White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez has been named a Gold Glove Award finalist.
After finishing up his first season with his hometown team, the kid from Naperville was named one of three American League second baseman nominated for the award. The other finalists from the AL include Guardians second baseman Andres Giminez and Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien.
Lopez’s five Outs Above Average, a stat measuring a player’s range, ranked in the MLB’s 88th percentile. While Lopez is being recognized for his work at second base that was not the only position he played for the White Sox this season. Lopez played 83 games at second base, 72 of which were starts. However, he also started 39 games at shortstop in the 45 games he played at the position.
Lopez proved to be a slightly better second baseman than shortstop. He posted 4 Outs Above Average at second and 1 at shortstop. In the 640.1 innings he played at second base he committed just three errors. He also logged 100 putouts and 180 assists while helping turn 33 double plays from the right side of the infield. His 3.54 Range Factor per nine innings at second base ranked fifth in the MLB. While Lopez put together a respectable season with his glove he is a long shot to win the award.
Giminez is the defending Platinum Glove winner for best defensive player in the AL. He also led all second basemen with 20 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS). Semien was also a highly credible defender with 10 defensive runs saved. Each player had an OAA of 19. Meanwhile, Lopez bas a DRS of -10.
While Lopez faces an uphill battle to win the award it is a nice accolade from an otherwise forgettable season. This is not the first time he has been recognized for his work at second base. Lopez was also named one of four finalists among AL second basemen for a Gold Glove Award in 2020 after he posted a .991 fielding percentage, the second-highest fielding amongst AL second basemen that year.
With losing the most games in baseball history over two seasons…Sox fans were all excited about this award.