Defense propelled Otto Lopez into the ranks of Miami Marlins' elite. Can offensive gains unlock his true star potential? Discover his journey and future.
Otto Lopez was one of the most valuable players on the Miami Marlins last season.
The only Miami player with a higher wins above replacement was Kyle Stowers, and it was a close race (3.6 to 3.5).
Lopez became this valuable despite having what was, by many metrics, a below-average offensive season. He ended the year with decent power numbers (15 homers, 77 RBI), but his slashline was a pedestrian .246/.305/.368, and his OPS plus was only 86, 14 points below the league average.
The biggest reason Lopez was as valuable as he was for the Marlins was defense, and he's the subject of "Getting to Know the Fish," a Marlins Roundtable series profiling each Miami Marlins player.
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 185 pounds
Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Years in MLB: 3
Years with Marlins: 3
2025: Before we get into last year, let's talk about Lopez's early career.
Lopez made his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022, but his season amounted to one game and one plate appearance. The next season, Lopez played in eight times the number of games and had 10 times the plate appearances, but if you do the math, that still isn't very much.
After a brief spell with the San Francisco Giants, where he never played any major league games, the Marlins signed Lopez off waivers in April 2024. Lopez ended up playing in 117 games that season, and was, by WAR, Miami's most valuable player at 2.6 despite playing less than two-thirds of the season.
The biggest reason for this was defense.
Lopez ended 2024 as one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball, finishing with 15 defensive runs saved, which was tied for fourth in the league.
In 2025, Lopez became the starting shortstop and ended with seven defensive runs saved, which tied for the sixth most.
If Lopez can improve his offense, the Marlins could have a sneaky star.
Outlook: The key to Lopez improving his offense is simple: plate discipline. Lopez's OBP last season was .305, which borders between average and poor.
The more Lopez walks, the more he'll get on base, and the more he gets on base, the more chances he'll have to steal, which he's shown that he could do well (20 steals in 2024).
Lopez is close to being Miami's best player, and some improvements offensively can get him there.
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