Luis Lopez

Well, head on over to his profile page for an idea of the numbers he hit. Top 10 batting average all four years he had enough at bats, 100+ RBIs four times as well.

His downfall came with this incident that still bewilders me.

It was odd that his production (RBIs) dropped off so sharply the year he played in the Pacific League. But then, Fukuoka Dome is much larger than Hiroshima Municipal Stadium. It seems to me that quite a few players have a hard time adjusting between leagues.

Hiroshima had let Lopez go after the 1997 season because he got too expensive. They brought him back mid-way through 2000 due to lack of production from Ball and Brito. I'm sure that someone in the front office thought, "We sure could use a player like Lopez again." And someone else replied, "Well, he is available." At least they acted on it in time. After Rose left Yokohama, their front office would often say, "We need someone like Rose," but wouldn't go after him.

Thanks, Mr. Westbay.

Luis Lopez is one of the nicest guys on the Patriots team, always willing to talk to everyone, so I hope no one thinks bad about him.

From what I've heard, he was like that in the Carp club-house as well -- always making a point to congratulate his team mates when they did well. Even with Maeda, with whom there seemed to be friction building up until the above incident, Luis would go out of his way to complement when ever possible. Maeda, though, was (is?) kind of a loner and wasn't very receptive nor reciprocal.

Lopez Update:

Coming into tonight he was hitting .293, and he blasted a 2-run home run that gave us the lead for good. He doesn't start every game because of some injury and the fact that our MVP center fielder can't throw because of a torn labrum, and thus DHs every game.

He is great in the clubhouse as Mr. Westbay mentioned. He's a true professional.

Good morning from Japan,

Luis Lopez is an awesome ball player and a great person who takes the time to compliment his teamates. I personally hated to see him go. The Carp's loss. They are definitely in need of a first baseman like Luis Lopez.

By the way, I am also a baseball player from Bay Ridge Brooklyn, N.Y. and currently playing amatuer ball in Japan after serving my country. Baseball is my passion. Obviously I do not have any independant or minor league ball experience. However, I do have plenty of amatuer baseball experience. I'm currently residing in Japan with the hopes of exposure to scouts. In the future, would there be any upcoming tryouts? Thanks for your assistance in advance.

The Patriots just finished the season a few weeks ago, winning the Atlantic League title!

I have to say that, as time moved on and I got to know Luis Lopez, he is one of the most decent humans you'd ever want to meet. He went out of his way to congratulate his teammates, worked endlessly on his and their hitting, and provided a general maturity in what was a crazy but tight-knit clubhouse.

He also started at first base eventually, and was crucial in our drive towards the AL championship. In 280 AB, he hit .296 with 8 homers and 49 RBI, and struck out only 10 times! He walked 15 times. You can find out more about him at www.SomersetPatriots.com.