the Panthers, his uniform number 15 was retired. Lowell was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft, and eventually made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees during the 1998 season. He was also converted to play as a third baseman, having been at shortstop and second base in college. Major League Baseball New York Yankees Lowell was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. He made his major league debut as a September call-up for the Yankees in 1998, singling in his first at-bat and playing eight games in the season. Although Lowell debuted late in the season and did not play in the 1998 postseason, he still received his first career World Series ring as the Yankees won the 1998 World Series against the San Diego Padres. Florida Marlins Lowell was traded to the Florida Marlins on February 1, 1999, for Mark Johnson and Ed Yarnall. While waiting for spring training, he discovered that he had testicular cancer and underwent surgery on February 21 returning to the lineup on May 29. He finished his season with a .253 batting average, 12 home runs, and 47 RBI. Lowell had successful years in Florida and established himself as one of the elite third baseman in the league. In , he finished with 18 home runs and 100 RBI. Lowell was on pace to have a great season in , but in late August, he suffered a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch by the Montreal Expos' Héctor Almonte, forcing him to miss 32 games, but managed to finish the season with 32 home runs and 105 RBI. He was replaced by Miguel Cabrera. In , he hit a career-high (at the time) .293 with 27 home runs and 85 RBI. Despite a disappointing 2005 season in which he hit .236 with only eight home runs and a .298 on-base percentage, Lowell earned his first Gold Glove Award. Lowell also finished third in doubles in the league, totaling 47 doubles in the 2005 season. The Marlins traded him to Boston in a deal that was officially completed on November 21, 2005, in which the Red Sox received Lowell, Josh Beckett and Guillermo Mota in exchange for Hanley Ramírez, Aníbal Sánchez, Jesús Delgado and Harvey García. Boston Red Sox Although the Boston