Mark Lowe

2013

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2012

A poor spring had Lowe in the minors to begin the year, but he resurfaced in early May and was semi-effective out of the Texas bullpen. There's not a whole lot to get excited about, particularly given the depth of the right-handed relief in the Texas bullpen, and was he never really tasked to protect many leads (11 holds in 52 appearances). Although he works mostly with a upper-90s fastball and slider combination, Lowe's name hasn't come up in fallback options for Joe Nathan in the closer role given the Rangers' aforementioned glut of talented young arms from the right side.

2011

A back injury limited Lowe to just 14 appearances in 2010, but he was an effective reliever out of the Seattle bullpen back in 2009 and could play a prominent setup role for Texas this season if Neftali Feliz is moved back into the rotation. With Frank Francisco already in place as the fallback option at closer, Lowe is more of a staff filler for AL-only league rotisserie folks than anything else on draft day.

2010

Lowe struggled a bit at times last year, but he regained his command and control in the second half of the season. After a 28:18 K:BB through his first 37 appearances, Lowe improved to 41:11 in his last 38 games. What's more, his H/9IP rate dropped from 8.8 to 7.1. Lowe, who throws in the mid-90s, appeared in a team-high 75 games (third in the AL) and stranded 69 percent of his inherited runners (75 percent in those last 38 games). He will again be a good source of holds (fourth in the AL last season) and is first in line for saves should David Aardsma lose his grip on the job.

2009

Lowe was inconsistent last season, but he proved he was healthy after missing most of 2007 with an elbow injury. He made 57 appearances, second most on the team, and might have tired down the stretch last season, allowing 14 earned runs in a nine-game late-summer stretch. Still, he stranded 78 percent of his inherited runners, and his 7.77 K/9IP was the second-highest in the bullpen to J.J. Putz. Lowe will return to a set-up role this season, though after the Putz trade, Lowe could vie for the closer's job, along with the likes of Aaron Heilman, Roy Corcoran, and Tyler Walker.

2008

Lowe battled back in late July from an elbow injury that ended his impressive 2006 season, but his return lasted just four appearances before the elbow sidelined him again. If Lowe is healthy entering spring training, he'll compete for a bullpen role. Eventually, he could resume the set-up job he excelled in in 2006, but the Mariners likely would start him off in middle relief. And that's if he's healthy, which is no given.

2007

After beginning the season at high-A Inland Empire, Lowe by July last year pitched his way into a set-up role in Seattle, setting a team record for consecutive shutout innings to start a career with 17.2 scoreless. But his season was cut short with what might be a career-threatening arm injury. What was thought to be elbow tendinitis turned out to be a "bone-on-bone situation" in his elbow. Best-case scenario, Lowe could pitch in late April or early May. A more realistic timeframe, though, is probably closer to midseason.

2005

Lowe, the 5th round selection out of the University of Texas-Arlington, was a sleeper in the 2004 draft. After taking the 2003 season off to work on his mechanics, he returned to college ball in 2004 with greater control, and the Mariners may have struck gold with this pick. It’s unusual to find a college pitcher his stuff and he sports one of the best fastballs in the organization as it’s worked at 95 mph routinely and was clocked at 97 in the late summer. He should begin 2005 at low Single-A but could, and should, rise quickly as a relatively advanced college pitcher who will likely dominate the low minors