Even with his competition in the minors, Royals’ Nicky Lopez wants to ‘earn my spot’
While fans and pundits speculated about Bobby Witt Jr.’s potential fit as the Kansas City Royals second baseman, Nicky Lopez stayed the course and continued to implement swing tweaks even if that meant taking a step backward.
Lopez, 26, has played just shy of a season’s worth of games since he made his debut in the majors in 2019. However, he hasn’t come close to matching the sort of offensive contributions he made in the minors.
So Royals hitting coach Terry Bradshaw and coach John Mabry made suggestions to help Lopez simplify his swing. It has been tough sledding this spring, but Lopez has committed himself to making the adjustments even as the results lag behind.
“I would be lying to say it’s easy to stay positive during that,” Lopez said on Monday. “Obviously, you want to see some production. You want to see yourself driving balls and getting on base, but you’ve got to take some positives out of it and know that you’re trending in the right direction. Just believe in what they are wanting me to do and that what they are asking of me is going to work. I believe and trust them.”
Through 16 Cactus League games, Lopez has batted .118 with a .231 on-base percentage. He remains steadfast that he’s working towards more consistent results.
“Obviously, it’s not the spring that I’ve been looking to have,” Lopez said earlier this week. “It has definitely been a process where I’m learning a lot, learning about myself. I’ve been working hard with Mabes and Terry. We’re progressing in the right direction leading up to the season. We’ve just got to keep doing that and keep putting in the work.”
On Monday, Lopez snapped a string of nine consecutive at-bats without a hit when he lined a bases-loaded two-run single in the second inning to drive in the Royals’ first runs of the day. Lopez, an AL Gold Glove finalist last season, entered that day batting .097 this spring.
“That was big, big RBI, big situation,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Lopez’s clutch hit. “Nice short stroke, getting it over the infield when we needed something to happen.”
Lopez knows he needs to show progress. He’s not the type of established veteran who receives leeway because of a previous track record.
Last season, Lopez led all second baseman with eight defensive runs saved, and ranked second among AL second basemen in putouts (74), assists (135) and double plays turned (34) as well as third in UZR (1.4).
In his 159 MLB games, Lopez has slashed .228/.279/.307 with 92 strikeouts and 36 walks.
Even with Witt set to begin the year in the minors, the Royals will have options at second base.
Whit Merrifield came into camp slated to start in right field, but he has played second base more than any other position. Hanser Alberto signed this offseason after having been the starting second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles.
“I know I have to earn my spot. I have to earn every spot that I get, every (bit) playing time that I get. I know that I’ve got to show my coaches and (Matheny) that I deserve to be out there. I have to put some production up, and I know that.
“That’s where being positive has to come into play because I am working really hard with Terry and Mabes on getting the swing right. I know the glove is there, but I’ve got to obviously put in that production.”
This story was originally published March 25, 2021 at 12:43 PM with the headline "Even with his competition in the minors, Royals’ Nicky Lopez wants to ‘earn my spot’."
