Nicky Lopez

Nicholas Lopez (born March 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Nicky Lopez
Lopez with the Kansas City Royals in 2019
Kansas City Royals – No. 1
Second baseman
Born: (1995-03-13) March 13, 1995
Naperville, Illinois
Bats: Left Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 14, 2019, for the Kansas City Royals
MLB statistics
(through 2020 season)
Batting average.228
Home runs3
Runs batted in43
Teams

Career

Lopez attended Naperville Central High School in Naperville, Illinois. In 2013, as a senior, he batted .398.[1] After high school, he enrolled and played college baseball at Creighton University.[2] In 2016, his junior season, he hit .306 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 55 games. After the season, he was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.[3][4] Lopez made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals[5] and spent the whole 2016 season there, posting a .281 batting average with six home runs, 29 RBIs and 24 stolen bases in 62 games. In 2017, he spent time with both the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, batting a combined .279 with two home runs, 38 RBIs, 24 stolen bases and a .704 OPS in 129 games.[6][7] After the season, the Royals assigned Lopez to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League.[8] He began 2018 with Northwest Arkansas and was promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers in June. In 130 total games between the two clubs, Lopez batted .308/.382/.417 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.[9]

Lopez began 2019 back with Omaha.[10] On May 14, his contract was selected and he was called up to the major leagues for the first time.[11] He made his debut that night versus the Texas Rangers.[12]

Overall with the 2020 Kansas City Royals, Lopez batted .201 with one home run and 13 RBIs in 56 games.[13] He had the lowest slugging percentage of all qualified hitters in the AL, at .266.[14]

References
  1. Baumgartner, Blake (May 16, 2019). "'I wanted to take it all in': Nicky Lopez the first Naperville Central player to reach the major leagues". chicagotribune.com. Naperville Sun. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  2. "In a groove at the plate, Jays' shortstop Nicky Lopez adds to skills with the glove | Creighton". omaha.com. March 24, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  3. Chasen, Scott (January 20, 2016). "Royals pick Nicholas Lopez overcomes adversity | MLB.com". M.mlb.com. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  4. "Creighton junior shortstop Nicky Lopez turning pro after being selected in MLB draft | Creighton". omaha.com. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  5. Bob Sutton. "He's stealing the show: Burlington Royals shortstop Nicky Lopez keeps energy high, mood light - Sports - The Times-News - Burlington, NC". The Times-News. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  6. "Nicky Lopez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  7. "Big jump for Blue Rocks starting shortstop Nicky Lopez". Delawareonline.com. April 5, 2017. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  8. "Surprise Saguaros Active Roster". Major League Baseball. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  9. "Nicky Lopez Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  10. Boone, Tony (March 27, 2019). "Former Creighton standout Nicky Lopez ready for Omaha, with an eye on Kansas City". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  11. Lynn Worthy and Blair Kerkhoff (May 13, 2019). "Hot-hitting Royals prospect Nicky Lopez is headed to the major leagues". Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 14, 2019.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  12. "Texas Rangers at Kansas City Royals Box Score, May 14, 2019". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
  13. https://www.mlb.com/player/nicky-lopez-670032?stats=career-r-hitting-mlb&year=2020
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.