SAN FRANCISCO -- In early April 2024, the Marlins claimed a little-known infielder two years removed from the Majors with just nine big league games on his resume.
Fourteen months later, Otto Lopez is Miami’s everyday shortstop. Is this something Lopez would’ve thought possible at the time?
“I mean, why not?” Lopez said. “All the work that I've been put in, it just shows, and they probably see that, too. So, I just feel very great for what I'm doing right now.”
Lopez drove in three runs against his former club and Heriberto Hernandez added a career-high four RBIs in the Marlins’ 8-5 victory over the Giants in 10 innings on Wednesday night at Oracle Park. Miami, which took two of three against Atlanta over the weekend, captured consecutive series for the first time this season.
Both players are examples of the under-the-radar finds that the Marlins’ organization has had a knack of discovering over the past two seasons.
“I think it speaks very much to [president of baseball operations] Peter [Bendix] and the front office and our pro scouting group to go identify some talented players that maybe haven't gotten an opportunity, or runway for a particular time,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “But [they] find things that they have some intriguing traits and provide some opportunity here for them to go out and see how that plays at the Major League level.
“Most of them have all been performers in the Minor League level, and [now] to get an opportunity in the big leagues to see how that translates. So good scouting, and the confidence that those guys have the ability to play here.”
After righty Calvin Faucher blew the save in the ninth, Miami responded with four runs in the 10th. Lopez blooped a one-out RBI single to center, Hernandez added a two-run double and Connor Norby tacked on a sacrifice fly.
Earlier in the game, Lopez doubled in two runs in the fourth for the lone blemishes against All-Star righty Logan Webb. Since taking over as Miami’s shortstop on May 21, Lopez is batting .276 with three doubles, three homers, five steals and 16 RBIs. After developing into one of the game’s premier defensive second basemen, he is proving to be just as good at short (2 defensive runs saved entering Wednesday).
“[The opportunity] means a lot,” said Lopez, who also collected two hits and an RBI in Tuesday’s series opener. “This organization, of course, they gave [me] the opportunity to go out there and play, and that's a big moment. We want to show that we can also do the job. Of course, coming from the other teams, they probably don't have that chance. And I just feel great right now.”
Added McCullough: “I'm sure he feels great that he's able to come back here and play so well the first couple of games. We all know Otto is a terrific player, what he does defensively, but how he's been swinging the bat, especially the last three weeks, has been great.
“The at-bat quality has continued to improve. He's come up with some big hits, and you've seen him really stay through the middle of the field and stay on some breaking pitches. Good for Otto to come back here and really show out well for these first two days.”
But Lopez’s heroics don’t happen without Hernandez and vice versa.
In the eighth, Hernandez sent sidearmer Tyler Rogers’ slider outside the zone up the middle for the then-go-ahead two-run single. Hernandez, who hadn’t played since Friday, entered Wednesday with just three career RBIs in 16 games. This marked his first career multi-RBI contest.
“It was the first time [seeing that arm angle],” Hernandez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It is very strange the way he pitches the angle, but Otto gave me the confidence. He gave me a couple tips before taking that at-bat. He told me a few things so I can have success.”
Hernandez, 25, spent parts of seven seasons in the Minors before making his MLB debut on May 30. The opportunity never emerged with Texas or Tampa Bay, so Hernandez signed a Minor League deal with Miami on Nov. 13, 2024, with an invitation to big league camp.
“This is a great organization,” Hernandez said. “They always work with us, preparing us to have success, win some games, and even though we're not in the lineup, we're always going to be prepared to do our job. I was in Tampa Bay, an organization that has a similar philosophy, always prepared to win games.”