Cooperstown Choices: Javy Lopez
With the Hall Of Fame election announcement coming on January 9, 2012, it is time to review the ballot, go over the names, and decide who belongs in the Hall Of Fame.
There are twenty seven men on the ballot this year and we will take a look at each one individually prior to official announcements. You can find all of the profiles in the I-70 Baseball Exclusives: Cooperstown Choices 2012 menu at the top of the page.
Tune in Saturday, January 7, 2012 as I-70 Baseball Radio will host a panel of writers discussing the Hall Of Fame Ballot in a 2-hour special.
In this article, we take a look at Javy Lopez.
Javy Lopez
The backstop that spent the majority of his major league career in the Atlanta Braves organization, finished his 15 season as a member of the Baltimore Orioles in 2006. A catcher that was known for his presence at the plate, this will be Lopez’ first time on the Hall Of Fame ballot.
| Year | Tm | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ATL | 9 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .375 | .375 | .500 | .875 | 140 |
| 1993 | ATL | 8 | 16 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .375 | .412 | .750 | 1.162 | 203 |
| 1994 | ATL | 80 | 277 | 27 | 68 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 35 | 0 | 17 | 61 | .245 | .299 | .419 | .718 | 84 |
| 1995 | ATL | 100 | 333 | 37 | 105 | 11 | 4 | 14 | 51 | 0 | 14 | 57 | .315 | .344 | .498 | .842 | 117 |
| 1996 | ATL | 138 | 489 | 56 | 138 | 19 | 1 | 23 | 69 | 1 | 28 | 84 | .282 | .322 | .466 | .788 | 100 |
| 1997 | ATL | 123 | 414 | 52 | 122 | 28 | 1 | 23 | 68 | 1 | 40 | 82 | .295 | .361 | .534 | .895 | 129 |
| 1998 | ATL | 133 | 489 | 73 | 139 | 21 | 1 | 34 | 106 | 5 | 30 | 85 | .284 | .328 | .540 | .868 | 124 |
| 1999 | ATL | 65 | 246 | 34 | 78 | 18 | 1 | 11 | 45 | 0 | 20 | 41 | .317 | .375 | .533 | .908 | 127 |
| 2000 | ATL | 134 | 481 | 60 | 138 | 21 | 1 | 24 | 89 | 0 | 35 | 80 | .287 | .337 | .484 | .822 | 104 |
| 2001 | ATL | 128 | 438 | 45 | 117 | 16 | 1 | 17 | 66 | 1 | 28 | 82 | .267 | .322 | .425 | .747 | 89 |
| 2002 | ATL | 109 | 347 | 31 | 81 | 15 | 0 | 11 | 52 | 0 | 26 | 63 | .233 | .299 | .372 | .670 | 74 |
| 2003 | ATL | 129 | 457 | 89 | 150 | 29 | 3 | 43 | 109 | 0 | 33 | 90 | .328 | .378 | .687 | 1.065 | 169 |
| 2004 | BAL | 150 | 579 | 83 | 183 | 33 | 3 | 23 | 86 | 0 | 47 | 97 | .316 | .370 | .503 | .872 | 127 |
| 2005 | BAL | 103 | 395 | 47 | 110 | 24 | 1 | 15 | 49 | 0 | 19 | 68 | .278 | .322 | .458 | .780 | 106 |
| 2006 | TOT | 94 | 342 | 36 | 86 | 20 | 1 | 8 | 35 | 0 | 20 | 76 | .251 | .297 | .386 | .683 | 75 |
| 2006 | BAL | 76 | 279 | 30 | 74 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 31 | 0 | 18 | 60 | .265 | .314 | .412 | .727 | 87 |
| 2006 | BOS | 18 | 63 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .190 | .215 | .270 | .485 | 22 |
| 15 Seasons | 1503 | 5319 | 674 | 1527 | 267 | 19 | 260 | 864 | 8 | 357 | 969 | .287 | .337 | .491 | .828 | 112 | |
| 162 Game Avg. | 162 | 573 | 73 | 165 | 29 | 2 | 28 | 93 | 1 | 38 | 104 | .287 | .337 | .491 | .828 | 112 | |
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | |||||||
| ATL (12 yrs) | 1156 | 4003 | 508 | 1148 | 190 | 14 | 214 | 694 | 8 | 271 | 728 | .287 | .337 | .502 | .839 | 113 | |
| BAL (3 yrs) | 329 | 1253 | 160 | 367 | 72 | 5 | 46 | 166 | 0 | 84 | 225 | .293 | .343 | .468 | .811 | 112 | |
| BOS (1 yr) | 18 | 63 | 6 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | .190 | .215 | .270 | .485 | 22 | |
| NL (12 yrs) | 1156 | 4003 | 508 | 1148 | 190 | 14 | 214 | 694 | 8 | 271 | 728 | .287 | .337 | .502 | .839 | 113 | |
| AL (3 yrs) | 347 | 1316 | 166 | 379 | 77 | 5 | 46 | 170 | 0 | 86 | 241 | .288 | .337 | .459 | .796 | 107 | |
Why He Should Get In
Javy Lopez put up some impressive career numbers for a catcher. With 1,527 hits and 260 home runs, 267 doubles, as well as 864 runs batted in and a .828 OPS (On Base Plus Slugging Percentage), he proved that he could handle the bat during his career. Lopez would finish tenth in the 1994 voting for the Jackie Robinson Award, given to the top rookie in each league. He would make appearances in the All Star Game in 1997, 1998, and 2003. He won the Silver Slugger Award in 2003, his final season with the Braves. His run with the Braves was during the highly successful decade of the 90’s, which will keep him known as a key part of a winning ball club as well.
Why He Should Not Get In
Javy Lopez was never known as an overly defensive catcher and that will hurt him. Had he won a Gold Glove or two, he would be a virtual lock for Cooperstown. His numbers, while impressive for a catcher, are not overly impressive overall. Another guy that ends up on the bubble, Lopez may find his way in someday, but many voters will keep him from going in the first time on the ballot.
Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
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