Nate Lowe (1B, TB) - Week 17 Waiver Wire Pickups

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OWNED IN: 32% of leagues

ANALYSIS: In dealing with some recent injury issues, the Tampa Bay Rays have called on hulking, highly rated first base prospect Nate Lowe, with fantastic results. The 24-year-old former Mississippi State Bulldog has a time-tested track record of power-hitting at the professional level, and had clubbed 12 home runs with a .290/.419/.519 slash in 241 AB at Triple-A Durham, and has followed that up in spectacular fashion with five homers and a .303/.379/.566 slash in 76 AB at the MLB level for 2019. The top-100 prospect also boasts of some impressive batted ball figures that encourage confidence in him moving forward.

Lowe might strike out at a rate similar to other big-swinging first basemen, but he walks at a robustly respectable clip of 9.2%, and he has been hitting for an excellent 42.1% hard contact on batted balls. Those balls have been sent back in effective manner too, with a 29.8% line drive rate, 20.3-degree launch angle, and 0.54 GB/FB ratio in conjunction with a well-above average exit velocity of 91.8 MPH. A .263 ISO is nothing to sneeze at for a guy not even through his first 100 major league plate appearances, and it's extremely difficult to see the Rays detaching themselves from such a hot bat in the midst of the wild card race. For well-rounded work at the plate with a strong emphasis on power figures, Nate Lowe could be the burst of energy you've been looking for.