Pedro Michel López (born April 28, 1984) is a Dominican former professional baseball

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

(2005) and the Cincinnati Reds (2007).

Professional career

Chicago White Sox

As a 16-year-old in , López was signed as an undrafted

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

. In , López was sent to the

Arizona White Sox The Arizona Complex League White Sox are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, competing in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. The team is compos ...

in the

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it ...

, a rookie-level professional baseball league. López batted .312, going 62 for 199 in 50 games. He also stole 12 bases and scored 26 runs. López was sent to the Appalachian League, another rookie-level professional baseball league, in , where he played for the Bristol White Sox. He upped his batting average to .319, playing in 63 games, knocking in 83 hits, and stealing 22 bases while scoring 42 runs. In , López was sent to the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, a Single-A league, where he played for the

Kannapolis Intimidators Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte and is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The city of Kannapolis was incorporated in 1984. The ...

. He hit .264 in 109 games with 40 runs scored and 24 stolen bases. At that point, López was promoted to high-A ball with the

Winston-Salem Warthogs Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

in the

Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...

. He played only 4 games with the team, and batted 3 for 13. López stayed with the Warthogs in and showed vast improvement in his hitting. He played in 111 games, racking up 124 hits, scoring 62 runs, and stealing 12 bases. Towards the end of the season, López was promoted to Double-A with the Birmingham Barons in the Southern League. He played the remaining 7 games of the season there and went 5–23 in his first taste of Double-A ball. For the season, López started again with the Barons and struggled a bit with his hitting, only batting a .238. Regardless of his performance,

scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

saw his potential as he was only 21 years of age and playing in Double-A ball. He was promoted to the

Charlotte Knights The Charlotte Knights are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and play their home games at Truist Field, which opened in 20 ...

in the International League. He batted .202, getting 38 hits in 188

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

. Soon after, López was promoted to the big leagues. López made his major league debut on May 1, 2005, and played in two games for the

. He went 2–7 in with a run scored and 2 RBI. López began the season with the

, the White Sox Triple-A affiliate, but was later released by the team.

Cincinnati Reds

On May 21, 2007, he was picked up off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds. He was sent to the Red's Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Bats. On July 8, 2007, he was called up to the Reds and made his Reds debut on July 14, going 0–3 against the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Post-majors

On October 26, , the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

claimed him off waivers. He became a free agent at the end of the season. Lopez signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates on January 6, 2009. He signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

on January 13, . Lopez played the 2012 season with the

Bridgeport Bluefish The Bridgeport Bluefish were an American minor league baseball team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team was a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

References

External links