Javy López

In thisSpanish name,the first or paternalsurnameisLopezand the second or maternal family name isTorres.

Javy López
López as a catcher for theAtlanta Braves
Catcher
Born:(1970-11-05)November 5, 1970 Ponce, Puerto Rico
Batted:Right Threw:Right
MLB debut
September 18, 1992, for the Atlanta Braves
Last MLB appearance
September 2, 2006, for the Boston Red Sox
MLB statistics
Batting average	.287
Home runs	260
Runs batted in	864
Teams
Atlanta Braves(1992–2003) Baltimore Orioles(2004–2006) Boston Red Sox(2006)
Career highlights and awards
3×All-Star(1997,1998,2003) World Serieschampion (1995) NLCS MVP(1996) Silver Slugger Award(2003) Braves Hall of Fame

Javier "Javy" López Torres(born November 5, 1970) is aPuerto RicanformercatcherinMajor League Baseballwho played for theAtlanta Braves(1992–2003),Baltimore Orioles(2004–2006) andBoston Red Sox(2006). He batted and threw right-handed. He was named Ponce, Puerto Rico's Athlete of the Year from 1984 to 1987.

Professional career

Atlanta Braves

López was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1987 as anamateurfree agent,López made his debut on September 18, 1992, against theHouston Astros.After sharing duties withCharlie O'BrienandEddie Pérezfor four seasons, he established himself as the Braves' regular catcher in 1996. The same season, he led the Braves to win theNational League Championship Series,earning the seriesMost Valuable Playerhonors. He also made theNational League All-Starteam from 1997–98. Lopez had his best season in 2003 with a.328batting average,43 home runs and 109RBIin 129 games, including a.378on-base percentageand a.687slugging percentage.In that season he brokeTodd Hundley's record for most home runs hit in a season by a catcher (41) and was selected to theAll-Star Game,winning theSilver Slugger Awardand finishing fifth in theNational League MVPballot. While with the Braves, López caughtKent Mercker'sno-hitteron April 8, 1994.

While López starred for the Braves, he very rarely caught futureHall of FamepitcherGreg Maddux,who was not comfortable pitching to him. Instead the Braves' backup catcher, which varied over the years, would become Maddux'spersonal catcher.

Baltimore Orioles

Before the 2004 season, López signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. He hit.316 with 23 HR and 86 RBI, the following year López suffered a broken hand on a foul tip, ending the year with a.278 with 15 HR and 49 RBI while seeing a decline in his game time from 150 to 103 games.

Boston Red Sox

In the 2006 midseason, López was acquired by theBoston Red Soxfrom Baltimore in exchange for minor leagueoutfielderAdam Sternand cash considerations.López debuted with Boston on the same day afterDoug Mirabellileft the game early after an ankle injury. On September 8, the Red Sox released López due toJason Varitekreturning from thedisabled list,which minimized playing time for López.

Retirement

In January 2007, it was reported that López reached a preliminary agreement on a $750,000, one-year contract with theColorado Rockies,but he did not play for them during the regular season.Before the 2008 season he signed a minor league deal with an invitation tospring trainingwith the Atlanta Braves, in an attempt to return to the majors. But after being told he would not make the opening day lineup, López retired for good."I feel perfect physically", he said. "It's just that the hitting wasn't there and unfortunately I didn't throw the guy out on the stealing attempts. That's a concern. I don't blame them. My role as a backup catcher is to be able to throw every single runner out."He plans to continue in the Atlanta Braves organization performing other duties. In a 15-season career, López posted a.287 average with 260 home runs and 864 RBI in 1,503 games. His 243 home runs as a catcher ranks eighth on the career list at that position. Strong defensively, he recorded a.992fielding percentage.In 60 postseason games, he batted.278 (57-for-205) with 27 runs, 14 doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBI and 14 walks. His final game was on September 2, 2006.

Personal

López's first marriage was to Analy Hernández. They have two children: Javier Alexander (born 11/6/95) and Kelvin Gabriel (born 10/17/99). The marriage ended in divorce. López married his second wife, Gina Brodbeck, on June 23, 2004.They have two sons: Brody Brodbeck Lopez, born in 2010, and Gavin Richard Lopez, born in 2013.

See also

• List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Major League Baseball career home run leaders

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromMLB,orESPN,orBaseball Reference,orFangraphs,orBaseball Reference (Minors)