New York Mets: Jed Lowrie Year in Review

Sep 7, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets pinch hitter Jed Lowrie (4) reacts after striking out with two men on base against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fourth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

There was a time this year when this article for Jed Lowrie was going to be non-existent. He was one of the key free agents the New York Mets brought in, but missed a majority of the year. He did sneak in a cameo during the final month of the year to keep his name alive.

Lowrie came to the Mets on a two year, $20 million deal to become a utility man behind the wide cast of Mets infielders. Heading into his age-35 season, it seemed like a very safe deal despite coming off his only All-Star season. Lowrie plays a solid second and third base, along with being a much needed switch-hitter on the roster.

Injury Prone

After playing in 310 games over the last two seasons, Lowrie was limited to nine in 2019. From the beginning of Spring Training, he was dealing with a sprained capsule in his left knee. Then while rehabbing in May, he tore his left hamstring, which prolonged his IL stint. In July, Lowrie suffered a right calf strain with hampered his season even more.

He eventually started seeing live at-bats in mid-August but needed an extensive rehab to get himself game ready. It took until September 7 for the Mets to finally activate him for the first time this season. Since the Mets were in a playoff race, they could not afford to play Lowrie, whether he was healthy or not.

For the final three weeks, he was relegated to only pinch hitting duty and did not spend an out playing the field. In his seven at-bats, he went hitless and struck out four times. It was apparent that Lowrie needed to get the consistent reps to get back into a groove, but since the Mets were battling, they could not afford to wait for Lowrie to get himself together.

Future For Lowrie

Lowrie has an entire offseason to recover and should be ready to go for 2020. He will play an essential role in the Mets success because of his multi-positional ability and switch-hitting ability. Lowrie is currently the best fielding third baseman on the roster and could find himself in an everyday role if he stays healthy.

Grades:

Hitting for Average: F

Hitting for Power: F

Fielding: N/A

Speed/Baserunning: N/A

Intangibles: D, health is a key part of this

Overall: F, It seems like it was a long time ago when Lowrie was ranked above Robinson Cano by the shredder.