There are very few people who walk planet Earth who can say they played on the best baseball team in history. So, for those who were able to appear on the 1998 Yankees team, they can take pride in having been a part of arguably the greatest squad MLB has ever seen. Not only did they make it to the best baseball league across the globe, but they had the privilege of putting on pinstripes and helping the club to a record-setting year.
There are so many recognizable names that span the roster. Of course, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill, and many others were the most prominent (and the guys who played the most), but even a team as stacked as that gets through a season with its fair share of names who play only a handful of games. For Mike Lowell, that season in which he only played eight games was the start of what was to be a solid and tenured MLB career.
Michael Averett Lowell
Born: February 24, 1974 (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Yankees Tenure: 1998
Lowell was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the United States with his family when he was four years old, to Miami, Florida, to be exact. He played high school baseball and was good enough to earn a draft selection by the Chicago White Sox in the 1992 MLB draft, but he decided to go to school instead after earning a scholarship from Florida International University, where he graduated with a degree in finance following some excellent summers in the Cape Cod Baseball League and the Valley Baseball League. He was a three-time All-Conference player for the Panthers and even had his number retired at the school for his performance on the diamond. In the 1995 draft, the Yankees selected him in the 20th round, and he worked his way up through the minor leagues for the next three years before debuting in 1998.
On September 13, 1998, Lowell made his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays, recording his first MLB hit in his first at-bat. He was called up late in the regular season and did not play in the postseason, but he received a World Series ring for playing with the team that year. Overall, he played eight games and tallied four hits with one run scored, no RBI, and one strikeout in 15 plate appearances.
Lowell only spent that season with the Yankees in the majors, as he was shipped to the Florida Marlins in the polarizing trade that netted Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall — one that Brian Cashman once stated was his most regretted as a GM, as he chose to ride it out with incumbent surprise World Series MVP Scott Brosius rather than gradually incorporate the Top 100 prospect Lowell at the hot corner. Before the 1999 season, Lowell underwent surgery for testicular cancer that would leave him out of the Marlins lineup for the start of the year. He returned on May 29 and played in 97 games, slashing .253/.317/.419 for an OPS+ of 90.
Following that first year in Florida, Lowell established himself as one of the best third basemen in the National League. He spent another six years with the Marlins from 2000 to 2005, posting a slash line of .273/.341/.466 for an OPS+ of 111. His best season was 2003, when he finished 11th in National League MVP voting, collected his second All-Star appearance, and won his first Silver Slugger award. However, he did have to miss some time after suffering a broken hand against the Montreal Expos. After his 32-game recovery, he came back as strong as ever with the Marlins surging toward a Wild Card berth. They breezed past Barry Bonds’ Giants in the NLDS and Lowell got them off on the right foot in what would be an infamous seven-game NLCS against the Cubs by beating them in extras with a homer at Wrigley.
During the World Series against his former team, he had five hits with excellent glovework as always, helping Florida nail down the championship at Yankee Stadium. In 2004, he earned his third All-Star appearance, and in 2005, he won his first career Gold Glove at the hot corner, despite having a miserable season at the plate.
On November 21, 2005, Lowell was traded to the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees’ archrival received Lowell, Josh Beckett, and Guillermo Mota in exchange for Hanley Ramírez, Aníbal Sánchez, Jesús Delgado, and Harvey García. At the age of 32 in his first season with Boston, he wasn’t expected to be much of anything, but Lowell delivered on expectations at the time and more. He was an above-average hitter and played solid defense, but it was his second season in 2007 when he took the reins at third base and exceeded expectations. Finishing with an .879 OPS — two points off the highest of his career — he was given his fourth and final All-Star nod. And by season’s end, he finished fifth in American League MVP voting, with Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez taking home the award and Lowell finishing one spot back of his Red Sox teammate, David Ortiz. In the 2007 World Series, Lowell’s dominance continued, as he hit .400 with a home run and four RBI’s, earning him his second World Series ring and a World Series MVP trophy. He was the second Puerto Rican player to be named the MVP of a World Series, with the only other being Roberto Clemente.
Lowell continued his career until 2010, after being marred by injury problems, and a potential deal with the Texas Rangers was cancelled after the Rangers learned that Lowell had surgery on his right thumb. Following the injury issues, he was played as a backup infielder at third and first base, with his last game coming against the Yankees, where he had two at-bats and two hits in a 6-5 New York win in extras.
After his career, Lowell went into broadcasting and now works as an analyst for MLB Network. In terms of Yankee lore, he goes down as a great Coulda-Been, a player that developed into All-Star elsewhere after being unceremoniously sent out of town. In his own right, Lowell put together a more than fine career, contributing to a couple of championship teams Yankees fans certainly hated to see coming out on top.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.