2025 Fantasy Baseball: Nathaniel Lowe Profile, Preview, Predictions
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The lack of excitement in Nathaniel Lowe's power will keep many fantasy drafters out of his aisle this draft season. He tends to be in the lineup almost every day, giving him a high floor in runs and RBIs. Can he add more loft to his swing in 2025?
Have yourself a night, Nathaniel Lowe. 👏
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2024
2 home runs on his bobblehead night! pic.twitter.com/ievsreJ2Ym
1B – Nathaniel Lowe, WAS (ADP – 254.8)
Lowe has yet to figure out how to put more loft on the baseball six seasons into his major league career. In his peak year in home runs (27), he had a low-ranking launch angle (8.2) and fly-ball rate (30.6). Both were five-year highs. His strikeout rate (22.1) and walk rate (12.6) have been favorable over the past two seasons.
Over the past two years, his exit velocity (2022 – 90.2 and 2024 – 88.9) has declined, along with his hard-hit rate (44.8 in 2022 and 39.5 in 2024), and barrels (44 in 2022, 30 in 2023, and 21 in 2024). Lowe hits many line drives (23.0% last season – increased for the third consecutive year). His HR/FB rate (29.3) has been below 30.0% four times over the past five years.
Lowe opened 2024 on the injured list due to an oblique issue. His bat had the most value in July (.282/12/5/16 over 85 at-bats) and September (.310/11/5/20 over 87 at-bats). He handled himself well against left-handed pitching (.292 with 26 RBIs over 120 at-bats), but only three balls left the year.
In his best RBI season (82) in 2023, Lowe came to the plate with an impressive 501 runners on bases, showcasing the strength of the Rangers’ lineup that year. His RBI chances were much lower in 2021 (375), 2022 (364), and 2024 (356 – missed three weeks).
Fantasy Outlook: The switch to Washington could lead to more days off due to the Nationals having another viable first base option (Josh Bell). One of the two will see many at-bats at DH. Lowe falls into the steady fantasy category (.270/70/18/70), helped by being in the starting lineup on most days. Based on his price point, his profile is viable in deep formats, but I would need more production from my CO/DH option in 10 and 12-team leagues.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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