Bats: Left; Throws: Right
2011 Statistics (SS-A Mahoning Valley): .245, 6 HR, 43 RBI, .792 OPS, 1.04 K/BB
The 2011 Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation's top college catcher was the Indians' 4th round selection last season and came scorching out of the gate, posting a .951 OPS in his first month of pro action. While his numbers did dip some thereafter (he still led the NYPL in walks and extra base hits), the swoon can attributed to fatigue from a player who caught 90 games for the first season in his life. Additionally, his 56/54 K/BB ratio speaks of an incredibly disciplined hitter. Jake's bat is considered a bigger plus than his defense and he certainly showed the ability at the dish during his final season at James Madison. While the composite bats (no more metal!) do inflate the numbers (the 1.239 OPS is still nothing at which to laugh), Lowery went right ahead and led the nation in RBI (91), runs scored (80) and total bases (200). Behind the plate, he placed second nationally with 34 runners caught stealing and sixth with 43% caught on his way to making every All-American list imaginable, winning CollegeBaseballInsider.com's hitter of the year and placing among 36 semi-finalists for the Dick Howser player of the year award. So, yeah, the kid can play. Like most catchers coming out the collegiate ranks, Jake suffers from having all of his pitches dictated from the dugout. Thus, while Colonial Athletics Associating coaches voted him both the best defensive backstop and owner of the strongest arm, Lowery still has significant development to do behind the plate. The thing is, his bat just might not wait. Jake played 11 games at first and about 30 more at DH last season and how far he advances in 2012 will likely depend on which route the organization chooses to take with him in the field. I feel that, with Carlos Santana looking more and more like the first baseman of the future and Chun Chen an even bigger question mark defensively, Jake is the guy that the franchise will earmark as its next catcher. That being said, I would expect Lowery to either begin the season at High-A Kinston or progress there early on. He certainly has the offense to rise quickly. If he can effectively hone his catching skills (I mean he did still catch 35% stealing in the Valley, but 5 errors and six passed balls in 25 games caught hurt) in the interim, I can see Jake at the Jake by 2013.
Up Next: #9 - RHP Austin Adams
