Clemente nominee Lopez an all-around standout human

This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And *subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.*

SAN DIEGO – Following a game in Pittsburgh this past June, All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez joined the Marlins’ contingent in visiting the Clemente Museum.

Lopez, who was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in Montreal, Canada, was inspired while learning more about the late Roberto Clemente’s legacy. The Hall of Famer died at the age of 38 in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 trying to deliver supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua.

“It's incredible how many things he did outside of baseball, and that's a man to follow,” Lopez said.

The 27-year-old Lopez is turning his words into action, following in Clemente’s footsteps by being named the Marlins’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee.

Every year, each Major League ballclub nominates a player who embodies Clemente by representing the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.

Fans can vote for the overall MLB Roberto Clemente Award winner by going to www.mlbtogether.com/clementeaward through next Sunday. The fan result will count as one vote among those cast by a blue-ribbon panel.

Lopez, who is also the club’s Heart and Hustle Award nominee, has been active in the community since growing roots in Miami.

In 2025, Lopez participated in the Miami Marlins Foundation’s annual Baseball Fantasy Camp for Kids at loanDepot park, working directly with young athletes with physical and intellectual challenges. He helped lead baseball activities on the field and spent time connecting with participants and their families. When the camp returned this past June, so did Lopez.

During the Miami Marlins Foundation’s 2025 back-to-school initiative, Lopez joined his wife, Marle, and their young daughter, Amelia, at Kensington Park Elementary School to distribute school supplies and Marlins tickets. The visit was part of a broader effort that equipped more than 10,000 elementary school students across Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties with resources for the new school year. 

“That's important just getting our daughter growing up in that environment of helping others,” Lopez said. “That's something that we want to teach her.”

The philanthropy also extends past organized team events. Marle has noticed fans of her husband at the ballpark and invited them to meet him following the game. Lopez has recorded well wishes for the Marlins’ Nike RBI teams before they competed in the MLB Nike RBI Regional Tournament, and even recorded a message of encouragement for a young boy named Otto as the child prepared for surgery.

“It’s incredible to see how those kids are maintaining their faith,” Lopez said. “If they can do it, I just teach myself I can do it, too.”

This past July, Lopez joined Javier Sanoja in visiting Global Empowerment Mission to help sort and pack critical supplies for communities in Venezuela affected by the earthquake as part of the organization’s broader relief effort.

The philanthropy also extends past organized team events. Marle has noticed fans of her husband at the ballpark and invited them to meet him following the game. Lopez has recorded well wishes for the Marlins’ Nike RBI teams before they competed in the MLB Nike RBI Regional Tournament, and even recorded a message of encouragement for a young boy named Otto as the child prepared for surgery.

“It’s incredible to see how those kids are maintaining their faith,” Lopez said. “If they can do it, I just teach myself I can do it, too.”

This past July, Lopez joined Javier Sanoja in visiting Global Empowerment Mission to help sort and pack critical supplies for communities in Venezuela affected by the earthquake as part of the organization’s broader relief effort.

“He's a great husband, he's a great dad, so I think in so many ways, Otto exemplifies what I believe our culture is, and we want it to continue to be through what he does on and off the field,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “We see the charitable works that him and Marle do. Otto's just someone that you can trust, and he's also coming into his own as a player.”