Born in Santo Domingo and raised in Montreal, Quebec after his father’s job brought his family north, the young utility player moved back home just four years after he arrived in Canada, in the hopes that the change of scenery would benefit his baseball career. The move paid dividends in 2016, when he signed an international free agent deal with the Blue Jays and immediately began to make his mark the following season in the rookie Gulf Coast League. After a short season in Vancouver in ’18 in which he hit .297/.390/.434 with three homers, seven doubles, four triples, 13 stolen bases and more walks than strikeouts, he was named a Northwest League Postseason All-Star. He built on that success in 2019 and followed it up by being named an organizational All-Star when he slashed .324/.371/.425 with five homers, 20 doubles, five triples and 20 stolen bases in 108 games in the full-season Midwest League as a 20-year-old.
With tools across the board, Lopez’s ability to make contact, drive the ball and use his instincts and speed to swipe bases have excited club officials and impressed scouts. With more pop in his bat than he has yet to put on display, Lopez’s power numbers could increase as he continues to make adjustments at the plate.
There is a chance he could remain at shortstop, where he’s played primarily in his pro career, though he has also seen time at second, third and all three outfield positions and has the potential to be a super-utility player. His arm will need to improve if he has a chance to become an everyday shortstop, but Lopez might offer more to his teams as someone with the ability to move around the diamond.
