Jed Lowrie’s Future

A once highly-tauted shortstop and second baseman, Lowrie has struggled to make a name for himself in the big leagues. Between not getting enough playing time and injuries, Lowrie has posted a terrible .235 average in 328 at-bats in the majors and has had more strikeouts (88) than hits (77). Given recent history with the revolving door at shortstop, Lowrie still may have a chance to prove his worth and be the Sox shortstop of the future.

Unlike a year ago, when Lowrie had a chance to fight  for the starting job at short, the starter at that position was solidified with the addition of Marco Scutaro this past month. That doesn’t mean Lowrie won’t once again get his shot to prove himself, however. Jed will most likely play a vital bench role for the Sox, getting an opportunity to fill in for both Scutaro and Pedroia when they receive a day off or if either goes down with an injury. The difficulty for Lowrie will be to find a rythym with reduced playing time and remaining healthly for an entire season.

Lowrie does add some value off the bench for the Sox, assuming he can get his bat working, because of his ability to switch-hit and play any infield position. Francona showed his relative comfort in having Lowrie be a late-inning pinch-hitter in the post-season last year, even though Lowrie was still recovering from wrist surgery and struggled. It takes a year or so to fully recover from wrist surgery, so the hope is that Jed will come into Spring Training healthly and will be ready to seriously contribute to the Red Sox championship run in 2010.

Is this Lowrie’s year to break through? One can only hope.