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FORT MYERS, Fla. – It’s been quite an offseason for the “throw-in.”
That’s how Mike Lowell was introduced to Red Sox fans in many stories reporting the trade of Josh Beckett and Lowell to Boston for Hanley Ramirez and three other prospects back in 2005.
Forty-one home runs, 84 doubles, 200 RBIs, 307 games, and a little more than 27 months later, the Gold Glove third baseman is known better to Sox fans by another term: Most Valuable Player.
That’s what happens when you’re an American League All-Star, recipient of the Thomas A. Yawkey Award as Red Sox MVP, and World Series MVP in 2007. Oh, and leading your team to its second World Series title in four years doesn’t hurt either.
Guess that’s why the Red Sox decided to re-sign the 34-year-old locker-room leader to a three-year, $37.5 million contract in the offseason.
“Mikey signs a three-year contract and he shows up a step quicker than he was last year. He obviously worked hard this winter,” said Sox manager Terry Francona. “He’s a guy you give a contract like that to because you know what he’s going to do.
“He’s a great defensive player, he’s a quality hitter, and then when you combine what he can do other than that – He speaks two languages, he’s a leader not just to one group in the clubhouse, but all – I mean, everybody runs to him so much he probably gets tired of it.”
Any big Red Sox fan knows what Lowell gives the Sox on the field, but it’s the MVP’s contributions in the locker room that may be just as, if not more valuable.
“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever played with,” said Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who credits Lowell for helping him become the 2007 American League Rookie of the Year.
Lowell, who has written a book about last season that will be published soon, had arguably the finest season of his career last year, batting .324 with 21 homers, 37 doubles, and 120 RBIs (the most ever by a Red Sox third baseman). He got even better in the postseason, hitting .353 with two homers and 15 RBIs in 14 games.
Lowell’s 2007 prompted team captain Jason Varitek to surprise Lowell – but no one else in attendance – with a personal sign while Sox players, coaches and officials took part in a World Series victory parade in Boston last year.
“When your team captain holds up a sign at the victory parade that says ‘Re-sign Lowell”, that’s a pretty good endorsement,” Lowell said, smiling broadly at the memory.
The humble and unassuming Lowell seems almost embarrassed when told of the compliments.
“Saying I’m a step quicker, that’s not really telling much because I’m not that fast,” Lowell said with a chuckle.
Lowell even downplays his leadership.
“I don’t know if that’s really a conscious effort. I think it’s just guys being themselves, which I think this clubhouse and our manager allows us to do,” said the San Juan, Puerto Rico, native. We’re all one group, man, and we’ve all struggled.
“There’s not one guy here who’s had smooth sailing his whole career, so when you see a guy who’s down, I think it’s only natural to help smooth things out.”
Lowell, who lives in Miami with wife Bertica, daughter Alexis (6) and son Anthony (3), wasn’t sure what to expect when he was traded. He went from the low-key atmosphere of the Marlins, a team he spent seven seasons with after being traded as a minor league prospect by the New York Yankees in 1999, to East Coast pressure cooker Boston, but says things couldn’t have gone smoother.
“This was a very easy transition for me,” Lowell recalled. “It seemed like within an hour of coming into this clubhouse, guys are talking to you and they really make you feel like you’re on the same page with them. That was a major factor.”
The geographic change was agreeable as well.
“Well, Boston’s beaches aren’t as nice as Florida’s,” Lowell said with a grin. “But I feel it’s different, and an old city that feels very young, too. I like that good, youthful vibe.”
Lowell’s wife has come to enjoy spending summers in Boston as well.
“I think she’s coming to appreciate all the things a historical city like that offers,” he said.
Among other things.
“My wife saw the baseball atmosphere of the Marlins and until we were leading the wild- card chase, the crowds weren’t coming,” he said. “When she goes to a baseball game in Boston, she’s almost blown away by the atmosphere and how the city revolves around its sports.”
Not to mention its sports heroes, which Michael Averett Lowell has undoubtedly become.
aneff@bangordailynews.net
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