It all started when he came to Boston in Josh Beckett’s suitcase in the offseason prior to the 2006 campaign. The Red Sox wouldn’t have picked up the third baseman unless they had to, and the Marlins wouldn’t deal their prize workhorse unless another team was willing to gobble up Lowell's salary. So the deal was done.
Lowell was good in 2006. He posted a .284 average with 20 homers and 80 RBIs, which was far better than anyone expected following a brutal 2005 campaign when he batted a career-worst .236. Despite Lowell’s success, Boston spent a chunk of the subsequent offseason pursuing Colorado’s Todd Helton and very publicly fielding trade offers for Lowell.
Helton stayed with the Rockies — a point that ended up making the Red Sox very, very happy. In 2007, Lowell finished with a .324 average, 21 homers, 121 RBIs, an All-Star appearance, a championship ring, a World Series MVP trophy and a book deal to talk about how it all came together. A couple of days after the Red Sox returned from Colorado to Boston for their post-World Series duck boat parade, fans rallied around Lowell, encouraging general manager Theo Epstein and Co. to re-sign him instead of pursuing a younger corner infielder for the future.
In 2008 — after snubbing more lucrative offers from other teams in favor of a three-year deal to stay in Boston — Lowell tore it up throughout the first half of the season, posting a .297 average with 13 homers and 57 RBIs through the All-Star break. Then, the then-34-year-old succumbed to a variety of injuries that knocked him out for most of the rest of the season, including October.
The Red Sox then heavily pursued Mark Teixeira for the first two months of last offseason. It was no secret that if they acquired the star, they planned to move Kevin Youkilis to third base and dispatch Lowell.
Lowell knew it. He knew that, just like in 2007, he’d have to prove himself all over again. And this time, he’d have to do it after undergoing hip surgery. It wasn’t fair, but there is no room for feelings in baseball. He knew that. So for the first half of the season — save for a 19-day stint on the DL before the All-Star break — he hit, he hobbled and he did it all with a smile. He posted a .282 average, drove in 41 runs, hit 10 bombs and racked up 18 doubles.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Before the trade deadline, the Sox brass brought in Adam LaRoche for a week before trading him in for a newer model in Casey Kotchman. Then they took home the deadline’s biggest prize, catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez.
That left the team with plenty of options — Lowell, Youkilis, Martinez, Kotchman, Jason Varitek and David Ortiz — for four positions: first base, third base, catcher and designated hitter. Kotchman has been riding the bench more often than not. Lowell has, too, simply because he’s the odd man out among a crew of otherwise indispensable players. Varitek will play most days because the pitching staff can’t afford to go without him. Youkilis, Ortiz and Martinez are considered crucial for their offensive impact, whether they’re slumping or not.
That leaves Lowell, who has spent much of the time on the bench.
Until now. With one errant (or not) pitch from Detroit rookie Rick Porcello, Boston’s whole plan has been altered — at least for the next five days while Youkilis serves a suspension for igniting a brawl after getting beaned in the back on Tuesday.
Lowell replaced Youk at third. He hit two home runs in three at-bats. He made a statement. He didn’t belong on the trading block in 2006 or this past offseason. And he doesn’t belong on the bench now.
The sad reality is that even if he hits two bombs per game until Youkilis returns to the lineup, he probably won’t play more than three or four games a week for the rest of the season. The team needs Youkilis and Varitek, and even if Ortiz isn’t himself for the rest of the season, Terry Francona will still pencil his name onto the lineup card. He’s David Ortiz.
But Mike Lowell is Mike Lowell — and that, believe it or not, has been an even better option for the Red Sox this year.
Lowell is not one to complain. He may make a sarcastic remark or two in postgame interviews, but he’s never going to second-guess Francona, Epstein or anyone else. He has too much respect for them.
But it’s time they started showing him a little respect in return.
