Otto Lopez's Historic Season Just Placed Him in Elite Marlins' Company
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Otto Lopez has been the Miami Marlins' MVP through the first two and a half months of baseball this season, and he continues to rake. After batting .330 through the first full month of the season, he improved upon that with a .339 average in May.
Just in case anyone still thought his offensive prowess was a fluke, he's upped his game even more in June, and has placed himself amongst a sure-fire Hall of Famer, and former Marlin.
With a multi-hit game in Miami's dominant win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, Lopez has accumulated 28 multi-hit games through Miami's first 68 games. Lopez now has multiple hits in six of his first eight games this month.
The Marlins' shortstop has been a hit machine and is an expert in getting on base twice at this point. He tied Marcell Ozuna, Dee Strange-Gordon, and Luis Arraez with the second-most multi-hit games through Miami's first 68 games, and fell just two games short of tying Miguel Cabrera for the lead at thirty.
This time last season, if you were told that Lopez would be close to breaking a franchise record set by Cabrera, you'd think it's crazy.
At this point in the season, he's hit so well it's almost expected. He's batting .417 this month with a 1.102 OPS and leads baseball in hits and batting average.
Incredibly, the Marlins claimed Lopez off waivers from the Giants immediately after the 2024 season began. He proved enough to stick for a couple more seasons, and now he's been the best contact hitter in baseball.
Miami Marlins Shortstop Has Reached All-Star Caliber Status
Lopez joined Miami, his third team, with just 11 big-league plate appearances, hoping for an opportunity. Even after a middling 2025 season, he proved enough to continue to get opportunities and has made a case to be the starting shortstop for the National League in the All-Star game next month.
Best of all, he's hitting every pitch thrown his way. Entering Wednesday night, he owned a .292 batting average against offspeed pitches, which is much improved from his .163 average against them last season. He's an elite fastball hitter at .378, but also against breaking balls, too. He's batting .319 compared to his .263 average against them last year.
He's hit the ball on the ground more than last season, and he's finding holes in the defense. Just two months into the season, it's almost time to wonder if Lopez should receive a contract extension. He still has three-years of arbitration remaining before free agency, but if this new Lopez sticks for good, he might price himself out of Miami before we realize.
While most people didn't see this outbreak coming, it's a welcome sight for a middling Marlins team.
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Jeffrey is a sports writer located in Louisville, Kentucky, with a passion for sports, writing, and storytelling. He has hundreds of published articles across various platforms, including Kentucky Today, The Baptist Courier, FanSided, and more. Jeffrey is a senior at Indiana University Southeast pursuing a B.S. in Journalism/Media with a Minor in Writing. He has a beautiful wife, dog, and firstborn child on the way.