The shortstop with the best statistics in the National League isn’t starting the All-Star Game tonight in Philadelphia. But he will be there, anxiously awaiting his chance to enter the game.
Otto Lopez may not have earned the fan vote to start tonight’s Midsummer Classic. But the Miami Marlins infielder has put together an All-Star-caliber first half, earning his first career selection while emerging as one of baseball’s most complete shortstops.
Lopez has quickly become the most important player on a very young Marlins roster that has surprised Major League Baseball all season. This is because he has transformed himself from a well-rounded utility player to an everyday force at one of the sport’s most important positions.
A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Lopez has only increased his batting average by 100 points compared to his previous season. Even with an 0-for-12 slump over the weekend, when the Cleveland Guardians swept the Marlins, Lopez sits with a .334 batting average, nine home runs and 45 RBIs. Through July 9, he ranked first among all hitters in batting average (.345) and hits (126), and was second in WAR (4.6).
However, Lopez’s value goes far beyond the batter’s box. He is also known for his Gold Glove-caliber fielding. While Lopez recently made the switch last season to full-time shortstop, he quickly rose to the top as he ranked fifth in defensive runs saved last week. But Lopez’s production doesn’t stop there. While being on a young and aggressive team like the Marlins, Lopez is a prime example of the team’s aggressive approach on the basepaths.
Miami manager Clayton McCullough believes Lopez is more than deserving of the starting nod in the All-Star Game, even though he’s quite happy to see him in Philadelphia.
“He’s been a hitting machine since Day 1 of the season,” McCullough said, “while also playing high-level defense.”
The Marlins manager is also in awe — like the rest of the baseball world — of the surge that Lopez has taken this season.
“He’s been phenomenal,” he said. “The amount of hits and how he’s collected them has been surprising.”
Although Lopez had a rough road to get to this point in his career after being designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Francisco Giants before landing in Miami, the breakout season and All-Star selection didn’t come from out of nowhere to him. When asked if this season has been a surprise or if he knew this was coming, Lopez was confident.
“I would say way before, in spring training, I remember being with the training staff, and they would tell me, ‘If you give a little more from what you did last year, you’ll be an All-Star,'” he said.
Lopez has previously spoken about the hard work and countless training hours he’s put in to get to this point. After being DFA’d by the Giants, Lopez went through what he calls “a tough time,” and he claims that he prayed a lot during this period.
“I prayed to God,” he mentioned, “and said, ‘If he’s willing to give me the opportunity to be on an MLB team again, I will give it my all.'”
After receiving the All-Star news last week, Lopez mentioned how it meant so much to him and really made him reflect on his commitment to the sport.
“It felt so special that my hard work finally paid off,” Lopez said. “It was such a special moment.”
For Lopez, the All-Star selection is about more than individual recognition. It represents years of perseverance, uncertainty and belief in himself when few others did. After being cut by two organizations, he never stopped believing another opportunity would come. When it finally did in Miami, he made sure not to let it slip away.
While fan voting kept him out of the National League’s starting lineup, his performance this season has earned something just as valuable: the respect of teammates, coaches and baseball fans across the league.
At 26 years old, Lopez has transformed from a player fighting to stay on a major-league roster into one of baseball’s most complete shortstops and a cornerstone of the Marlins’ future.
