Zac Lowther

Zacary William Lowther (/ˈlaʊθər/ LAU-ther;[1] born April 30, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles.

Zac Lowther
Free agent
Pitcher
Born: (1996-04-30) April 30, 1996
Middleburg Heights, Ohio, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 25, 2021, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
(through 2022 season)
Win–loss record1–3
Earned run average6.94
Strikeouts31
Teams

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 played collegiate summer baseball for the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was named a league all-star and led the league with 54 strikeouts.[4][5][6] In 2017, Lowther set a Xavier single-season record with 123 strikeouts and was named to the All-Big East Conference team.[7]

Professional career

The Baltimore Orioles selected Lowther in the second round, with the 74th overall selection, of the 2017 MLB draft.[3][8] He became the highest draft pick from Xavier's baseball program.[7] Lowther signed with the Orioles, receiving a $779,500 signing bonus.[9] He pitched for the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Low–A New York-Penn League after he signed,[10] going 2–2 with a 1.66 ERA in 12 games (11 starts).[11] He began the 2018 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Single–A South Atlantic League.[12][13] In May, the Orioles promoted Lowther to the Frederick Keys of the High–A Carolina League[14] 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.[15]

During the 2019 season, Lowther played for the Bowie Baysox of the Double–A Eastern League,[16] going 13–7 with a 2.55 ERA over 26 starts, striking out 154 batters over 148 innings.[17] 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.[18] On November 20, 2020, Lowther was added to the 40-man roster.[19]

Lowther began the 2021 season at the Orioles' alternate site in Bowie. On April 25, 2021, Lowther was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[20] He made his MLB debut that day against the Oakland Athletics, pitching a scoreless ninth inning.[21] The next day, the Orioles optioned Lowther back to their alternate site.[22] The Orioles assigned him to the Norfolk Tides of the Triple–A International League, and then promoted him to the major leagues for his first start on May 8;[23] he allowed seven runs in two innings pitched.[24] Lowther returned to Norfolk after the game, and was promoted back to the major leagues in June.[25]

Lowther competed for a spot in the Orioles starting rotation in 2022,[26] but began the season with Norfolk. Lowther made 1 appearance with the Orioles, pitching 5.1 innings with 5 earned runs, and was designated for assignment on June 15 following the claiming of Jonathan Araúz.[27] He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk on June 22.[28] He made 17 total appearances for Norfolk in 2022, struggling to a 10.31 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 43+2⁄3 innings pitched.

Lowther missed the start of the 2023 season due to injury, and began a rehab assignment with the rookie–level Florida Complex League Orioles in June. After one appearances, Lowther was released by the Orioles organization on June 9, 2023.[29]

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, Brianna, have one daughter, born in January 2021.[30]

References
  1. Major League Baseball 2021 Player Name Presentation Preferences and Pronunciations (Baltimore Orioles page). Retrieved April 26, 2021
  2. "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. "Cuyahoga Heights' Zac Lowther taken No. 74 by Baltimore Orioles in MLB Draft 2017". cleveland.com. June 13, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  4. "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. "2016 All-Star teams, Home Run Hitting Contest participants announced". capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  7. "Zac Lowther becomes highest MLB draft pick in Xavier history". The Enquirer. Cincinnati.com. June 13, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  8. "Modern analytics paired with traditional scouting helped Orioles land lefty Zac Lowther in 2017 draft".
  9. 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.
  10. "Orioles organizational depth report: Pitching-heavy draft classes leave low minors full of promising starters". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  11. "Zac Lowther Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  12. "Orioles minor league report: Zac Lowther tosses six no-hit innings in Shorebirds debut". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  13. "Lowther proves unhittable in Shorebirds debut". MiLB.com. April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  14. "Orioles prospect Zac Lowther shows why promotion to Frederick was essential in debut Wednesday".
  15. "Zac Lowther Stats, Highlights, Bio – MiLB.com Stats – The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  16. Ruiz, Nathan. "Oft-injured Orioles prospect Hunter Harvey to pitch without restrictions in Bowie: 'The gloves are off'". baltimoresun.com.
  17. "Laurila: Orioles prospect Zac Lowther is adding polish to his vexing funk – Society for American Baseball Research".
  18. Jeff Todd (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Season Canceled". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  19. Anthony Franco (November 20, 2020). "Orioles Designate Renato Nunez For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  20. Anthony Franco (April 25, 2021). "Orioles Designate Wade LeBlanc For Assignment". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  21. Ruiz, Nathan (April 25, 2021). "Orioles promote pitching prospect Zac Lowther, who makes his big league debut: 'Is this a dream?'". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  22. "Home".
  23. "Notes: Lowther recalled; Means honored". MLB.com.
  24. "Boston gives Baltimore rookie pitcher a quick lesson in his first MLB start". The Washington Post. May 8, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  25. "Orioles put ace Means on IL with shoulder strain". ESPN.com. June 6, 2021.
  26. "Bidding for rotation spot, Lowther impresses". MLB.com.
  27. Franco, Anthony (June 15, 2022). "Orioles Claim Jonathan Arauz, Designate Zac Lowther". MLBTradeRumors. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  28. "Orioles' Zac Lowther: Goes unclaimed off waivers". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  29. "Zac Lowther: Released by Orioles". cbssports.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  30. "Orioles LHP Zac Lowther: New Daughter 'Makes Everything So Much Better' - PressBox". Pressboxonline.com. May 5, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
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