Nathaniel Lowe He is in the spotlight today as Opening Day approaches. The first baseman was just the subject of a blockbuster trade after spending the 2024 season with the defending champions, though they missed the postseason.
Leading up to Opening Day, which is 94 days away, Sportskeeda will be counting down with the players featured, examining what they've done in the past as well as offering some predictions on how they will perform in 2025. Lowe is the next player in the countdown.
Louie was with Texas Rangers Despite the team's difficulties overall, it was a very strong year. He had 2.8 fWAR and a 121 wRC+ in 140 games. He hit .265 with a very solid .762 OPS.
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Lowe will not become a free agent until after the 2026 season, but Rangers have opted to move him to the Premier League. Citizens of Washington. The Nats were expected to be aggressive in pursuing the first baseman on the open market but instead changed this trade. The Rangers acquired left-hander Robert Garcia in return.
Expect Nathaniel Lowe's first year with the Nationals
Nathaniel Lowe lands with the Washington Nationals, who are slowly building up a roster of promising young players. Lowe was with the Texas Rangers after his first two seasons (2020 and 2021) with the Tampa Bay Rays.
He only hit 16 home runs last season, and that number would have been 15 with the Nationals, so don't expect the park to produce an increase in production. In terms of the park factor, Globe Life Field and Nationals Park are a bit hitter-friendly, ranking 10th and 11th respectively among all MLB parks.
Fangraphs expects a slight decline in production. They project a 114 wRC+, a .258 batting average, and a .347 on-base percentage. The National Team lineup doesn't necessarily offer more protection than the Rangers did, so the squad won't help Lowe improve in all likelihood.
Fangraphs expects slightly better power numbers. They are projecting two more runs and a slugging percentage of 0.411 compared to 0.401 in 2024. However, that only works out to a projected 1.9 fWAR, which is a decline from 2024.
Our Prediction: Lowe offers a little flash with 19 home runs and meshes well with his new lineup. He's batting .255 with a .356 on-base percentage, adding a 119 wRC+ and solid defense for a 2.5 fWAR season.
Edited by Nadim Al-Qaq
