Nicky Lopez's Biography
Nicholas Lopez, a professional American baseball shortstop, has an illustrious career in Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on March 13, 1995, Lopez’s journey in baseball started early on while attending Naperville Central High School located in Naperville, Illinois. During his senior year in 2013, he attracted attention due to his impressive batting average of .398. The athlete’s outstanding performance earned him a place in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame on January 26, 2024.
Post high school, Lopez decided to hone his skills further by enrolling at Creighton University. Here, he played college baseball, and in 2016 during his junior season, he scored an admirable .306 average with two home runs and 22 Runs Batted Ins (RBIs) in 55 games. This exceptional performance led him to get drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft.
Lopez made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals in 2016, where he spent the entire season. His end season statistics showed an average of .281, with six home runs, 29 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases over 62 games. The next season, he divided his time playing between the Wilmington Blue Rocks and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. His combined average was .279, with two home runs, 38 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and a .704 OPS in 129 games.
In 2018, Lopez started off playing for Northwest Arkansas and got promoted to the Omaha Storm Chasers in June. In the 130 games split between the two clubs, he achieved a whopping .308/.382/.417 batting average with nine home runs and 53 RBIs.
2019 saw the baseball professional reprising his role with Omaha. However, on May 14, he got his first major league call-up to the Kansas City Royals. That night he made his major league debut against the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, his overall performance in 2020 showed a decline with a .201 average, one home run, and 13 RBIs in 56 games. Despite this, he was nominated for the Gold Glove at second base but ended up losing the award to César Hernández of Cleveland.
Spring training 2021 introduced unexpected changes for Lopez – he had to change his jersey number to No. 8 to facilitate Jarrod Dyson’s No. 1. With his spring training average at .118 and Whit Merrifield expected to assume the second baseman’s role, Lopez was set for Triple-A Omaha. However, due to an injury to shortstop Adalberto Mondesí, Lopez started the regular season in the Royals.
Later, Mondesí reactivated on May 25 and was again set aside for a different injury on June 6. Lopez was assigned the Royals All-Star ballot at the designated hitter’s position, though he hadn’t played a single game there in the season. The same year, Lopez scored his first home run of the season in a 3-6 loss against the Houston Astros on August 19. Lopez ended 2021 on a high, scoring 78 runs, 43 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, and a .300 batting average. He was noted as the first regular Royals shortstop to ever bat .300 or better in a season.
In July 2023, Lopez was traded by the Royals to the Atlanta Braves for Taylor Hearn. His first start with the Braves on August 12 showcased his talent brilliantly as he recorded four hits, including a 3-run home run, and concluded the game with a scoreless ninth inning in a 21-3 victory against the New York Mets.
November 16, 2023, brought a significant change in Lopez’s career when he was traded by the Braves to the Chicago White Sox, together with Michael Soroka, Jared Shuster, Braden Shewmake, and Riley Gowens for Aaron Bummer.
Lopez has also played internationally. He represented the Italian national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. His career continues to inspire and entertain baseball fans across the world. The professional baseball shortstop’s journey in MLB and evident rise to fame serves as an inspiration for many upcoming athletes.
