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IL Buffalo Bisons

Getting to Know the Herd: UTL Otto Lopez

July 7, 2023 - International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


BUFFALO, NY - Otto Lopez was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays as an international free agent on July 4, 2016. His road to that point was a bit untraditional. After being born in the Dominican Republic, his family moved to Montreal and raised Lopez, who is fluent in English, Spanish and French, in Canada. After just four years in Montreal, Lopez went back to the Dominican Republic so he could live with his uncle and train at a small baseball academy.

At the end of the day, he is just a Montreal kid living out his dream. He remains tied to the area as his family still lives there today. Growing up a Blue Jays fan and attending games as a kid has made Lopez appreciate where he is even more.

"That makes me proud of my culture," Lopez said. "I grew up watching the Blue Jays and going to the stadium as a young kid and I made up in my mind that I wanted to play at one point in the Rogers Centre which has already happened and is pretty special."

His dream of making it to the majors came true on his 23rd birthday, August 17, 2021, as he would pinch hit for the Blue Jays in their game against the Washington Nationals. When Lopez got an opportunity to play in the big leagues again in 2022, he would not disappoint, ending the season on a three-game hitting streak, going 6-9 in those games with three RBIs.

In addition to already having played in the Majors, Lopez can add participating in the World Baseball Classic to his resume. He was selected to team Canada for the 2023 WBC, going 5-17 with a triple, home run and six RBIs in four games.

Despite making his major league debut and being selected to the pre-season tournament in the span of two years, Lopez's focus remains on where his current team is in their season. The Bisons began the second half of their season with a five-game series against the Worcester Red Sox two weeks ago at Sahlen Field. With a fresh start for everybody across the minors, Lopez made it clear his team has one goal: to make the playoffs and win as many games as possible.

"We have a different mindset right now because we started the second half of the season," Lopez said. "We're trying to go out and give 100% to win as many games as we can so we can earn a spot in the playoffs."

Lopez has been a major piece of the Buffalo offense this season. During the first half of the year, he was fifth on the team in batting average, fourth in hits, sixth in RBIs and fourth in runs. Even with his impressive start to the season, Lopez emphasized that his only goal for the second half of the year is to continue providing for his team and stacking up wins.

"My second half goal is to be consistent hitting wise and running the bases better," Lopez said. "Being in the top five batters is great but it's helpful to get wins for the team."

From the Dominican Republic to Montreal, Lopez has been living out every kid's dream, playing pro baseball in his hometown. Between his MLB debut in 2021, selection to represent Canada in the WBC and impressive start to the 2023 campaign, there are plenty of reasons for his friends and family in both the Dominican Republic and Montreal to celebrate.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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