Down: Mike Lowell
Mike Lowell appears to be heading in the direction we all feared: the path to second half gloom and doom. His career numbers tell us what most Red Sox fans already know. Lowell has a career .915 OPS in April, but the numbers get uglier as the season goes on with a .854 OPS in May and .788 in June, spiraling downward. His OPS in the first half of the season is 100 points higher than the second half. The reason why Lowell is mentioned in trade talks even though he leads the team in RBI is the very concern of a second half freefall for the veteran.
In the last two weeks Lowell has sported a line of .178/.224/.289 with just two doubles (his specialty) and 4 runs driven in. He has been treading in unlucky waters, though, with just a .189 BABIP and 8 K over that span, but the power is clearly disappearing for Lowell. He picked up the pace with an RBI double off the top of the Monster today against Matt Morris, but the last few series for Lowell have been dreadful. His defense is also on the concerning side this year, but we still trust Mike in the hot corner. It
