Joshua Lowe, Pope High School (Georgia)
Position(s): 3B, RF, CF
Ht/Wt: 6’3/190
B/T: Left/Right
DOB: 2/2/1998
One of the best overall prospects in the class, Lowe hails from the Atlanta area, which features a number of top prep and college prospects for the 2016 draft.
Lowe is one of the true two-way players in this draft. On the mound, he features a fastball that sits 91-94 mph as well as a promising breaking ball. But he’ll be drafted as a position player thanks to an impressive stable of tools.
He starts by displaying plus-plus raw power in batting practice. He creates a lot of leverage in his swing, using his lower half well. At 6’4 and 190 lbs., he certainly has a power hitter’s frame with plenty of room to fill out.
Because of his pitching acumen, Lowe also features a very strong arm in the field, being clocked as high as 95 mph from third base. With the glove, he moves well enough to stick at third but could easily move to right field with his arm strength.
Surprisingly, Lowe is also at least a plus runner, posting a 6.5 time in the 60-yard dash, which is another plus-plus grade. That type of speed could persuade teams to try him in center field.
All of that being said, he’s not without his warts. Lowe has some swing-and-miss in him. Since his power is generated more by leverage than pure bat speed, his swing can get long at times.
He’s not a gold glover defensively, but shouldn’t be a liability. And while he tested well in terms of run speed, he’s better under way than out of the box.
There’s a chance a team ahead of the Dodgers falls in love with the tools and selects Lowe before the Dodgers have a shot at landing him. However, if he’s available for one of the Dodgers’ first three picks, they’d have to consider him.
It’s certainly been a while since the Dodgers had a power-hitting third baseman in the system.
CONTINUE READING: Young shortstop who has evaluators split
