‘Bring it in here’: Amid hot start, Brandon Lowe is the veteran Pittsburgh needed

PITTSBURGH – Brandon Lowe understands the business at this point. He knew a trade was coming.

With one year left on a six-year contract in Tampa Bay, Lowe was kept in the loop by Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander. When he was sent to the Pirates in a three-team deal, the message was simple from Pittsburgh’s front office.

“What was brought up was, ‘Whatever you're doing over in Tampa, just bring it in here,’” Lowe said.

The 31-year-old Lowe has done just that thus far with the Pirates, helping a squad full of young talent to its best start in over a decade. Pittsburgh’s starting second baseman is already at 15 home runs with an .858 OPS, and he’s on pace for a career-high 100 RBIs.

Lowe, who avoided serious injury after fouling a ball off his right knee on Saturday, is certainly in the running to earn his third-career All-Star nod.

But Lowe’s presence looms larger than his statistics. To Pirates manager Don Kelly, it’s Lowe’s daily consistency that sticks out. Infield coach Chris Truby saw Lowe enter the clubhouse as a silent leader, allowing his actions to “rub off” on the younger players. One of those players is Lowe’s middle infield mate, 20-year-old rookie Konnor Griffin.

“He's taken me in,” Griffin said of Lowe. “He’s a ballplayer, and he's fun to learn from and pick his brain. He's played in World Series games, so it’s cool to have a guy like that, and get to be around every day.”

While Lowe turned in an All-Star year in 2025, his defense took a major hit. Lowe’s Statcast Fielding Run Value fell to -10, which Lowe believes was due to multiple lingering injuries. As soon as Lowe was traded to the Pirates, Truby called him to discuss improvements.

The main change came in Lowe’s pre-pitch stance. Lowe said his entire baseball career, he’d always stood flatfooted each pitch. Truby suggested a “bunny hop,” making Lowe more explosive. The switch took some time to get used to, but Lowe is now at a career-high 3 Statcast Fielding Run Value.

“He was just not playing as athletic as he can,” Truby said. “He was all ears [to a change].”

The Rays were the only organization Lowe knew. They picked him in the third round of the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Maryland, and he worked his way up through their system. After an All-Star selection as a rookie in 2019, Lowe took a further leap in the shortened 2020 season.

Lowe finished eighth in American League Most Valuable Player voting and helped Tampa Bay to its second-ever pennant. He continued as one of the premier second basemen in the AL for multiple years and earned a contract extension. Over time, however, Tropicana Field took a toll on Lowe.

Lowe believes Tropicana Field is one of the hardest places to hit in due to the low lights making it more difficult to decipher spin. Per Baseball Savant, the Rays' home park has the lowest hard-hit rate in MLB. Tampa Bay didn’t play at the stadium in 2025 due to storm damage from Hurricane Milton, and Lowe produced his best batting average in five seasons. The grass at PNC Park is better for his body compared to the artificial turf in Tropicana Field, Lowe said.

Lowe has found quick success in Pittsburgh with the bat. Yet he “never stops digging” at the plate.

Lowe feels that physically his stance has fluctuated slightly throughout his big league career, though he often finds success based on his approach. He used to believe changing his stance would fix issues during a rough stretch, but he now looks to pitch selection and timing more.

“When you're going through [the zone], your swing is an inch-wide, mile-deep,” Lowe explained. “You're not going out over a wide section; you're not searching for things. You can find what your swing is, and your stance, your approach, and then you master that, do whatever you can to master that, and keep digging until you can't dig anymore.”

The approach has helped Lowe to a stellar start to his Pirates tenure.