Jed Lowrie’s versatility stretches off the field
When general manager Brodie Van Wagenen inked infielder Jed Lowrie to a two-year deal, he knew he was getting an All-Star, both moving around the infield and with the bat.
“Offensively specifically, we’ve talked about increasing our run production, we’ve talked about adding depth to our lineup, creating versatility and creating balance on both sides of the plate, particularly from the right side,” Van Wagenen said. “Needless to say, Jed is one of those rare players that checks all the boxes.”
Surely, that is the case. Lowrie, a former first round pick of the Boston Red Sox organization, is coming off of his first all-star season in his 11th year. The Stanford alum notched a career-high in home runs (23), RBI (99), hits (159), walks (78) and tied his career best with a 120 OPS+. All of this while playing both second and third base.
But Lowrie’s versatility on the field is no match for his wide-ranging interests off it.
The 34-year-old said cooking has been a life-long passion, beginning early in his childhood with lessons from his mom.
“What I really like is cooking for my family,” he said. “It started when I was younger. My mom actually taught me at 7 or 8, me and some of my buddies, how to cook. We’d get together probably once a month at different houses and the different moms would teach us something new to cook.”
His wife Mlissa, who worked at the U.S. State Department for several years as a diplomat, vowed for her husband’s skills in the kitchen.
There’s also photography, another life-long passion. Photography started when Lowrie was young but was picked up in a more serious way in 2009, when he was stuck at home with mononucleosis. At a doctor’s recommendation to get out of the house more, Lowrie bought a camera and started snapping.
He hasn’t stopped since.
“It’s something that takes a little bit of a back seat with two young kids,” he said. “My wife and I travel a lot. It’s a fun way to document our experiences.”
Lowrie publishes his work on his website — Jed Lowrie Photography — and it’s fascinating. It features work from Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, his honeymoon safari in Tanzania and more.
“The coolest thing was the safari we went on for our honeymoon,” he said. “We got to do the Serengeti, Loliondo and the Ngorongoro Crater, which was pretty amazing. A photographers dream, really. It was pretty amazing. I’d love to go back to Africa at some point.”
Two of Lowrie’s favorite photos from Tanzania include lions and involve a funny story, which he told Cut4 in 2012.
“The only time that I felt scared was the first night in the Serengeti,” he said. “We were out there underneath a canvas tent. It was a big tent, but a canvas tent. Right before we went to sleep our guide brought us to the tent, showed us around and gave us an air horn and said ‘Blow this if there’s a lion in your tent.’”
Lowrie added he boasts sports memorabilia and wine collections. Now in New York, he’s excited to take his kids to museums. There’s no doubt that for as much as Lowrie can do on the field, he’s even more wide-ranging off it.
