Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- A player once designated for assignment by two teams now leads the majors in batting average through 74 games this season.
- The breakthrough came after a complete overhaul of his hitting mechanics over the winter, transforming him from a career .260 hitter into a consistent elite performer.
- His team sits in a tight playoff race, forcing a difficult decision between keeping a cost-controlled cornerstone or capitalizing on his historic season.
It is Juneteenth, and the player with the highest batting average in the Major Leagues is … Otto Lopez?
Yes. Otto Lopez.
The Miami Marlins shortstop is hitting .336 through 74 games and tops the big leagues with 98 hits. This is coming from an unheralded player who was designated for assignment by two different teams in a six-week span in 2024, and who entered this season with a .260 career batting average in 1,039 plate appearances.
“He’s been on a scorcher all season,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said.
Who is Otto Lopez?
That’s a fair question, because only serious fans outside of South Florida likely know. Lopez has had a largely undistinguished career since breaking into MLB in 2021.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right-handed hitter was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2016 as an international amateur fee agent. Lopez spent most of his formative years in Montreal but moved back to the Dominican so he would not be subjected to MLB’s amateur draft.
Lopez reached the Majors five years later, playing in one game that year and eight in 2022. After spending the 2023 season at Triple-A, Lopez was DFA’d by the Blue Jays just before the start of spring training in 2024 and had his contract sold to the San Francisco Giants. Six weeks later, the Marlins were awarded Lopez on a waiver claim and have been a regular in their middle infield ever since.
What has caused Otto Lopez’s breakthrough?
In the simplest terms, Lopez wanted to be more than an ordinary player. Thus, he spent the winter revamping his hitting mechanics.
“You look where his swing is at right now, compared to a couple of years ago, and he’s made some real adjustments,” McCullough said. “He's really using his legs a lot better. He's getting into a stronger position to hit, getting behind the ball much better, and you’re seeing him access all parts of the field. He gets hits all over the place.
“He runs well enough, too, that some of the balls that he mishits and just puts in play can turn into scratch hits. He's a tough guy to strike out now, and he's also physically stronger now.”
Lopez’s slash line this season is .336/.368/.473, compared to .246/.305/.368 in his career prior. Lopez has enjoyed being on his season-long “scorcher.”
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Lopez told FanSided. “I’ve been working hard to have a season like I’m having this year. I’ve been playing in the big leagues for a while, and I’ve been building confidence every year, but I knew I could become a better hitter. I’ve learned to do a lot of little things that have helped me, and when I make mistakes, I can fix them more quickly now.”
The work is paying off. Lopez admits that he takes pride when he sees his name at the top of the league leaderboard.
“It feels great,” Lopez said with a smile. “Everyone wants to be at that level. It’s been pretty amazing so far. I’m working hard because staying on top is the hardest part.”
Would the Marlins trade Otto Lopez?
The Marlins have shown throughout their 33-year history that they are open to trading just about any player at any time. However, Lopez is also the type of cost-controlled player the Miami prefers, as he is not eligible for salary arbitration until the upcoming offseason.
The Marlins insist they are trying to win now after staying in contention until the final days of last season. Miami is 37-38 and 10 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the National League East, but they're also just two games out in the Wild Card race.
While Lopez would be in demand and the Marlins would be selling high if they moved him, management believes the franchise's best chance to have sustained success is by fielding an athletic team to play in spacious loanDepot Park. The Marlins feel they are particularly strong up the middle with Lopez, second baseman Xavier Edwards, rookie catcher Joe Mack and center fielder Jakob Marsee. None is older than 27.
“Otto and Xavier are very rangy and can make a lot of plays,” McCullough said. “I think they are the best double play combination in baseball right now. Otto has really broken out this season, and it always makes you feel good to see a lot of hard work pay off for a player.”
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