This Surprising Red Is Outplaying His Minor League Contract By A Country Mile

When the Reds signed Nathaniel Lowe this past offseason, it wasn’t met with a great deal of fanfare. That was understandable given that the previous season he hit just .228 and was a negative fWAR player for both the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox. When coupled with the fact that Cincinnati needed massive help in the outfield and not at first base, signing Lowe to a minor league deal may not have moved the needle at the time. 

But there were at least some signs that Lowe could be a contributor for this team. 

He was not far removed from an impressive 2022 season for the Rangers, posting a 3.1 fWAR along with 27 home runs and a .302 average. During his entire tenure with Texas he hit .274 with 78 home runs, showing he was a true everyday player. And this was exactly what the Reds hoped that he might develop into. 

And once again, Nick Krall looks to have been right in his judgment, especially for the &1.75 million price tag. 

After his call up in late March, Lowe is hitting .273 over 62 plate appearances, and creating runs for the Reds at a level well above league average. And he’s just starting to get hot. 

In his last ten games, Lowe is hitting .333 with five home runs while slugging .848, leading to a 229 wRC+ and an OPS+ of 244 in that span. He hit four home runs in the series against the Detroit Tigers, including a defining walk off to win the game on April 24th. Since Eugenio Suarez landed on the disabled list, Lowe has been doing most of the heavy lifting as the Reds’ designated hitter. He has continued to give them a surge of power, as they now have 42 total long balls on the year, good for seventh in Major League Baseball. 

Lowe has been a pleasant surprise in 2026 season that has had plenty of great moments already for Cincinnati. But his success has been all the more important given the struggles of Matt McLain (batting .203), TJ Friedl (batting .193) and Ke’Bryan Haynes (batting .125). Alongside Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart, Lowe is one of the Reds who is both providing power and consistency, and let’s hope he’s just getting started.