What role, if any, will Jed Lowrie have in Boston now that he has arrived?

Welcome back for another week of Treasure Hunting, where we once again go on the hunt for the lesser-known players on the rise, and break down why you, our wonderful readers, should care about them.

That sounds like fun, doesn’t it? I thought so.

This week, we spotlight a new recruit in Boston thanks to the injury to Mike Lowell. How much playing time will he receive? Will it justify the buzz that his promotion will generate?

Over in the National League, the Braves had put Rafael Soriano on the shelf – and they are once again in need of a closer. That always seems to the case in Atlanta, though - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose… Anyway, who is the new closer in Atlanta?

Jed Lowrie, Shortstop, Boston Red Sox

A first round pick by the Red Sox in the 2005 draft, Lowrie debuted that season with the Short-Season Lowell Spinners after finishing the collegiate season with Stanford. It would be an excellent debut too, as he hit .328 with 4 home runs, 32 RBI, and 36 runs in 201 at-bats. Pleased with this debut, the Red Sox would jump him up to High-A for his debut in full-season ball. His numbers would take a hit, but he would hit respectably, with a .262 batting average, 3 home runs, 50 RBI, and 43 runs.

Despite the drop in numbers, the Red Sox once again moved Lowrie up the ladder. The Sox made the right call. Opening 2007 in Double-A Portland, Lowrie hit .297 with 8 home runs, 49 RBI, and 61 runs scored in 337 at-bats. Flashing some potential power, Lowrie also belted out 31 doubles. He would finish the year with Triple-A Pawtucket, and he continued to hit, with a .300 batting average, 5 home runs, 21 RBI, 21 runs scored, and 16 more doubles.

Lowrie’s calling card throughout his career has been his discipline at the plate, and he drew 65 walks while striking out only 58 times in Double-A last year, and his strikeout-to-walk ratios throughout his career has been close to 1:1.

There are drawbacks, however. First, his natural position is not shortstop, but second base. However, the Red Sox already have a young, capable second baseman, one that Lowrie is quite similar too as a player, Dustin Pedroia. The Red Sox have Lowrie at short, where his defense has lacked at times, with 20 errors committed last year between Double-A and Triple-A. That position is not open free and clear either, as Julio Lugo is well entrenched there for the next couple of seasons.

With Mike Lowell going down, though, the Red Sox have made the call to Pawtucket for the hitter they feel is most likely to be helpful at this stage, not necessarily concerning themselves with position. His role with the Sox will be as a utility infielder, with some action at second, third, and short. While he will not see significant action, he will be used enough to justify the call-up. His short-term value is not going to be great, but he does have upside that makes him a solid long-term bet.

Peter Moylan, Closer, Atlanta Braves

Things have never been easy for Peter Moylan. He started out as a pro way back in 1996, and he would pitch in the Twins organization in 1996 and 1997 before injuries shut him down. A few surgeries later and he would be back in Australia. Finally getting back on the mound, scouts would notice the return of his fastball, and the Braves would decide to take a flier on him. The flier would turn to be a mixed bag at first, as his performance in Triple-A would be underwhelming, with a record of 1-7 and a 6.35 ERA in 35 appearances for Richmond. His strikeout-to-walk ratio there of 54:38 was not something to write home about either.

The 2007 season would be quite different, however, as he would spend all but two appearances in the majors, with excellent results. In 80 appearances, Moylan was 5-3 with a 1.80 ERA. In 90 innings, Moylan struck out 63 while walking 31 and posting a 1.07 WHIP.

While the strikeout numbers he posted might not scream closer, his results make him the best option for the Braves now that Soriano is on the sidelines. The diagnosis is elbow tendonitis, which could have him out for just the two-week stint or potentially longer. Our bet is that Moylan is the closer for a lot longer than two weeks considering Soriano’s2 injury history.

Last Week Revisited

Last week, our spotlight shined upon Martin Prado and Mark Lowe. The bad news is that we were expecting Prado to get into a little more action than he has, as he appeared in just one game since we were here last week. We still expect him to receive significant action as a utility player, but the hopes expressed here last week might have been a little too high. The good news is that we told you not to buy in to any hype around Lowe being the closer in Seattle while J.J. Putz was out. Well, Lowe only received one of the save opportunities in that time, and he blew it. Putz will not be back as quickly as hoped, but he will still be back soon enough, and, on top of that, Lowe does not look like the best option in the meanwhile.