Tim Lopes was the Mariners’ hottest hitter this spring. He’s carried that production into summer camp
Tim Lopes was the hottest hitter the Seattle Mariners had when spring training shut down in March.
He was tied for the Cactus League lead in doubles — knocking five in 11 games played — and had the highest batting average of any Mariner with multiple spring training at-bats when games were suspended, slashing at .440/.440/.640.
Lopes looked like a lock to make Seattle’s Opening Day roster, months after impressing the club during his 41-game debut last summer.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the season was delayed, it was disappointing to lose that momentum, Lopes said.
“I think it was disappointing for everybody,” he said Wednesday during a video call with reporters following an intrasquad game. “We definitely all want to be out there, and we all want to be playing ball.
“But, just the gravity of the situation, I think everybody understood, and I think safety is the No. 1 priority, so it is what it is, and we’re here today, and just trying to get ready for the season, and that’s all we can really control.”
Lopes, who is now 26, and still seems in good position to make Seattle’s 30-man roster out of summer camp as a trusted utility player, said he was able to stay sharp during the shutdown.
“I was fortunate enough to have a facility where I was able to hit,” he said. “I was able to throw, take ground balls, so I tried to stay as sharp as possible for those three months of quarantine.
“I just tried to get stronger, tried to get faster and just tried to better every aspect of my game.”
He seemed to pick up where he left off at the plate when summer camp opened at T-Mobile Park earlier this month. Entering Saturday, he was tied for the team lead in hits with top prospect Jarred Kelenic, hitting 6-for-13 with a double, RBI and two stolen bases in six games.
“He knows coming into this camp again, same spot, he’s fighting for an opportunity to make our Opening Day roster when we go to Houston,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said last week. “He’s not going to back off. I think he’s saying, ‘Hey, I can hit, I’m going to show you guys I can hit, and I ain’t backing down.’
“Really good at-bats, and you’ll see him play a lot in these intrasquad games. Certainly those guys that are fighting for those last few spots, you’ll find out what they can do.”
With the Mariners needing versatile players to fill in gaps in the outfield and bolster the infield, Lopes has made it a point to prove he can move back and forth.
Following his debut last July, he played more than 250 innings in the outfield for Seattle — primarily in left field — and posted just one error despite having appeared in the outfield just once during his eight seasons in the minors.
Lopes, who has played almost exclusively second base in Seattle’s system since 2012, with some third and shortstop mixed in, said he’s leaned on teammates and coaches to help him develop in the outfield, and he’s certainly proved to the Mariners he’s a serviceable option.
“I think trust and respect is definitely earned, and I’m willing to do that,” Lopes said. “I’m willing to earn the staff’s trust out there, and I’m going to do everything I can, and give them everything I’ve got every single day.
“That’s just where I’m at — trying to control what I can control, and trying to play hard every single day.”
The Mariners are also looking at Dylan Moore — who arrived to camp late last week after clearing health protocols, but played 113 games with Seattle last season — veteran Dee Gordon, and offseason pickups Sam Haggerty, Jose Marmolejos and Patrick Wisdom as other possible utility options.
The Mariners have three open spots on the 40-man roster, and with the Opening Day roster expanded to 30 players, the club could carry two or possibly three utility players.
“The flexibility they give myself on an everyday basis, being able to move to that many spots, it’s a nice luxury to have,” Servais said Thursday. “We haven’t always had that here. … It frees up a lot of things you can do as far as giving guys days off as well.”
For his part, Lopes plans to continue to get everything he can out of the Mariners’ remaining summer camp workouts — at every position he can.
“The coaches have made it a point to me that if I need any work or feel like I’m lacking at any position to just tap them on the shoulder, and let’s go to work,” he said. “They’ve been very accessible to me. Wherever I feel like I’m lacking at a certain position or haven’t spent a ton of time there, I definitely make it a point to try to get out there and hit my defensive cues and get myself mentally ready and physically ready for whatever position I’m at that day.”
RODRIGUEZ OUT 4-6 WEEKS
Mariners top prospect Julio Rodriguez will not need surgery after fracturing his left wrist during a drill Wednesday afternoon, Servais said, but will be held out of baseball activity for 4-6 weeks.
Based on that timeline, the earliest Rodriguez would be able to resume activities with the team’s taxi squad in Tacoma would be midway through August, assuming the Mariners keep him in the 60-man player pool.
“Looking down the road, you hate to lose an entire year,” Servais said. “I know Julio is tied to a winter ball team in the Dominican. Hopefully he can get on that club and get some at-bats there. We’ll just have to wait and see where that goes.”
SHORT HOPS
The Mariners plan to keep the starting rotation order they’ve used in camp in tact for the beginning of the regular season. Marco Gonzales will pitch Opening Day in Houston on Friday, followed by Taijuan Walker, Yusei Kikuchi and Kendall Graveman. When the Mariners travel to Anaheim, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn will make their first starts followed by Gonzales again to wrap up the road trip. … Catcher Tom Murphy (foot contusion) logged three at-bats in Thursday’s intrasquad game, and is back to his regular workload behind the plate. … Center fielder Mallex Smith and Moore, who arrived on the 11th day of camp, were scheduled to make their first intrasquad appearances Saturday. “Unfortunate they didn’t have the whole summer camp to prepare, but that’s the cards that they were dealt and we were dealt, so we’ll just try to make the best of it and get them up to speed as quick as we can,” Servais said. … Each of the Mariners’ remaining intrasquad games will begin at 6:10 p.m. Games Saturday, Monday and Tuesday will be streamed live on the Mariners’ YouTube and Twitch channels. Wednesday’s game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports and 710 ESPN Seattle. The Mariners depart for Houston on Thursday.
This story was originally published July 18, 2020 at 1:31 PM.
