Royals’ Nicky Lopez ‘proving this is where he belongs’ after solid rookie season

When the Royals break camp in late March to begin their 2020 regular season in Chicago, several questions are expected to follow them.

Who will be the fifth and final starter in the rotation?

Who will win the 26th roster spot?

Which young players will step up and make an impact?

Fortunately for the club’s new manager, Mike Matheny, he already has an answer at second base. Highly touted 2016 fifth-round draft pick Nicky Lopez is expected to be the team’s everyday starter.

Lopez had a solid rookie season last year with the Royals, after debuting in mid-May. He batted .276 over the final two months of the regular season while proving to be a savvy defender who can hold down either shortstop or second base while hitting for average.

“I went through the bumps and bruises in the middle of the season,” Lopez said. “Toward the end of the season, I was able to finish strong and get back to my old self.”

Lopez reported to Surprise this spring with newfound confidence, born from spending four months in the major leagues last year. It’s a vastly different feeling than a year ago, when Lopez was quietly but actively vying for a spot on the major-league roster.

He began the 2019 regular season at Triple-A Omaha. In 31 games, he hit .353, a not-so-subtle way to show the Royals’ brain trust he was ready for a new challenge. He made his major-league debut on May 14 and played in 103 games.

“I think it was a good learning experience, getting up there,” he said. “Obviously, I’m still going to learn along the way, too, but just to get my feet wet and see live pitching, see big-league pitching and just living that big-league lifestyle was really beneficial going forward.”

Lopez walks with a little more swagger these days. He said being in the major leagues and proving he belongs has meant “getting back to my old self.” His old self is what propelled him to everyday second-baseman status in the first place.

“I know how everything works, where to go about my business, that kind of stuff,” he said. “I know what to expect.”

Matheny has learned what to expect from Lopez, too. In their short time together this spring, the manager has grown fond of his young second baseman.

“I think he’s taking the kind of at-bats we were hoping he would take,” Matheny said. “He’s just making a natural progression. He’s only had a little bit of time in the league and still kind of proving to himself that this is where he belongs.”

Lopez has had his sights set on a major-league career since he was a boy. His father, Bob, was a famous softball player in Chicago. He raised his son in dugouts and clubhouses, their bond built from a game with which the young Lopez instantly became enamored.

“I grew up on a baseball field,” the younger Lopez said. “My dad was very good at what he did. I grew up following him, shagging balls in the outfield. That went into following my brother (Anthony) around when he played and stuff like that. I was always on a baseball field and it’s just what I wanted to do.

“I just always wanted to be a baseball player.”

The new era of Royals baseball is relying on a core of young players, like Lopez, to catapult the club back to the postseason. To Lopez, the work that he does on the field is just as important as what he does off the field. He’s become immersed in several charities in the Kansas City area.

“We have this platform, as baseball players, to be able to speak our mind, to use it for the greater good,” he said.

Lopez works with Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce’s Operation Breakthrough, a non-profit organization aimed at providing a “safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and to empower their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education,” according to its website.

“I was fortunate enough to do the YMCA charity event where it was a runway, kind of fashion show, with special needs kids,” Lopez said. “I’m also getting involved in KC Pet Project, too, with animals.

“Anything to lend a helping hand is something I’m interested in.”

Lopez was one of many Royals who were glued to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run this year. Lopez was drafted the summer after the Royals won the World Series, so this was the first time he watched a title being brought to Kansas City — and the impact that comes with it.

It was eye-opening, only furthering his desire to bring another World Series to Royals fans.

“Seeing how the fans went about it, the parade, and all that, I was like, ‘Wow, I want to be a part of that.’” he said. “I want to be on one of those vans or buses going around Kansas City. It just shoots you in the right direction. It makes you want to reach your goal that much more.

“We have a lot of people in this clubhouse who are ready to take that next step and that next jump. I am, too. I’m ready to get to competing and hopefully bring — actually, we will bring a World Series back to Kansas City in the future.”