John Lowe wins the 2023 BBWAA Career Excellence Award

This summer in Cooperstown, New York, John Lowe, the long-time Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press, will be honored with the 2023 BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

Lowe was announced as the winner on Tuesday by the Baseball Hall of Fame, beating out the late Gerry Fraley and Bruce Jenkins.

Last year’s winner was ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian.

Over his career, Lowe covered the Angels and Dodgers for the Los Angeles Daily News, and worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer before beginning his 28-year stint at the Free Press covering the Tigers.

Nattily attired in his blazer, collared shirt with tie, creased trousers, leather shoes and straw hat, Lowe roamed press boxes, fields and clubhouses from 1979 through 2014, the last 28 of those years as the Tigers beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Lowe sought insight from trusted sources in both clubhouses, resulting in clearly written stories that explained the sport in rich detail. Lowe wrote with nuanced perspective, the direct result of countless conversations that equipped him with the knowledge to explain late-game drama on tight Eastern time zone deadlines.

He covered Angels home games for the Los Angeles Daily News before taking over the Dodgers beat at that paper from 1981 to 1984. After two years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, Lowe came to Detroit where during his tenure was credited with creating the Quality Start statistic for pitchers that remains a measuring stick.

Lowe covered more than 300 postseason games, including 147 in the World Series. He also chronicled Cal Ripken Jr. breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games record in 1995 and the culmination of the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase in 1998.

Lowe will join Fred McGriff, elected to the Hall on Sunday by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee, as honorees this summer. The winner of the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award will be announced Wednesday, with ten worthy candidates announced as finalists in October. Any other inductees will be announced on January 24th.

[Baseball Hall of Fame]