Player Journal: Lowrie gets a new perspective

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Greetings again from Wilmington, Delaware. It seems like forever since I wrote my last entry. It has been just 14 days, but it seems like an eternity.

I sprained my ankle on May 1 and have been on the disabled list ever since. Going from playing every day, to rehabbing before the game for a couple hours and sitting on the bench for the game, is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.

One thing I have learned while on the DL is how much I enjoy playing the game! It is very hard to watch your team playing every night and know you can't do anything to help them win.

I have become all too familiar with the training room. I spend nearly all of my day either putting a heat pack or an ice pack on my ankle for 20 minutes at a time. We have had the injury bug run through Wilmington, and our trainers Brad and Garret have had their hands full. Keeping enough guys on the active roster has been more than a full-time job.

Here are some questions from the past few weeks.

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What have you found to be the biggest differences between college and pro baseball so far in your career? Is it a big challenge to prepare for five to six games a week when you were playing three games most weeks in college? Who are your best friends on the team? -- Andrew

I think you answered your own question, Andrew; the biggest difference is the number of games we play. The speed of the game picks up and you don't have the time to take a break. In college you have the freedom to let your body rest for a few days. An injury in college means you might miss one or two games, while an injury in pro ball means 7-10 games at least.

Jacoby Ellsbury is one of my better friends on the team. We have been roommates since Spring Training, but I get along with everyone on the Blue Rocks.

Congrats on your impressive first professional season in 2005. I understand you have played both shortstop and second base; what is your preferred position? Jacoby Ellsbury is often compared to Johnny Damon; what current player do you feel you are most like? Thanks, and good luck this year! -- Jay, Ct.

Thank you Jay, and yes, I have played both shortstop and second base. I played second base my entire college career, but I would consider myself a natural shortstop. I prefer to play shortstop. I have a strong enough arm to make the plays in the hole and my range has improved with every game I have played. The most important thing going into pro ball for me was getting enough repetitions at shortstop, because it had been since high school that I played short every day.

I probably shouldn't say this because I am in the Red Sox organization, but the more I watch Derek Jeter, the more I respect his game. Obviously, Derek Jeter has had a career for the record books already, but I would like to model my game after his. He is everything I want to be as a player.

That's all the time I have this week. I hope to be writing with stories from the field next time! Send me any questions you have, and I will answer as many as I can. Thanks.