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Reds prospect Alejo Lopez’s old-school approach is one to follow

By Drew Koch

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: A glove and ball sit on the field before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: A glove and ball sit on the field before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Cincinnati Reds infield prospect Alejo Lopez approaches the game of baseball a bit differently than most players do today. Lopez is a bit of a throwback player who’s not going to wow you with exit velocity and power, but he’s been successful and is ascending the minor league ladder.

Lopez was the 805th player taken in the 2015 MLB Draft, and you find his name among the top prospects on MLB Pipeline or FanGraphs. But, don’t take that to mean that his game won’t play at the major league level.

Reds minor leaguer Alejo Lopez is not your traditional prospect.

Most of what we’ve seen from the Cincinnati Reds on the development-side of things has leaned toward power-hitting prospects. Alejo Lopez is not that type of player. The switch-hitting infielder is going to put the ball the ball in play and use his better-than-average speed to get on base.

Throughout his minor league career, Lopez has hit .299 and posted an on-base percentage of .370. During the first week of the minor league season while playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts, Lopez is hitting .400/.483/.440 with a Double-A Southeast Division-leading 10 hits in 25 at-bats.

Lopez is never going to lead the league in home runs or RBIs. Over 1,196 career games in the minors, the 25-year-old has just seven long balls to his name and 136 RBIs. Lopez is more of table-setter. Lopez has been hitting leadoff for Double-A Chattanooga thus far in 2021.

While it’s highly unlikely to happen in 2021, don’t bet against Alejo Lopez eventually making his way onto the Reds major league roster. Without the power tool, it’s most likely Lopez profiles as a second baseman at the next level, though the 5-foot-10 Lopez can also play third base.

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I look at a player like Lopez in much the same way I view Alex Blandino; a reliable, defensive-minded infielder who can give you solid at-bats. Alejo Lopez ins’t going to light the world on fire, but his old-school approach to the game is a breath of fresh air, and his progress in 2021 will be one to follow.

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