for the Rays in August 2018.

Lowe said he hasn’t yet spoken with Rays officials about his option and doesn’t know what they’re thinking as far as his future goes. The front office typically takes its time with such decisions, waiting until the usual deadline five days after the World Series ends.

But the 30-year-old infielder certainly knows how he wants to see it play out.

“People can always talk about [how] the grass is always greener somewhere else, but it’s pretty green right here,” Lowe said. “We’re comfortable. We have a house here. My family’s here. We’re comfortable being here every day. We love the staff and love the people that are here. If we’re back, great. If not, then we’ll find a way to get comfortable there, I guess.”

After battling injuries the past few seasons, Lowe has proven his value when healthy this year. A right oblique strain cost him six weeks in April and May, but he’s bounced back from that -- and played through a fractured toe and an injured finger -- to hit .242/.312/.475 with a team-leading 20 homers and 55 RBIs in 102 games.

“You play 162, you’re going to get hurt and there’s going to be some bumps and bruises on the way,” Lowe said. “To be able to play through those and work back after an oblique that I had, it’s been a pretty good year, and there’s still some time to improve.”

Lowe’s performance was recognized by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Sunday, when he received the Don Zimmer Most Valuable Player Award. Lowe called it a “huge honor” as he looked around the clubhouse and considered other candidates. But it was a well-deserved honor for Lowe, manager Kevin Cash said.

“I’m happy that, for the most part, Brandon was able to show what he’s capable of doing with consistent playing time and being healthy,” Cash said. “When he’s right, I don’t think there’s anybody that’s more talented playing second base that has the combination of the power and the defense that he’s shown.”

Lowe is only the fourth player in franchise history to be named team MVP multiple times, having also won the award in 2020. The other multiple-time winners? Carl Crawford, Longoria and Zobrist -- three more Rays who certainly carved out their place in franchise history.

“It’s a decent list to be a part of,” Lowe said, smiling. “Just the pedigree of those guys and what they’ve done in their careers, hopefully it speaks volumes to what I’ll have for the rest of mine.”