Christian Michael Lopes (born October 1, 1992) is an American former professional baseball

infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles. ...

. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Amateur career

In 2006, Lopes was named the Under-13 National Baseball Player of the Year by ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

''. He played for the United States national baseball team in the

2010 World Junior Baseball Championship The 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship was an international baseball competition being held at the Port Arthur Stadium and Central Ball Park in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada from July 23 to August 1, 2010. Teams Just before the tournament st ...

. Lopes attended Valencia High School in

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17th ...

, for two years. As a sophomore, Lopes batted .453 with 15 home runs and 33 runs batted in (RBIs). He was named the Santa Clarita Valley Player of the Year and the Foothill League's

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. His family moved and he transferred to Edison High School in

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, Orange County in Southern California, located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. The city is named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 duri ...

. He committed to attend the University of Southern California.

Career

Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Lopes in the seventh round of the

2011 MLB draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

. He split the 2012 season between the Bluefield Blue Jays and the Vancouver Canadians, hitting a combined .278/.339/.462 with four home runs and 33 RBI. He played for the Lansing Lugnuts in 2013, hitting .245/.308/.336 with five home runs and 66 RBI. He spent the 2014 season with the

Dunedin Blue Jays The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. They are located in Dunedin, Florida, and play their home games at TD Ballpark, ...

, hitting .243/.329/.350 with 3 home runs and 33 RBI. He split the 2015 season between Dunedin and the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, hitting a combined .260/.339/.325 with two home runs and 38 RBI. In 2016, he again split the season between Dunedin and New Hampshire, hitting .283/.353/.402 with six home runs and 56 RBI. In 2017, he split the season between the

GCL Blue Jays The Florida Complex League Blue Jays are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays. The team plays it ...

, Dunedin, and the Buffalo Bisons of the Triple–A

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

, hitting a combined .269/.357/.421 with seven home runs and 46 RBI. Lopes elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

Texas Rangers

On December 4, 2017, Lopes signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He played for the

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

of the Triple–A

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

in 2018, hitting .261/.365/.408 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI. He split the 2019 season between the Double–A Frisco RoughRiders and the Triple–A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, hitting a combined .265/.356/.422 with 13 home runs and 65 RBI. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.

Miami Marlins

On December 18, 2019, Lopes signed a minor league contract with the

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. Lopes did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was released by the team on September 1, 2020.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On October 14, 2020, Lopes signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lopes spent the 2021 season with the Triple-A Reno Aces. Lopes played in 66 games, hitting .271 with nine home runs and 34 RBI. He became a free agent following the 2021 season.

Oakland Athletics

On March 11, 2022, Lopes signed a minor league contract with the

. He began the season with the Las Vegas Aviators. On April 18, Lopes was added to the Athletics roster as a COVID-19 related substitute. He made his MLB debut on April 20. Lopes went hitless in nine at-bats with a walk for Oakland before he was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A on April 27. He was released by the Athletics organization on August 2. In October 2022, he joined the Brazil national team for 2023 World Baseball Classic qualifiers. On July 19, 2023, Lopes announced on his Instagram that he was retired from professional baseball and had become a real estate agent.

Personal life

His brother, Tim, is also a professional baseball player. Married and expecting first child with his wife, Ashley.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopes, Christian 1992 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American sportspeople of Brazilian descent Bluefield Blue Jays players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Canberra Cavalry players Dunedin Blue Jays players Frisco RoughRiders players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Lansing Lugnuts players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball infielders Nashville Sounds players New Hampshire Fisher Cats players Oakland Athletics players Reno Aces players Round Rock Express players Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California) alumni Baseball players from Huntington Beach, California Vancouver Canadians players American expatriate baseball players in Australia