Zac Lowther

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Zac Lowther
Baltimore Orioles – No. 59
Pitcher
Born: (1996-04-30) April 30, 1996 (age 25)
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 25, 2021, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
(through 2021 season)
Win–loss record1–3
Earned run average6.67
Strikeouts30
Teams

Zacary William Lowther (/ˈlaʊθər/ LAU-ther;[1] born April 30, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.

Amateur career[]

Lowther attended Cuyahoga Heights High School in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio, and played as a pitcher for their baseball team. He also started on the varsity football team for two seasons. In three years on the varsity team, Lowther had a 12–2 win–loss record, a 0.71 earned run average (ERA), and 201 strikeouts.[2][3] He enrolled at Xavier University and played college baseball for the Xavier Musketeers.[4] He led the Big East Conference with 86 strikeouts in 2016, his sophomore year.[3] That summer, he pitched for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and led the league with 54 strikeouts.[4][5] In 2017, Lowther set a Xavier single-season record with 123 strikeouts and was named to the All-Big East Conference team.[6]

Professional career[]

The Baltimore Orioles selected Lowther in the second round, with the 74th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft.[3][7] He became the highest draft pick from Xavier's baseball program.[6] Lowther signed with the Orioles, receiving a $779,500 signing bonus.[8] He pitched for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Class A-Short Season New York-Penn League after he signed,[9] going 2–2 with a 1.66 ERA in 12 games (11 starts).[10] He began the 2018 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Class A South Atlantic League.[11][12] In May, the Orioles promoted Lowther to the Frederick Keys of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League[13] and he finished the season there. In 23 games (22 starts) between the two clubs, he pitched to an 8–4 record with a 2.18 ERA.[14]

Lowther spent the 2019 season with the Bowie Baysox of the Class AA Eastern League,[15] going 13–7 with a 2.55 ERA over 26 starts, striking out 154 batters over 148 innings.[16] Lowther did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] On November 20, 2020, Lowther was added to the 40-man roster.[18]

On April 25, 2021, Lowther was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[19] He made his MLB debut that day against the Oakland Athletics, pitching a scoreless ninth inning, also punching out Matt Chapman for his first major league strikeout.

Personal life[]

Lowther's father, Marc, coached him from the time he was six years old through his career at Cuyahoga Heights.[2] He and his wife have one daughter, born in January 2021.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ Major League Baseball 2021 Player Name Presentation Preferences and Pronunciations (Baltimore Orioles page). Retrieved April 26, 2021
  2. ^ a b "Cuyahoga Heights senior pitcher Zac Lowther a contender for baseball's player of the year: weekly MVP spotlight for April 29, 2014 (poll) - cleveland.com". Highschoolsports.cleveland.com. April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Cuyahoga Heights' Zac Lowther taken No. 74 by Baltimore Orioles in MLB Draft 2017". cleveland.com. June 13, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Xavier's Lowther grabbing national attention on the mound". Cincinnati.com. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "#54 Zacary Lowther". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Zac Lowther becomes highest MLB draft pick in Xavier history". Cincinnati.com. June 13, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  7. ^ "Modern analytics paired with traditional scouting helped Orioles land lefty Zac Lowther in 2017 draft".
  8. ^ Melewski, Steve (June 24, 2017). "When it comes to draft pick signings, O's have moved fast – Steve Melewski". Masnsports.com. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "Orioles organizational depth report: Pitching-heavy draft classes leave low minors full of promising starters". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "Zac Lowther Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  11. ^ "Orioles minor league report: Zac Lowther tosses six no-hit innings in Shorebirds debut". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Lowther proves unhittable in Shorebirds debut". MiLB.com. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "Orioles prospect Zac Lowther shows why promotion to Frederick was essential in debut Wednesday".
  14. ^ "Zac Lowther Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  15. ^ Ruiz, Nathan. "Oft-injured Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey to pitch without restrictions in Bowie: 'The gloves are off'". baltimoresun.com.
  16. ^ "Laurila: Orioles prospect Zac Lowther is adding polish to his vexing funk – Society for American Baseball Research".
  17. ^ Jeff Todd (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  18. ^ Anthony Franco (November 20, 2020). "Orioles Designate Renato Nunez For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Anthony Franco (April 25, 2021). "Orioles Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  20. ^ Lowther, Zac [@ZacLowther] (January 4, 2021). "It's a......GIRL
    Please say Hello