Lowrie-ng Expectations

While 2004 will forever be known in the Nation as the year the Sox won the World Series, there are still pieces of the puzzle that haven??t come together. While much was made at the time of the exodus of three key pieces to the Sox championship; Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera, the players earned in compensation for those three are only beginning to make their names known. The three players in the compensation round that the Sox received in return were Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, and Michael Bowden, respectively. Even the casual Sox fan has started to hear murmurs about Buchholz and Bowden, the two highest touted Sox pitchers in the system. But Lowrie, who was the less sexy pick to begin with, has seen his status lag behind the other two prospects.
Had Jed Lowrie been draft-eligible after his sophomore year, it??s quite possible he would have been a higher pick than he was in 2005. Lowrie hit a stunning .399/.505/.734 in the Pac 10, one of the most competitive conferences in the country. He was named the Player of the Year, and as a middle-infielder, would have certainly been a 1st round pick if he was eligible. The problem with Lowrie entering the 2005 Draft was that he had a down year at Stanford from 2004 (.317/.416/.594) and he compiled two consecutive disappointing summers using wood bats. The Sox couldn??t pass up the chance to draft someone with Lowrie??s polish, production, and makeup when the 45th pick of the draft rolled around. The Sox gave him $763,000, and sent him to short-season Lowell where he hit .328/.429/.448 and was named the 7th best player in the league by Baseball America.
After a successful spring training this year, which saw Lowrie earn playing time for the Sox big league club; Lowrie was sent to high-A Wilmington. In Wilmington, Lowrie was paired with his fellow Pac-10 all-star, Oregonian, and 1st round pick; Jacoby Ellsbury. While Ellsbury played well enough in Wilmington to earn a mid-season promotion, Lowrie was hindered all season with nagging injuries and inconsistent play. Early on, he impressed. He even earned an article in Baseball America that quoted Wilmington coach Chad Epperson as saying, ?