Isaiah Lowe looks for health & continued electricity in 2024
Padres
In 2023, San Diego Padres fans got a preview of just how nasty right-handed pitching prospect Isaiah Lowe can be.
In 11.1 innings in Single-A Lake Elsinore last season, Lowe showed flashes of why the Padres paid above slot value to get the North Carolina native as he would work to the tune of a 3.58 FIP, 3.14 xFIP, and a 1.59 ERA.
Lowe showcased his ability to throw the ball to hitters, posting a 34.7% K%, a 31.9% Whiff%, and a 14.60 SwSrt% (Swinging Strike Percentage). But, as many know, shoulder surgery would cut his 2023 season far too short, and those 11.1 innings are all we would get.
However, after a full offseason of recovery, Lowe looks poised to pick up where he left off.
“This year, I feel a lot better. I’ve really been focusing on activation, recovery, and knowing what to do post-game and pregame,” Padres prospect and Lake Elsinore Storm starter Isaiah Lowe said. This offseason, we really worked hard getting my arm into the right position and staying stacked on the Rubber. [My goal] is to throw 100 innings. As long as I am on the field, I am cool.”
Injuries can be challenging for any athlete, not just physically but mentally as well. Though this rehab process was challenging, it’s also one that Lowe felt helped him mature. “There was a lot of learning maturity-wise. I listened to a lot of the other guys what they had to say,” Lowe explained.
“It was terrible that it happened, but that’s life, so you deal with it. Coming into this year, I know what to expect, and I have a better idea of what I need to do and how to go about things.”
Lowe will be a mainstay in the Storm’s rotation this season, and if his first outing is any indication of what is to come 24′ looks promising. In his outing vs. Rancho Cucamonga, Lowe looked electric, working three shutout innings, walking two, allowing one hit, and punching out four.
Of the four strikeouts, three came via Lowe’s lively fastball, which sits 93-96 mph and has hit 97 in the past. It has excellent life and vertical movement. It’s also a pitch this offseason, and even during the season, he hopes to continue to add velocity.
“The velo is coming back, and I’ve hit 95 so far. But right now, I’m taking my time and not rushing into velo. I wanna get some innings under my belt, and then the velo will come,” Lowe commented, “I’m strong on my lower half and flexible, and that lets me push hard off the rubber and give me more velo.”
Yet, what might make Lowe’s fastball so effective is his extension, as with extremely long arms, his heater gets on guys quicker than anticipated. Giving it + late life that his teammates have taken note of.
“Some of our hitters, when they face me, say that the ball gets on me and rides away from ’em”. I take it as a good thing,” Lowe noted.
Paring with the fastball is Lowe’s slider. He can use a pitch to land both strikes and generate whiffs, as it possesses some quality horizontal and vertical movement to the glove side.
Rounding out the arsenal is a changeup; it comes in a little bit firmer than most traditional changeups. It is not a pitch that projects anything more than average, but it does provide him with another tool for fooling and deceiving hitters.
With his high-octane stuff, Lowe has also done an excellent job of filling up the zone. He has earned a reputation as a player who throws strikes and attacks hitters.
“In the limited spring training, I’ve seen him (Lowe) attack the zone, seen swing and miss, I’ve seen some electric stuff,” Storm Manger Lukas Ray lamented, “If you can attack the zone with a couple pitches, and those pitches be plus pitches, your probably going to be playing this game for a long time. It’s really beneficial for a club to have that cause you know they’re gonna force action and make the hitter swing, and when they do swing they won’t have a good shot at hard contact.”
2024 could be big for Lowe. The stuff is electric, and the ceiling is quite high. He just needs to stay healthy. If he is able to build upon and improve upon his first 14 innings of professional pitching, he could quickly move up the Padres system.
Proud San Diego Native. Attended Sonoma State University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in communications; following my graduation, I returned home to San Diego, where I have worked in the local San Diego media sports scene since 2020.