BRADENTON, Fla. — Brandon Lowe smiled as soon as it was noted his statistics belie his stature, knowing he appears smaller in person than his generous listing of 5-foot-10, 181 pounds.
The left handed-hitting Lowe knows the 39-home run, 99-RBI season on his resume is the type of power production that plays at PNC Park and prompted the Pittsburgh Pirates to swing a three-team trade to acquire the two-time All-Star second baseman from the Tampa Bay Rays in December.
“I still don’t think people put two and two together that the numbers are probably actually mine,” Lowe said. “They probably give it to somebody else, maybe one of the other Lowes — make sure that gets out for Josh and Nate — but I think it’s just one of those things where everyone does see me and goes, ‘Oh, you’re smaller than what you look.’ I’ll see people who watch me in games on TV and say, ‘You look bigger on TV.’ I’m like, ‘Thanks, I guess. I don’t know what you want from me.’”
Brandon Lowe on how the power he produces at his size can be surprising and the impact he hopes to make on the Pirates. pic.twitter.com/CJqXNd2p4x
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 23, 2026
Lowe knows exactly what the Pirates want from him. Not just a duplication of his 2025 numbers of 31 homers and 83 RBIs last season but someone who can serve as a steady influence on a team searching for veteran leadership.
As important to Pirates manager Don Kelly is the impact the presence of the 31-year-old Lowe can provide. An eight-year MLB veteran, Lowe has played in 29 postseason games and hit three homers against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020 World Series.
“He’s going to play a huge role,” Kelly said. “He’s been there. Tampa (was) consistently in the playoffs with him. He’s provided some huge hits for Tampa. I’m looking forward to him doing that for us this year. Just the way he carries himself is quiet, humble but swing a big bat.”
Kelly pointed to the power Lowe displays in batting practice. He combines the ability to find the sweet spot (37.6%) and barrel the ball (12.9%) — both of which rank in the 81st percentile, per Statcast — with a powerful lower body to deliver more career home runs (157) than doubles (126) and an .807 OPS.
“You’re not kidding. When you get to see him hit BP, the stature isn’t … he’s not a huge guy, but when he gets up there, he crushes the ball,” Kelly said. “He was going to dead center consistently. Brandon Lowe swings the bat really well and shows the power in BP. … The way that he produces power out of that frame is really impressive.”
Lowe wants nothing more than to prove his frame is dependable and durable. He’s played in more than 110 games only twice in his career — 149 in 2021 and 134 last season — and believes it’s no coincidence that those were his most productive seasons, by a landslide.
“Obviously, you can run out numbers or stuff you want to do statistics-wise, but my whole goal is to be out there for as many games as possible,” Lowe said. “I know what the production looks like when that happens and I’m healthy, so a healthy full season and I’d be happy.”
One thing that pleased Lowe is that Pirates general manager Ben Cherington lived up to his promise to continue adding this offseason, spending on sign free agents in first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna as middle-of-the-order bats behind Lowe and All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds.
“It’s awesome. It’s one of those things that when I got acquired, Ben Cherington said, ‘We’re not done.’ It was really cool to see him stay true to what that was and really go out and go after guys,” Lowe said. “I know they missed out on a few others they were hoping to bring in, but the group that’s here is a really good group.
“With the power numbers, the possibilities are there. It’s about getting guys out there and getting good at-bats. It’s hard to quantify what a winning team does to other guys around it. (When) guys are playing good, everybody starts playing good. You can’t be down in the dumps and be sad when the team is winning. Winning fixes a lot of things. It happens in (the clubhouse). You watch some guys have some resurgences, just based on there being more talent and less stress on one person.”
