Kansas City Royals stick Nicky Lopez at short: ‘I’m blessed that they believe in me’
The question for the Kansas City Royals going into the offseason was whether Nicky Lopez fit as the right second baseman or complementary piece to cornerstone shortstop Adalberto Mondesi.
Last season, the duo of Lopez and Mondesi looked like a double-play combination that could form a core of a winning team. They covered ground, made athletic plays, displayed an electric chemistry and they energized both the club and the home crowds at Kauffman Stadium.
Mondesi, the dynamic switch-hitter with all the physical attributes to be a star at shortstop, seemed key to the equation. If he produced well enough offensively, he just might make up for any of Lopez’s shortcomings at the plate.
Well, that perception has changed quite a bit since last winter. And it changed more than once.
In the final month of this regular season with Mondesi healthy and back with the club, it’s Lopez who has cemented himself so firmly at shortstop that Mondesi will play third base. Lopez, who has become one of the club’s most steady hitters, anchors the infield defense with two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield at second base.
“It has been a great thing,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of the way Lopez and Merrifield have solidified the defense. “I don’t know if any of us expected to see the kind of defense that we’ve seen up the middle. They both have stepped in and filled a spot that’s really hard to fill.”
Matheny went on to say of the decision to leave the two where they’ve played most the season, “The timing was really (a big factor) as we analyzed and realized that these guys are having Gold Glove-caliber seasons, and that is so incredibly rare and such great accomplishments.”
Lopez, in particular, has made huge strides from when he was slated to begin the season in the minors. An excellent defensive second baseman, he earned his place among the finalists for the AL Gold Glove last season.
His lack of offensive production — a .201 batting average and a .286 on-base percentage with a strikeout rate of 21.4 % in 2020 — left the Royals open to other possibilities at second base.
When Lopez didn’t show signs of improvement in spring training, the Royals changed gears and planned to slot Merrifield back in at his natural position of second base.
The only thing that could keep Lopez from beginning the season in the minors? A Mondesi injury.
When Mondesi suffered an oblique strain on the final day of spring training, Lopez suddenly became the everyday shortstop. He’d started 30 game in his major-league career at shortstop before this season. Friday night, he started his 113th game at shortstop.
“You never want to get called back up due to an injury,” Lopez said. “I don’t care who it is or wherever you’re at, it is unfortunate. But you’ve got to just kind of take advantage of what you’re given. I’m just blessed that they’re still keeping me at short. I think I’ve put together a pretty good run at shortstop, and I look forward to finishing strong.”
Lopez set a franchise record for a shortstop with 72 consecutive games without an error. He entered Friday night having committed two errors in his last 94 games, and his .986 fielding percentage led the American League and ranked second in the majors.
Lopez also entered the night ranked second among shortstops in the majors and first in the AL in defensive runs above average, according to FanGraphs.com. He and Minnesota Twins shortstop Andrelton Simmons each entered the night with 14 outs above average, the third-highest total among major-league shortstops.
“I’m looking forward to Mondesi playing third next to me,” Lopez said. “I mean, our defense is great. It’s better with him out there. We know that. Everyone knows that. I look forward to sharing the field with him again because it was very special sharing the field with him. I’m sure he’s eager to get back out there as well. Like I said, I’m blessed that they believe in me to take over short the rest of the year.”
While Mondesi didn’t do a postgame video conference after his first game back on Wednesday, he did tell reporters prior to Thursday’s game that he looked forward to playing third base and trying something new.
The Royals haven’t broached the topic of playing the outfield with Mondesi, who has elite speed, but Mondesi also indicated he’d be open to that if that’s what the organization wanted him to focus on during the offseason.
For now, Lopez and Merrifield have done enough, defensively, to warrant the Royals letting them finish the year out in the middle of the defense.
“For those guys to make that adjustment, the versatility, but also that acceptance of I’ll do whatever needs to be done and both of them embracing the opportunity and working to get better to the point where they’re standing out as some of the best of the best, the right thing to do is to acknowledge and let them continue to do that right now,” Matheny said. “We’ll address things later, later.”
Offensively, Lopez has enjoyed the best season of his young career (he debuted in 2019). Through 122 games, he batted .289 with a .362 on-base percentage, 55 runs scored, 14 doubles, 41 walks, 34 RBIs and 18 stolen bases on 18 attempts.
Since June 15, he has led the AL in batting average (.335).
“Nicky has done an amazing job from day one,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said this week. “Nicky is a winner. He has always been a winner. That’s why we selected him in the draft. He moved very quickly through the system because of his consistent style of play and his energy. We’ve seen it from day one this year in the major leagues. To me, it is truly exhibit A of what happens when you show up and give your best every single day.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 10:42 PM.
