Zac Lowther Stats & Scouting Report

IP	24.2
ERA	2.19
WHIP	.97
BB/9	2.92
SO/9	14.59

Full name Zacary William Lowther
Born 04/30/1996 in Middleburg Heights, OH
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 235 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Xavier
Debut 04/25/2021
Drafted in the CB-B round (74th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in 2017 (signed for $779,500).

View Draft Report

Lowther doesn't throw particularly hard, but his combination of fastball angle and deception has cut a swath through the Big East, as he struck out 99 batters in 64 regular season innings while posting a solid 3.38 ERA. The big lefty was even better in the Cape Cod League last summer where he led the league with 54 strikeouts and only five walks in 35.2 innings. His stuff was down a little this spring from the 87-92 mph range he sat at on the Cape. Now he's typically pitching mostly at 86-89, touching 91. Lowther hides the ball well in his delivery and he is generally around the strike zone. He has some late run on his fastball from a low three-quarters release point. He uses his fastball to set up a slurvy breaking ball. It's too big to be called a true slider, but it shows two-plane action with some late bite that allows him to use it to get in and under the bats of righthanded hitters; it appears as more of a fringy offering but plays up because of Lowther's deception. He has a fringy changeup that he will mix in intermittently. Lowther doesn't have a lot of upside, but as a physically imposing college lefty with the ability to generate swings and misses and a resume with plenty of success and strikeouts, he should hear his name called somewhere between the fourth to sixth round.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Track Record: After earning the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year honors in 2018 and an all-star nod at Double-A Bowie in 2019, Lowther’s career slowed significantly. He missed time with a shoulder strain in 2021 and was hit hard once he reached the big leagues. His time at Triple-A Norfolk wasn’t much better, representing the first real struggles he’s had as a pro.

Scouting Report: Lowther has never had premium velocity, with a four-seam fastball that averages 89-91 mph but plays up because of his ability to get down the mound and generate extension. It’s not a hoppy fastball, though, which limits its effectiveness in the zone. He used his high-spin curveball effectively in the majors, as well as the slider he learned in the 2020 shutdown, but neither those nor his changeup project to be plus pitches. Lowther needs to be fine with his command and pitch backwards to succeed in the majors, and was able to pitch well in 2021 when he did that.

The Future: Lowther learned the margin for error that he’ll have to live in to be a big league starter in 2021, and still has a chance to be a No. 5 starter or bulk pitcher with refinement.
TRACK RECORD: Lowther won the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year award in 2018 and was an Eastern League all-star at Double-A Bowie in 2019. He didn't get to pitch much in 2020. He suffered an oblique injury during the coronavirus shutdown that made him a late addition to the alternate training site and finished the year in instructional league, where he visibly wasn't at his best.

SCOUTING REPORT: For all his good results, Lowther has never done it with dominating stuff. He gets tremendous extension in his delivery that allows his 88-91 mph fastball to jump on hitters and make it difficult to square up. Lowther generally has good command but can lose it for spells, and needs it to be perfect considering neither his changeup nor his high-spin curveball project to be more than average pitches. He worked during the shutdown to add a slider in the 80-81 mph range to give him two defined breaking balls.

THE FUTURE: Lowther has a ceiling as a No. 5 or depth starter, but that ceiling isn't far off. He'll start 2021 at Triple-A and has a chance to make his major league debut during the year.
TRACK RECORD: All Lowther did to follow up the Orioles' minor league pitcher of the year award he earned in his first full season in 2018 was nearly repeat in 2019, leading the organization and Eastern League with 13 wins and 154 strikeouts while earning an all-star nod.

SCOUTING REPORT: With elite extension out of a simple delivery, Lowther's fastball plays up from its 88-91 mph velocity and is difficult for hitters to square up in the zone. Without a plus secondary pitch—though his changeup flashes that more than his future-average, high-spin curveball—a pitcher like Lowther requires pitchability, deception and an ability to pitch to all quadrants with his fastball. Lowther has that, though he's liable to lose his command for spells.

THE FUTURE: Whether Lowther can remain in the rotation in the major leagues will depend on his ability to develop consistency with his command and secondary pitches. But even for this style of pitcher who needs to prove it all the way, Lowther has. He'll get his first crack at Triple-A Norfolk in 2020 to further prove that.
Track Record: Lowther struck out a school-record 123 batters as a junior at Xavier, and after signing for slot ($779,500) in 2017, he continued to baffle hitters in the low minors in 2018. He was drafted in part because he had elite extension in his delivery, and the deception continued at two Class A levels in 2018, when he struck out 11 batters per nine innings to lead all Orioles minor league starters.

Scouting Report: Lowther throws from a low three-quarters delivery with quick, whippy arm action. He has fringe-average fastball velocity at 88-92 mph, but hitters simply can't see it, and he locates the pitch well in the zone. His delivery helps his low-80s changeup and slurvy breaking ball play up, with each pitch showing average potential, though his whole arsenal dips as he gets deep into games.

The Future: Lowther's ability to sustain his above-average command and keep hitters off his fastball will be his separator once he hits the high minors. Lowther has shown he can make adjustments at new levels quickly and will get that chance at Double-A Bowie in 2019.
When the Orioles selected Lowther 74th overall and signed him at slot for $779,500, they made him Xavier's highest draftee ever. His school-record 123 strikeouts as a junior helped him to a 2.92 ERA in 15 starts, while he ranked in the top five in the country in hits per nine innings (5.18, third overall) and strikeouts per nine (13.28, fourth overall). That success carried over to short-season Aberdeen, where Lowther had a 1.66 ERA in 12 games with 12.42 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.85 WHIP. He does it with below-average fastball velocity, sitting 88-92 mph, but his low, three-quarters delivery hides the ball well and keeps hitters off his fastball with above-average command. He throws his changeup with deceptive arm speed at 81-83 mph and it profiles as an average pitch. He also has a slurvy breaking ball with average potential. Lowther's elite extension off the mound helps his entire arsenal play up. His stuff might limit him to a No. 4 starter's role, but Lowther has a high floor and could easily be a swingman or lefty reliever with his current profile. An assignment to low Class A Delmarva to open 2018 is likely.

Draft Prospects

Lowther doesn't throw particularly hard, but his combination of fastball angle and deception has cut a swath through the Big East, as he struck out 99 batters in 64 regular season innings while posting a solid 3.38 ERA. The big lefty was even better in the Cape Cod League last summer where he led the league with 54 strikeouts and only five walks in 35.2 innings. His stuff was down a little this spring from the 87-92 mph range he sat at on the Cape. Now he's typically pitching mostly at 86-89, touching 91. Lowther hides the ball well in his delivery and he is generally around the strike zone. He has some late run on his fastball from a low three-quarters release point. He uses his fastball to set up a slurvy breaking ball. It's too big to be called a true slider, but it shows two-plane action with some late bite that allows him to use it to get in and under the bats of righthanded hitters; it appears as more of a fringy offering but plays up because of Lowther's deception. He has a fringy changeup that he will mix in intermittently. Lowther doesn't have a lot of upside, but as a physically imposing college lefty with the ability to generate swings and misses and a resume with plenty of success and strikeouts, he should hear his name called somewhere between the fourth to sixth round.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Control in the Baltimore Orioles in 2019

Scouting Reports

Track Record: After earning the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year honors in 2018 and an all-star nod at Double-A Bowie in 2019, Lowther’s career slowed significantly. He missed time with a shoulder strain in 2021 and was hit hard once he reached the big leagues. His time at Triple-A Norfolk wasn’t much better, representing the first real struggles he’s had as a pro.

Scouting Report: Lowther has never had premium velocity, with a four-seam fastball that averages 89-91 mph but plays up because of his ability to get down the mound and generate extension. It’s not a hoppy fastball, though, which limits its effectiveness in the zone. He used his high-spin curveball effectively in the majors, as well as the slider he learned in the 2020 shutdown, but neither those nor his changeup project to be plus pitches. Lowther needs to be fine with his command and pitch backwards to succeed in the majors, and was able to pitch well in 2021 when he did that.

The Future: Lowther learned the margin for error that he’ll have to live in to be a big league starter in 2021, and still has a chance to be a No. 5 starter or bulk pitcher with refinement.
TRACK RECORD: Lowther won the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year award in 2018 and was an Eastern League all-star at Double-A Bowie in 2019. He didn't get to pitch much in 2020. He suffered an oblique injury during the coronavirus shutdown that made him a late addition to the alternate training site and finished the year in instructional league, where he visibly wasn't at his best.

SCOUTING REPORT: For all his good results, Lowther has never done it with dominating stuff. He gets tremendous extension in his delivery that allows his 88-91 mph fastball to jump on hitters and make it difficult to square up. Lowther generally has good command but can lose it for spells, and needs it to be perfect considering neither his changeup nor his high-spin curveball project to be more than average pitches. He worked during the shutdown to add a slider in the 80-81 mph range to give him two defined breaking balls.

THE FUTURE: Lowther has a ceiling as a No. 5 or depth starter, but that ceiling isn't far off. He'll start 2021 at Triple-A and has a chance to make his major league debut during the year.
TRACK RECORD: Lowther won the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year award in 2018 and was an Eastern League all-star at Double-A Bowie in 2019. He didn't get to pitch much in 2020. He suffered an oblique injury during the coronavirus shutdown that made him a late addition to the alternate training site and finished the year in instructional league, where he visibly wasn't at his best.

SCOUTING REPORT: For all his good results, Lowther has never done it with dominating stuff. He gets tremendous extension in his delivery that allows his 88-91 mph fastball to jump on hitters and make it difficult to square up. Lowther generally has good command but can lose it for spells, and needs it to be perfect considering neither his changeup nor his high-spin curveball project to be more than average pitches. He worked during the shutdown to add a slider in the 80-81 mph range to give him two defined breaking balls.

THE FUTURE: Lowther has a ceiling as a No. 5 or depth starter, but that ceiling isn't far off. He'll start 2021 at Triple-A and has a chance to make his major league debut during the year.
TRACK RECORD: Lowther won the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year award in 2018 and was an Eastern League all-star at Double-A Bowie in 2019. He didn't get to pitch much in 2020. He suffered an oblique injury during the coronavirus shutdown that made him a late addition to the alternate training site and finished the year in instructional league, where he visibly wasn't at his best.

SCOUTING REPORT: For all his good results, Lowther has never done it with dominating stuff. He gets tremendous extension in his delivery that allows his 88-91 mph fastball to jump on hitters and make it difficult to square up. Lowther generally has good command but can lose it for spells, and needs it to be perfect considering neither his changeup nor his high-spin curveball project to be more than average pitches. He worked during the shutdown to add a slider in the 80-81 mph range to give him two defined breaking balls.

THE FUTURE: Lowther has a ceiling as a No. 5 or depth starter, but that ceiling isn't far off. He'll start 2021 at Triple-A and has a chance to make his major league debut during the year.
TRACK RECORD: All Lowther did to follow up the Orioles’ minor league pitcher of the year award he earned in his first full season in 2018 was nearly repeat in 2019, leading the organization and Eastern League with 13 wins and 154 strikeouts while earning an all-star nod.

SCOUTING REPORT: With elite extension out of a simple delivery, Lowther’s fastball plays up from its 88-91 mph velocity and is difficult for hitters to square up in the zone. Without a plus secondary pitch—though his changeup flashes that more than his future-average, high-spin curveball—a pitcher like Lowther requires pitchability, deception and an ability to pitch to all quadrants with his fastball. Lowther has that, though he’s liable to lose his command for spells.

THE FUTURE: Whether Lowther can remain in the rotation in the major leagues will depend on his ability to develop consistency with his command and secondary pitches. But even for this style of pitcher who needs to prove it all the way, Lowther has. He’ll get his first crack at Triple-A Norfolk in 2020 to further prove that.
TRACK RECORD: All Lowther did to follow up the Orioles' minor league pitcher of the year award he earned in his first full season in 2018 was nearly repeat in 2019, leading the organization and Eastern League with 13 wins and 154 strikeouts while earning an all-star nod.

SCOUTING REPORT: With elite extension out of a simple delivery, Lowther's fastball plays up from its 88-91 mph velocity and is difficult for hitters to square up in the zone. Without a plus secondary pitch—though his changeup flashes that more than his future-average, high-spin curveball—a pitcher like Lowther requires pitchability, deception and an ability to pitch to all quadrants with his fastball. Lowther has that, though he's liable to lose his command for spells.

THE FUTURE: Whether Lowther can remain in the rotation in the major leagues will depend on his ability to develop consistency with his command and secondary pitches. But even for this style of pitcher who needs to prove it all the way, Lowther has. He'll get his first crack at Triple-A Norfolk in 2020 to further prove that.