JED LOWRIE: 5 TIPS TO BEING A GREAT TEAM PLAYER

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The Astros' Infielder Gives His Insight on How to Be the Best Teammate You Can Be

After playing part of four seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Jed Lowrie was traded to the Houston Astros after the 2011 season with Kyle Weiland for Mark Melancon. An infielder who can play several positions, Lowrie was part of a Red Sox team that was an annual contender for post-season play. Going to the Astros was a big change, as Houston lost a franchise-record 106 games in 2011 just a few years after playing in the World Series in 2005 against the Chicago White Sox.

Despite the change from playoff baseball in New England to a rebuilding effort in Texas, Lowrie is a team player who wants to make the best of his situation. "I think it is exciting," he recently told Junior Baseball. "There is a lot of potential here. I am happy to be here."

Lowrie, who grew up in Oregon, knows that baseball is a team game and a club cannot rely on one player. "You have to rely on more than 25 guys, obviously. We are going to need everyone in this clubhouse to win. One hundred sixty-two games is a long season," he said.

One person happy to see Lowrie in Houston is manager Brad Mills, a former bench coach with the Red Sox whose time in Boston overlapped with Lowrie. Mills began his third season as the Houston manager in 2012. "He is a guy who is very mature for his years," Mills said. "He is a good hitter from both sides of the plate. He played some third base in Boston. It is nice to have his versatility."

Lowrie hit .258 with two homers and 46 RBIs in 81 games in his first season in Boston in 2008. The next year he played in 32 games and hit .147 with two homers and 11 RBIs. In 2010 he played in 55 games and hit a career-high nine homers with 24 RBIs with an average of .287. Then in 2011, he played in a career-high 88 games with six homers and 36 RBIs with an average of .252.

Pitcher Paul Clemens (no relation to former Astro pitcher Roger), who began 2012 as the No. 5 prospect in the Houston system, came to the club in a trade during the 2011 season with Atlanta. He was also in spring training with Houston for the first time in 2012 and was impressed with Lowrie. "He is a professional and goes about his business. You cannot ask for more. He has helped me with my throws to second base" on balls hit back to the mound, Clemens said.

Lowrie, the consummate team player, may not hit a lot of home runs and he may not steal a lot of bases. But the Oregon native can do a little bit of everything. "I feel I am a quality player that contributes in all aspects of the game," he said. He shared his tips on how to become a great team player.

TO READ JED LOWRIE'S 5 WAYS TO BECOME A GREAT TEAM PLAYER, PICK UP A COPY OF THE JULY/AUGUST 2012 ISSUE OF JUNIOR BASEBALL. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE NOW.

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