'You deserve to be there': Lopez's journey to first All-Star Game

MIAMI -- Before embarking on the Marlins’ recent three-city road trip, Otto Lopez and his wife Marle went out shopping.

While admiring the suit collection at AMIRI, the superstitious Lopez balked at purchasing one. Despite being MLB's batting average and hits leader, Lopez wasn’t guaranteed an All-Star selection.

Making an All-Star team has been one of Lopez’s oldest dreams, but he didn’t want to jinx it. Turns out Marle can be persuasive, ultimately convincing him to buy a dark blue custom fit.

“I kept telling him, ‘You might not make it through the fan vote, but you deserve to be there, and you have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in the process, and how hard you worked, and that people see what we see in you,’” Marle said. “‘If you believe in yourself, and you see that in yourself, then go buy yourself a suit, because you belong there.’”

On the second-to-last day of that road trip, Lopez became the fourth shortstop in Marlins history to be named an All-Star, joining Hanley Ramirez (2008-10), Alex Gonzalez (1999) and Edgar Renteria (1998).

Marle’s pep talk followed a pattern throughout the 27-year-old Lopez’s story. This All-Star chapter doesn’t exist without others believing in him along the way.

After Lopez shuttled back and forth within the Blue Jays' organization, the Giants acquired him for cash at the start of 2024 Spring Training. On April 1, Lopez was boarding Triple-A Sacramento’s bus at Sutter Health Park, where he was informed that the Giants had designated him for assignment.

“When I finally got DFA'd, it was a tough moment, I would say,” said Lopez, who relayed the story at that same West Sacramento ballpark shortly after becoming a first-time All-Star. “Sat down to myself, and I prayed a lot. I asked God, if he's willing to give me the opportunity again to be in an MLB stadium, I would give my all, and that's what happened after that."

Three days later, Lopez’s life changed forever when Miami selected him off waivers from San Francisco.

At the time, a pregnant Marle was back in Orlando, Fla. Prior to the Marlins swooping in, Marle feared Lopez would inevitably miss their firstborn's arrival due to being on the opposite side of the country.

“I was like, ‘Don't mess this up. You need to stay on this team, because I'm super pregnant, and you're so close now,’” Marle recalled.

Talk about motivation.

Lopez spent 10 games at Triple-A Jacksonville to begin his Marlins tenure, then joined the big league club for good. Double-play partner Xavier Edwards remembers Lopez from their time at Lansing and Fort Wayne, respectively, in 2019. Lopez stood out on a team that featured eventual two-time All-Star Alejandro Kirk and Marlins teammate Griffin Conine.

“It was Low-A,” Edwards said. “Nobody is really anything yet, but I always knew he could hit. You could just tell by his swings. He had a pretty flat swing, made good swing decisions. He could hit pretty much anything. He always had good bat-to-ball skills, so I knew he was a good hitter.”

Added Conine: "I don't want to say he didn't grow, but it was the same guy. The way he hit was so similar. He just was a pure hitter, pure defender. You just saw all that from a young age. He's matured, developed, but it was there always. It was like he was always going to be this guy."

Over the 2024 offseason, his first with the Marlins, Lopez also reunited with hitting coach Pedro Guerrero. They first linked up while representing the Dominican Republic in the 2019 WBSC Premier12, and again 2024 Spring Training with the Giants. Back then, Lopez played second base, while future All-Star Geraldo Perdomo manned short.

“They just had really high things to say about him, like, ‘He makes a ton of contact, he's going to play in the big leagues, needs some arm strength’ and things like that,” Guerrero said. “The second time I saw him with the Giants, it was a completely 180-degree change. He put on so much muscle. His body just looked built. He definitely worked his butt off to get stronger.”

Guerrero and assistant hitting coaches Chris Hess and Corbin Day have played a pivotal role in building Lopez’s confidence and tweaking his mechanics, developing him into one of the game's elite batters.

The Marlins weren’t content with Lopez being the franchise’s first shortstop to belt at least 15 homers since Ramirez in 2010. They believed more was in the tank. So, Lopez changed his stance. This spring, they told Lopez he could be an All-Star. Lopez said he would do anything to be one.

Mission accomplished.

“A couple years ago, Otto wasn't a name that many people around the sport were talking about,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “He's found a home here, and he's taken advantage of his opportunity. He exemplifies so much about what we're about. He's incredibly accountable, he works hard. He's getting better every year.”