Jed Lowrie: Is The Future Now For The Future Shortstop?

The Red Sox clearly know what they are doing with their top minor league talent.

Last year, we saw Clay Buchholz and Jacoby Ellsbury make late second half Major League debuts, with Ellsbury continuing into the playoffs.

This season, we see Justin Masterson and Jed Lowrie doing similar things, except making earlier debuts.

Lowrie had made a very early debut, his first stint with the big league club going from April 15th to May 11th, and he hit .310.

As of late, with Lowrie starting over the injured Julio Lugo and the offensively lacking Alex Cora, Lowrie has looked good. He is hitting .289 with 1 HR and 20 RBI in his latest stint, and is currently wielding a perfect fielding percentage in 99 total chances before action Wednesday night.

Julio Lugo on the season, has just a .945 fielding percentage, and has hit .268 with 1 HR and 22 RBI, with 12 SB in 261 AB.

Lowrie has put up the same offensive numbers, minus the stolen bases, in 164 fewer at bats. He also has the better fielding percentage by a long shot.

So, the question is: with Julio Lugo still not fit to resume baseball activities, will the Sox stick with Lowrie down the stretch and possibly into the playoffs? And, if they do and he continues his production, will they realize that Lowrie's time has come, and give him the starting job if they cannot find a team for Julio Lugo?

The point is, Lowrie is clearly showing that he belongs at the Major League level.

Last season in 116 AB, Jacoby Ellsbury hit .353, with 3 HR, 18 RBI, and 9 SB. As we all know, he continued on into the post season, contributing in the Red Sox run to the World Series.

So, will the Sox continue the youth movement and plug in Lowrie for the rest of this year, and all of next? Or will they send him back down to the minors, like they did with Clay Buchholz last year, for "more seasoning".

I do not know what the front office will be thinking, but I think Lowrie looks good enough as is.