After being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade, Brandon Lowe announced his presence with authority when he hit two home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day at the New York Mets.
The 5-foot-9, 181-pound second baseman, a two-time All-Star who has a pair of 30-homer seasons on his resume, leads the team with 16 doubles, 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .523 slugging percentage and ranks second with an .858 OPS.
The 31-year-old Lowe endured a scary moment last weekend at Atlanta when he fouled a Rafael Iglesias slider off his right knee, dangerously close to the fractured patella that ended his 2023 season. Lowe spoke with TribLive Pirates writer Kevin Gorman about playing for a new team, how he generates power and free agency.
What went through your mind when you hit a foul ball off your knee when you had suffered a serious injury to the same spot?
My mind traveled back to 2023, when I had done it the first time. It was kind of the only thing that went through my mind: ‘Oh no, I did it again.’ Uncertainty, worry, all of that kind of stuff is just racing through your head. Did I do it again? Did I miss it? It just a matter of letting the scans show what they were showing and believing that there’s a plan and everything is going to be OK.
How close was it to where you fractured the kneecap?
It missed it by half an inch more towards the top of my knee. I think it hit in the same spot. So, very, very close.
Did you have fatalistic thoughts that your season was over or was it more about how much it hurt?
A broken bone is like four to six weeks, so that wouldn’t be the whole season. I’m very happy with the way this year has been going, not only on the field but the body is feeling good and all of the work we put in this offseason to get here to be able to play as much as I have, I would have hated for a 1% percent pitch from a guy that is heavy sinker/changeup to foul the one slider he’s going to have every once in a while off my knee and sit at home for the next six weeks. I’m just glad that missed.
You had spent your entire professional career with the Tampa Bay Rays. What has the transition been like after being traded to the Pirates?
Honestly, I do credit my time in Tampa to try to understand. We brought in a bunch of new people. Every year there was always new faces. It was kind of my job to talk to them and make them feel comfortable, reach out to them. As I got traded here, it was sort of the same thing but just flip it. I was like, I’ve got to go talk to everybody else. It was the same situation, new place kind of deal. Having (Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery) being teammates of mine and knowing (Ryan) O’Hearn and (Bryan) Reynolds definitely helped the transition.
You’ve dealt with the question of people wondering how you generate so much power with your frame. Can you simplify it?
I’ll you the same thing I tell everybody: I can talk about this for multiple hours to give you the full, 100% answer. Force into the ground is force returned. Whatever you put into the ground is going to come back up through the body. That intent to do damage and hunting good pitches to hit all mix into what you see out there.
How much of it is behind-the-scenes prep work?
We’re about 11 years in and I’m still learning. Sometimes it’s the same routine. I go back in my camera rolls and see the drills I used to do, trying to understand the move, different drills to enhance the move to what I’ve gotten to now. We call it an inch wide and a mile deep. You have your swing and what you want to do and you just dig down. You dig deep and try to figure out whatever you’re doing. How do you do it more efficiently? How do you do it more consistently? How do you it more intently? Just focusing on what’s the best that you can do. This isn’t a five-minute conversation to get where I was when I was drafted to where I am now. It’s been from me thinking I was too good to do it to getting the crap beat out of me in Low-A to tucking tail to having some pretty good years in the minor leagues then getting exposed in the big leagues. Baseball is going to make you adapt and make you change. That’s why we say a mile deep and keep digging because you’re never going to have it figured out. Baseball is going to have you humbled very quickly if you start thinking that way.
What has it been like to make a positive impression on the Pirates?
I try to never worry about leading the league or anything like that. Something my dad always told me that’s always stuck with me is that if you put team at-bats first, the numbers take care of themselves. That’s all I’m really trying to do out there, is take team at-bats and try to make an impact in a positive way. Obviously, with the production and results that have happened coming into a new place with new fans that have certain expectations or whatnot, to be able to hold up those expectations. When people are excited that you’re here, it makes things a whole heck of a lot easier to go about your daily business.
How much pride do you take in your defense?
The biggest thing was just the settling call when Chris Truby called me this offseason. He was like, ‘We think you’re a second baseman.’ I think you should do these two things. Try them out now. You’re just not being as athletic as you can be. These are ways to improve that. Narrow up the stance a little bit — I was getting really wide — and adding a (pre-pitch) bunny hop. Those two things have helped me get to where I am.
As a two-time American League All-Star, do you pay attention to how the other second basemen are performing and whether you have a shot at make the All-Star Game for the National League?
Just purely as a baseball fan — I grew up watching baseball; I love watching MLB Network when I’m in a hotel room by myself — I’m always tuned in a little bit to it. I like to keep tabs on guys that I know. I’m looking at the National League and thinking, dang, I’ve got to compete with Nico (Hoerner), (Brice) Turang, (JJ) Wetherholt, Ketel (Marte). There’s a lot of people vying for it. Xavier (Edwards) is at second base, too. As for comparing myself, if I’m going to be there in Philly or not, I’ll let that decision come whenever the lineups come out.
You’re in the final year of your contract. Are you looking forward to free agency or hoping to stay by signing with the Pirates?
This a very weird/scary situation but exciting all wrapped together. We’ve loved our time here. I’ve publicly let it be known that I don’t think there’s a better backdrop in baseball. When I get here, I always look back when I’m walking across. After the game, win or lose, you have that backdrop walking through an empty stadium. It’s probably one of the coolest sights in baseball. But I can’t just go and say, ‘You have to give me X dollars for X years.’ It’s a 50-50 type of deal. It’s more if an opportunity presents itself, by all means. We’ll see what happens.