Baltimore Orioles: Five Prospects Facing Key Seasons In 2019

Zac Lowther will be challenged in Double-A. Will he conquer the challenge?

Few pitchers in the Orioles’ minor league system have had the success that Zac Lowther has had over the course of his first two professional seasons. Originally drafted 74th overall in the 2017 MLB draft out of Xavier, Lowther has already mastered three levels of the minors, spending much of his 2018 season with the High-A Frederick Keys. The next question that Lowther has to answer is, can he find success in Double-A?

Making the jump from High-A to Double-A is often considered to be the toughest jump to make in the minor leagues. Armed with a three-pitch mix (four-seam, changeup, curve), Lowther will look to combine his “vexing funk” (David Laurila of Fangraphs), solid command, and high-spin fastball to continue his upward trend and high-strikeout performances.

Across 33 career minor league starts (35 appearances), Lowther is 10-6 with a 2.02 ERA and 0.94 WHIP, showing a dominant ability to limit hits, including home runs. Even in hitter-friendly Harry Grove Stadium (Frederick Keys home), Lowther gave up just 0.58 HR/9 IP and held opponents to a .216 batting average. Known as a strikeout artist during his college days, Lowther has recorded 226 punchouts in 178 minor league innings, while keeping his walk rate below 8% at all three stops he has made on his minor league tour.

The co-Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year (with Keegan Akin) has what it takes to be a stable force in the backend of a major league rotation. A big year with the Bowie Baysox will solidy this notion.