The complex leagues have all completed their regular seasons, with the Dominican Summer League championship series taking place as I type this. Today saw Minor League Baseball and the Florida Complex League, Arizona Complex League, and Dominican Summer League name the postseason All-Star teams. The Reds have teams in both the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League and had one player on each All-Star team. David Lorduy made the team out in Arizona and Christian Lopez made the team in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Summer League is the only league in the minors that actually plays an All-Star game. They used to be played in all of the leagues, but over the last decade that stopped happening. In that All-Star game it was Christian Lopez who got the start for his division. So he’s made the midseason and postseason All-Star teams.
Lopez made his debut in 2023 as a 16-year-old and threw just 7.0 innings thanks to missing nearly two months in the middle of the season before returning with just two weeks left on the schedule. This past season he remained healthy for the year and he performed quite well. Lopez threw 47.1 innings with a 2.09 ERA while pitching in 13 games between the DSL Reds and DSL Rojos. He allowed just 30 hits, zero home runs, walked 14 batters, and he had 64 strikeouts on the year. His 64 strikeouts were tied for 4th most in the league.
While the season is over for Christian Lopez, it’s not over for David Lorduy. After the complex season came to an end he joined the Single-A Daytona Tortugas to continue his season. In his time out in Arizona, Lorduy pitched in 13 games and had a 2.76 ERA across his 42.1 innings pitched. The 20-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed just 30 hits, walked nine batters, and he picked up 41 strikeouts. That was plenty good enough of a performance to earn a spot on the Arizona Complex League All-Star team.
Lorduy, as noted, has continued his season with Daytona and he’s been even better with the Tortugas than he was out in Arizona. He’s now pitched in four games, throwing three innings in each outing, and hasn’t allowed an earned run yet while giving up just four hits, one walk, and he’s struck out 14 hitters.