Why Royals’ Lopez trusts Matheny’s notion of being an ‘everyday player’ off the bench
Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez may be the prime early example of how manager Mike Matheny has pushed the right buttons in Kansas City to get the best out of his young position players — guys still trying to establish themselves — which was one of the concerns raised after the end of his tenure in St. Louis.
Lopez, 25, made his MLB debut last season and played in 103 games after a promotion from Triple-A Omaha. All-Star Whit Merrifield shifted predominantly to the outfield in order to clear regular playing time for Lopez at second base as he got his first taste of the majors.
This offseason, Lopez focused on getting his body better prepared to handle the rigors of a major-league season. Yet when the season started, Lopez’s playing time fluctuated. From July 26-31, he played in five of the team’s six games, but he started just twice and made just nine plate appearances as Matheny changed the lineup daily according to matchups.
“It was a little different,” Lopez said. “Obviously, I was thinking second base, I’m probably going to play every single day there.”
Instead, Merrifield has started seven games at second base. Lopez has been called upon as a pinch-hitter or a late-inning defensive replacement when Merrifield has moved to the outfield or Adalberto Mondesi left a game with a minor injury.
But Lopez has adjusted. In his last seven games, the left-handed-hitting infielder has gone 7 for 21 to post a .333/.364/.576 slash line with two doubles, a home run, four RBIs and three walks.
He seems to have bought into Matheny’s message that he’s an everyday player who won’t necessarily be in the starting lineup on a daily basis.
“I told him I was going to be the best everyday player that I could be,” Lopez said. “Wherever he puts me and whatever situation he puts me in, I’m just happy to be able to contribute and get this team some wins.”
The two have had several conversations along the way. Matheny tries to talk with players individually each day about how they might be used. He has expressed his belief in Lopez as an elite defender and conveyed that he believes the team badly needs Lopez’s natural energy and the edge with which he plays.
“That in itself was a big adjustment, finding myself not starting and coming in late,” said Lopez, the organization’s minor league Player of the Year in 2018. “You, obviously, just always have to be ready and have your mindset ready from pitch one. Because if you’re over in the — now it’s the COVID box — if you’re over there just sitting there and not in the game and then your name gets called, it’s going to be hard to get that motor running.
“So just always staying locked in is something I had to do. I’m happy to do anything to help this team win, whatever that may be.”
Matheny lauded Lopez after the team’s 3-2 win over the Minnesota Twins Friday, the start of a four-game winning streak. Matheny praised Lopez’s defensive play and communication in “taking charge on the infield,” as well as for not trying to do too much at the plate, driving in a key run and getting a guy over.
“That’s a winning-style player playing a winning-style game,” Matheny said of Lopez.
The next night, Lopez hit his first homer of the season and went 2 for 4.
It’s hard not to juxtapose how Lopez has seemingly embraced his role and Matheny’s message with that of Matheny’s former second baseman in St. Louis, Kolten Wong.
Wong was one of the players who’d been outspoken about playing better and feeling more comfortable under current Cardinals manager Mike Shildt after having what he described as a “very short leash” under Matheny.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore expressed confidence in the way Matheny has brought along young KC players like Lopez while trying to maximize the entire roster so far this season.
While Moore insisted Lopez is an important player for the organization both now and in the future, he also pushed back on the idea that Lopez’s inconsistent playing time was anything other than a product of the Royals’ roster as currently constructed.
“Nicky has been outstanding,” Moore said. “When you’ve got a 30-man roster and you’re trying to use your 30-man roster and use a lot of different players, match-up personnel, those types of things happen.
“There are nights when Whit Merrifield needs to play second base, Mondesi is going to be in the lineup every day. Franco is going to be in the lineup every day. On those days, Nicky is going to have to do whatever he can, come off the bench and be ready. That’s just a fact. That’s not a Mike Matheny thing, that’s a Dayton Moore thing. You can only play nine (men).”
With Merrifield being one of the premiere players and most proven offensive performers on the roster, the club committed to and confident in Mondesi’s ability as an everyday shortstop and Franco’s track record of offensive production — he entered Tuesday tied for the second-most extra-base hits in the majors — the decision, to Moore, is a simple one.
Moore pointed to examples such as All-Star outfielder/first baseman Braves Ryan Klesko and former Silver Slugger winner Adam LaRoche as guys who didn’t hit against left-handed pitching early in their careers. Klesko had eight seasons of at least 20 home runs, and LaRoche won a Gold Glove and played 12 seasons in the majors.
“These things don’t fit perfectly like a puzzle,” Moore said. “They don’t fit hand and glove in the major leagues. It just doesn’t …. This is the major leagues and nobody is going to give you anything. You have to take it. That’s the way it works. That’s the way it works in high-level competitive environments. ...
“The way Nicky Lopez has always played at every level, and how he’s playing right now, he’s making a strong case that he’s ready to take over instead of take part.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 12:34 PM.
