MINNEAPOLIS – Alejo Lopez has been the most dominant hitter in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system, but he’s come too far to be satisfied now.
Lopez, a 25-year-old second baseman, reached base in all 25 games he played at Double-A Chattanooga this year. He hit .362 and produced a .437 on-base percentage in 105 at-bats, which earned him a promotion to Triple-A Louisville.
The scary part? He’s hitting even better at Louisville.
Lopez, a switch-hitter, is hitting .388 with a .481 OBP in 18 games at Triple-A with nine doubles, two homers, 14 RBI and 17 runs scored. His on-base streak ended with a 0-for-3 game on June 4, but he already has seven multi-hit games while batting at the top of Louisville’s lineup.
“It means a lot, but I mean it’s only going to be worth it when I’m being great at the best level,” said Lopez, who has reached base in 41 of his 43 games this year. “I didn’t sign to be a minor leaguer and I didn’t come this far just to be satisfied now.”
Lopez was a 27th-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, but all he’s done in his minor league career is hit. The difference now is that he’s added some power to his swing, hitting more doubles (18) in his 43 games this season than any previous year.
He was with the Reds in spring training this year, so he’s been on the radar for a potential callup. He played well at the alternate site before the minor league season began.
“I just know how to hit better now,” Lopez said. “I know situations better. I know my swing better. I know myself as a player better. I’ve developed to be who I am today. I know why the ball carries. I know why my swing works the way it works. When you start understanding all those things, then you can give yourself the chance to add power to it because now you know how to truly hit.”
Lopez didn’t have anywhere to play at this time last year, facing some live pitching when he met up with people around his home in Phoenix. He played 49 games for Monterrey in the Mexican Winter League, receiving 189 at-bats, which was important for his development.
During spring training, he says his goal was just to soak up information. The hitting meetings were helpful because he learned more about the team’s hitting philosophy that they’re trying to implement throughout the organization.
“Being around the guys that have been in the big leagues for so long, you get to hear their personal experiences and what they think about the game,” Lopez said. “I mean, they are so confident in what they’re doing because they’ve been doing it for so long at the best level.”
Now the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Lopez finds himself on the cusp of the big leagues. That's what a .372/.455/.512 slash line with 27 RBI and 35 runs across 43 games in the upper levels of the minor leagues will do for a player.
The Reds are low on infield depth after injuries to Mike Moustakas, Nick Senzel, Alex Blandino and Max Schrock. The only infielder on the 40-man roster who isn’t with the big-league club is shortstop Jose (Garcia) Barrero, their top prospect who is developing offensively at Double-A.
Lopez feels like he’s prepared to help the Major League team when he’s called upon.
“I mean, I think so,” Lopez said. “I’m not the one making the calls, but from a playing perspective, yeah, it feels really, really close. Levelwise, I feel like I’m there. So, you know, the rest is up to the club and we’ll see what happens by September.”
ALL-STAR UPDATE: In the latest All-Star balloting update, Nick Castellanos and Jesse Winker remain in a position where if the voting ended today, they would be starters in the Midsummer Classic.
Castellanos ranks second among National League outfielders and Winker is third. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. leads the outfielders – and all NL players – with 1.599 million votes. Castellanos has 1.168 million votes and Winker has 968,339. Mookie Betts (826,951) is the only other outfielder with more than 415,000 votes.
This voting period will last until 4 p.m. Thursday. Then MLB will announce finalists (top nine outfielders, top three at other positions) and a new round of voting will begin Sunday. All vote totals will reset and the top vote-getters will be the starters from the four days of voting among the finalists next week.
Catcher Tucker Barnhart is seventh among NL catchers, which is the highest position among other Reds players.
MINOR SIGNING: The Reds signed outfielder Mallex Smith to a minor league contract and he’s expected to report to Triple-A Louisville.
Smith has spent five seasons in the Major Leagues, playing 14 games for the Seattle Mariners last year. He was a non-roster invitee to spring training with the New York Mets this year, but he was released by the Mets on May 28.
The 28-year-old is known for his speed, stealing an American League-best 46 bases in 2019. Smith, a lefty hitter, adds some depth behind the current group of Reds outfielders.
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