Brandon Lowe Bio
Brandon Norman Lowe (born July 6, 1994) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, where he spent the bulk of his career after debuting in 2018. Lowe has been selected to the MLB All-Star Game twice, in 2019 and 2025.
Early Life and Background
Brandon Norman Lowe was born on July 6, 1994, in Suffolk, Virginia, USA, and grew up there as a fan of the New York Yankees. He attended Nansemond River High School, where he played on the school baseball team and developed into one of the top amateur players in the region. As a junior, Lowe led Nansemond River to a district championship, and as a senior he was named first-team all-state, first-team all-region, and first-team all-district.
After high school, Lowe committed to the University of Maryland, College Park, to play college baseball for the Maryland Terrapins. His amateur path was marked by serious injuries. Two days before the first game of his freshman year, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was redshirted for the entire season. In his redshirt freshman year, he was named third-team all-ACC after leading the Terrapins in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. He followed that with a strong sophomore season in which he led the team in hits, walks, runs, and doubles.
Path to Major League Baseball
During the summer of 2014, Lowe played for the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. His college career, however, ended on a difficult note when he suffered a broken fibula two days before the 2015 MLB Draft, as the Terrapins lost to the Virginia Cavaliers in an NCAA super regional.
The Tampa Bay Rays selected Lowe in the third round, with the 87th overall pick, of the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. He recovered from his fibula injury and began his professional career in 2016 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods. He climbed steadily through the Rays’ farm system, advancing to the Charlotte Stone Crabs, the Montgomery Biscuits, and the Triple-A Durham Bulls, before earning his first call-up to the majors.
Brandon Lowe Career
Early Career (2016–2017)
Lowe opened his professional career in 2016 with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, finishing the year with a .248 batting average, five home runs, and 42 RBI across 107 games. He returned to action healthy in 2017, beginning the season with the Charlotte Stone Crabs of the Florida State League. With Charlotte he hit .311/.403/.524 with nine home runs and 46 RBI in 90 games and was named the Florida State League MVP. A midseason promotion to the Montgomery Biscuits followed, where he slashed .253/.270/.389 in 23 games.
After the 2017 season, Lowe played in the Arizona Fall League and was selected for the Fall Stars Game. He began 2018 with Montgomery and also appeared for the Durham Bulls of the Triple-A International League. Lowe was named to the 2018 MLB Pipeline second team of the year after hitting .297/.391/.558 with 22 home runs in 380 at-bats, setting the stage for his first major league opportunity.
Tampa Bay Rays Breakthrough (2018–2025)
The Rays promoted Lowe to the majors for the first time on August 4, 2018. He recorded his first big league hit on August 15 and his first career home run on August 28. He finished his debut season slashing .233/.324/.450 with six home runs and 25 RBI in 148 plate appearances, splitting time between second base and the outfield. On March 20, 2019, Lowe signed a six-year contract extension with two options for a reported $24 million guaranteed. He went on to hit .270/.336/.514 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI in 82 games and was named to his first MLB All-Star Game. He finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
The shortened 2020 campaign saw Lowe bat .269/.362/.554 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI, earn team MVP honors from the Tampa Bay chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, and help the Rays post the best record in the American League. In the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he went 6-for-56 before breaking out with two home runs in Game 2, setting a record for most home runs by a team in a postseason and becoming the first Ray and the sixth second baseman to hit two home runs in a World Series game.
In 2021, Lowe established himself as a middle-of-the-order force, hitting .247/.340/.523 with 39 home runs and 99 RBI in 149 games and finishing 10th in American League MVP voting. Injuries limited him to 65 games in 2022, but he returned healthy in 2023, when on August 16 he hit his 100th career home run. He reached that milestone in 477 games, the fastest by a primary second baseman, and moved into seventh place on the Rays’ all-time home run list, passing Fred McGriff. A fractured right kneecap ended his 2023 season after 109 games.
Lowe split time between second base, first base, and designated hitter in 2024, slashing .244/.311/.473 with 21 home runs and 58 RBI in 107 games. He reclaimed the everyday second base job in 2025, hitting .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI in 134 games and earning his second career All-Star selection.
Pittsburgh Pirates Era (2025–Present)
On December 19, 2025, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Lowe to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team deal that also sent Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery to Pittsburgh, sent Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros, and brought Jacob Melton and Anderson Brito to Tampa Bay. The move marked the start of a new chapter for the veteran second baseman, who joined a Pirates club looking to add established major league bats.
Lowe brought his second base defense, left-handed power, and postseason experience to a Pittsburgh infield in transition. Through the early portion of the 2026 season, he has continued to serve as an everyday middle-of-the-order presence, providing the lineup with on-base ability and run production. His transition to the National League Central brings new opposing pitchers, new ballparks, and a fresh opportunity to extend his track record of All-Star-caliber play.
Driving Style and Strengths
Lowe is a left-handed hitter whose offensive profile is built around patience at the plate, hard contact, and pull-side power. He draws walks, works deep counts, and has shown the ability to deliver in big moments, including multiple home runs in a World Series game and several walk-off hits during the regular season. Defensively, he has graded as a reliable second baseman with capable footwork, and he has also logged time at first base and designated hitter, giving managers lineup flexibility.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Lowe’s career include his MLB debut on August 4, 2018, his first career home run on August 28, 2018, his first All-Star selection in 2019, a six-year contract extension in March 2019, two home runs in Game 2 of the 2020 World Series, three home runs against the New York Yankees on October 2, 2021, his 100th career home run in 2023 in just 477 games, multiple walk-off hits in 2023, and his second All-Star nod in 2025.
Brandon Lowe Career Wins
Brandon Norman Lowe’s career has produced consistent offensive production across every level of professional baseball, highlighted by league MVP honors in the Florida State League, All-Star selections in 2019 and 2025, and an All-MLB Second Team selection in 2020. Through June 20, 2026, his major league resume includes a .247 career batting average, 175 home runs, and 495 RBI.
Major League Highlights
In the major leagues, Lowe has been a steady middle-of-the-order presence for the Tampa Bay Rays, with season highlights including 17 home runs in his 2019 rookie campaign, 14 home runs in the shortened 2020 season, a 39-homer, 99-RBI season in 2021, and a 31-homer, 83-RBI performance in 2025 that earned his second All-Star selection. He helped lead the Rays to the 2020 World Series and authored one of the franchise’s signature postseason moments with two home runs in Game 2 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Other Wins and Performances
Away from the major leagues, Lowe was the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League MVP in 2014 with the Bethesda Big Train, the Florida State League MVP in 2017 with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, a third-team All-ACC selection during his redshirt freshman year at Maryland, and an Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game selection after the 2017 season. He was also recognized by MLB Pipeline as a 2018 second team member of the year after a 22-homer minor league campaign.
Brandon Lowe Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Brandon Norman Lowe was raised in Suffolk, Virginia, where his family supported his baseball development from a young age. He has frequently noted that he grew up as a fan of the New York Yankees. Despite sharing a last name with fellow professional baseball players Nathaniel and Josh Lowe, Brandon Lowe is not related to them, though he did play alongside them during his time with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Personal Life
Lowe is married to Madison Martin, a former University of Maryland college softball player whom he met while both were student athletes at Maryland. The couple has a son, and they reside in Nashville, Tennessee, during the offseason.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season was a return to form for Brandon Norman Lowe, who reclaimed everyday duties at second base for the Tampa Bay Rays. He appeared in 134 games during the regular season and slashed .256/.307/.477 with 31 home runs and 83 RBI, giving the Rays a dependable middle-of-the-order bat after two injury-marred seasons.
His strongest stretch earned him selection to the 2025 MLB All-Star Game, his second career appearance and his first since his 2019 rookie campaign. The All-Star nod confirmed Lowe’s status as one of the American League’s most productive second basemen when healthy, and his consistent power output stabilized the Rays’ lineup throughout the summer.
Following the season, the Rays traded Lowe to the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 19, 2025, sending him to the National League Central to begin the next chapter of his career. The move positions Lowe as a veteran anchor for a young Pirates infield and gives him the chance to build on his 2025 production in a new league, with 2026 already underway and his track record of All-Star play pointing to continued impact at the plate.
