Since being drafted in the 27th round back in 2015 by the Cincinnati Reds, Alejo Lopez had been solid but unspectacular in his minor league career. All of that changed in 2021. He had worked his way up to Advanced-A in 2019 with Daytona and then played for Monterrey in the Mexican Winter League in both the 2019 and 2020 winters. With the 2020 season cancelled in Minor League Baseball, Lopez had to wait until 2021 to get to the Double-A level. The wait was worth it for as short as it lasted as Lopez hit .362/.437/.448 with nine doubles and more walks than strikeouts.
After beating up on Double-A pitching, the Reds promoted Lopez to Triple-A on June 2nd. The infielder didn’t skip a beat. In fact, he performed even better. Over the first four weeks with Louisville, Alejo Lopez hit .358/.436/.526 with 12 extra-base hits in 24 games and had just seven strikeouts.
On June 28th Cincinnati made another promotion and Alejo Lopez joined the Reds at home against Philadelphia where he came off of the bench as a pinch hitter and picking up his first big league hit – a single – in the process. On July 1st he’d get a second straight start against San Diego and he’d go 4-5 on the day and score two runs. Despite the strong game, he would barely play over the next two-and-a-half weeks, going 0-8 with just one start mixed in there. He would briefly go back to Triple-A and play in three games in two days before returning to Cincinnati for two games – going 1-2 as a pinch hitter – before heading back to Louisville on July 27th.
Over the next month he’d remain with the Bats in Triple-A and hit .290/.396/.419 with 17 walks and just nine strikeouts in 26 games. When September began he’d get called up for a few days, playing in three games before returning to Louisville for the final three weeks of the season where he hit .255.
For all 2021 Season Reviews and Scouting Reports – click here (these will come out during the week throughout the offseason).
Alejo Lopez Scouting Report
Position: Second Base | B/T: S/R
Height: 5′ 10″ | Weight: 170 lbs | Acquired: 27th Round (2015)
Born: May 5, 1996
Hitting | He has an above-average hit tool.
Power | Lopez has well below-average power.
Speed | He shows below-average speed.
Defense | He’s a slightly below-average defender.
Arm | His arm is fringe-average.
Hitting for average is where Alejo Lopez stands out. It’s the one tool he shows that’s average or better. The switch-hitter can and does use the entire field from both sides of the plate. And he can and does make tons of contact, showing elite bat-to-ball skills. In the minors this past season he walked significantly more often than he struck out, too. In 2021 he also began to show a little more pop in his bat, something he attributes to just maturing as a hitter and knowing what to do better. While there was more power, he’s still a hitter with well below-average power in his bat but there’s enough there that pitchers can’t just throw him fastballs down the middle, either.
Defensively Alejo Lopez is best suited for second base. His range isn’t great, but he can make the routine play and his arm works fine for the position. He has also played third base and a little bit of left field in his career, though he doesn’t profile enough as a hitter to be a potential starting option at either of those spots.
The upside for Alejo Lopez is that of a solid starting second baseman who carries a high average without much power, makes tons of contact, and gets on base. But the more likely scenario is that he’s a quality utility player who can come off of the bench when you need someone to put the bat on the ball, make contact, pick up a hit from either side of the plate, or give you a few starts per week around the field. He’s got some versatility and what he can bring with the bat is very useful. Top it off with the fact that he’s ready to fill that role right now at the Major League level and the floor is quite high.
Alejo Lopez Spray Chart
Left-handed hitting Spray Chart
Right-Handed hitting Spray Chart
*Minor League Hit Data only*
Interesting Stat on Alejo Lopez
When the game was tied in 2021 in the minor leagues, Lopez hit just .237. When his team was leading he hit .342. And when his team was trailing he hit .379 and also hit 4 of his 6 home runs.
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