Lowther is the 256th former Northwoods League player to debut in MLB
Rochester, Minn. – Former Lakeshore Chinook Zac Lowther, made his Major League debut for the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Lowther is the 256th former Northwoods League player to reach the Major League level.
Lowther, who played collegiately at Xavier University, played for the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2015. He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2nd round of the 2017 MLB draft.
In 2015 with the Chinooks, Lowther appeared in 14 games and was 4-4 with a 5.07 ERA. He struck out 50 batters in 49.2 innings pitched and walked 28.
Lowther began his professional career in 2017 with the Aberdeen IronBirds of the Short-Season A New York-Penn League. He appeared in 12 games and was 2-2 with a 1.66 ERA. He struck out 75 batters in 54.1 innings pitched and allowed only 10 earned runs while walking 11.
Lowther began the 2018 season with the Delmarva Shorebirds of the Lo-A South Atlantic League. He would pitch in six games in Delmarva before a promotion to the Frederick Keys of the Hi-A Carolina League to finish out the season. In 23 games he was 8-4 with a 2.18 ERA. He struck out a career-high 151 batters in 123.2 innings pitched and had a .978 WHIP.
Lowther was promoted again for the 2019 season to the Bowie Baysox of the AA Eastern League. He started all 26 games he pitched in and was 13-7 with a 2.55 ERA. He struck out a new career-high 154 batters in 148.0 innings and had a 1.115 WHIP.
Lowther spent Spring Training in 2021 with the Orioles and pitched in two games allowing no runs on one hit and striking out one. He was recalled from the Orioles Alternate Training site and made his Major League debut against the Oakland Athletics. He entered the game in relief of Paul Fry and pitched 1.0 inning allowing one hit and striking out one.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.