Jorge Lopez

32-Year-Old PitcherRP

Washington Nationals

2024 Stats

W-L

2-3

ERA

2.89

WHIP

1.23

2025 Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

Lopez was cut by the Mets midway through last season, but latched on with the Cubs and immediately went on one of the best statistical runs of his career, turning in a 2.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 26.2 innings with Chicago. A groin strain ended his season prematurely last September, but the 31-year-old right-hander's strong run in the second half was enough to land him a one-year, $3 million deal with Washington for 2025. Lopez holds a poor 5.25 ERA (4.39 SIERA) over his nine-year career and his strikeout and walk rates are likely to be below league average, but a lack of depth in the Nationals' bullpen could still afford him regular high-leverage opportunities. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

From Preseason

#385

ADP

League Majors

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'2"

Weight 205

DOB 2/10/1993

Born Caguas, Puerto Rico

College None

Drafted 2nd Rd 2011 MIL

Healthy, remains in mix for saves

PWashington Nationals

February 19, 2025

Lopez (groin) completed a live batting practice session Monday, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

ANALYSIS
Lopez is facing no limitations this spring after a right groin strain kept him on the injured list for the final week of the 2024 season. Before getting shut down, Lopez accrued a 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB over 53 innings between stops with the Mets and Cubs, with his strong finish to the season earning him a one-year, $3 million deal in free agency with the Nationals. With Washington non-tendering last season's closer, Kyle Finnegan, earlier in the offseason, the back end of the bullpen is unsettled, but manager Dave Martinez reiterated earlier this week that Lopez and Jose Ferrer will likely be the leading candidates to pick up saves if the Nationals don't bring aboard a more proven closer before Opening Day. "Ferrer will get an opportunity to close as well," Martinez told Zuckerman. "Right now, we're going to play matchups. But if Lopez is available, he can do it." With Ferrer being the left-handed option of the two, the right-handed Lopez could have the inside track to see a higher volume of save opportunities.

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Pitching Stats

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2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2024 MLB Game Log

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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2017 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown

Average Pitch Count

Last 10 Games

Last 5 Games

How many pitches does Jorge Lopez generally throw?

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

What part of the game does Jorge Lopez generally pitch?

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

% Games Reaching Innings Threshold

% Games By Number of Innings Pitched

Left/Right Pitching Splits

Since 2022

-6%

BAA vs RHP

2024

-12%

BAA vs RHP

2023

-4%

BAA vs RHP

2022

-9%

BAA vs RHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2022vs Left	.253	301	72	33	65	10	3	12
Since 2022vs Right	.237	480	99	39	101	20	0	10
2024vs Left	.253	87	24	7	20	4	0	5
2024vs Right	.222	130	26	12	26	5	0	1
2023vs Left	.299	91	21	9	23	2	0	6
2023vs Right	.286	175	28	13	44	13	0	6
2022vs Left	.218	123	27	17	22	4	3	1
2022vs Right	.199	175	45	14	31	2	0	3
More Splits→	View More Split Stats

Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2022

-20%

ERA on Road

2024

-85%

ERA on Road

2023

-15%

ERA on Road

2022

-51%

ERA at Home

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2022Home	4.09	1.30	103.1	8	7	17	8.1	3.5	1.2
Since 2022Away	3.28	1.31	79.2	4	5	13	8.8	3.6	0.9
2024Home	4.76	1.34	28.1	1	2	2	9.8	2.9	1.9
2024Away	0.73	1.09	24.2	1	1	2	6.9	3.6	0.0
2023Home	6.35	1.47	34.0	4	1	2	6.1	3.4	1.9
2023Away	5.40	1.56	25.0	2	1	1	9.4	3.2	1.8
2022Home	1.76	1.12	41.0	3	4	13	8.6	4.0	0.2
2022Away	3.60	1.27	30.0	1	3	10	9.9	3.9	0.9
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Stat Review

How does Jorge Lopez compare to other relievers?

This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

K/BB

2.63

K/9

8.5

BB/9

3.2

HR/9

1.0

Fastball

95.6 mph

ERA

2.89

WHIP

1.23

BABIP

.287

GB/FB

1.52

Left On Base

81.3%

Exit Velocity

82.6 mph

Barrels/BBE

5.5%

Spin Rate

2057 rpm

Balls Hit 95+ MPH

26.9%

Swinging Strike

9.5%

Advanced Pitching Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2021

2020

2019

2017

2016

Lopez's days as a starter are likely over, as he was used strictly as a reliever in 2022 and turned in the best season of his career. His success can be attributed to a velocity spike on all four pitches, with noticeably more movement. Lopez averaged 97.7 mph on his sinker, a whopping +2.4 difference from 2021 that resulted in a career best 57.8% groundball rate. He also set career marks with a 2.54 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 24.2% strikeout rate. Lopez's success as a reliever afforded him closing duties early in the 2022 season. He posted 23 saves between the Orioles and Twins, but struggled with his command after the trade to Minnesota and saw limited chances for his new club. Lopez should earn a nice raise in his second year of arbitration, but his relief role for 2023 is currently unclear. He's likely to get some save chances, but don't count on double digits in the category again. Somewhere from seven to 15 saves is a more reasonable expectation.

Lopez was placed on the bereavement list by the Royals on July 31 and the team designated him for assignment upon reinstatement. Claimed by the Orioles, Lopez went on to make six starts and three additional appearances out of the bullpen for Baltimore, pitching to a 5.28 FIP and 9.5 K-BB% over 38.1 innings. He totaled 123.2 innings for the Royals in 2019, and even as a groundballer pitching half his games at Kauffman Stadium, Lopez had major homer problems (1.96 HR/9). He is mostly a fastball-curveball pitcher, mixing in a changeup roughly 10% of the time, with none of the offerings providing much swing-and-miss. Lopez's strikeout rate is under 20% for his career and he has not cracked 20% since his first year in the majors in 2015. He can eat innings for a bad team and that's about it.

Lopez has worked nearly 190 innings at the big-league level between Milwaukee and Kansas City with a 7-15 record, 5.89 ERA and 1.51 WHIP to show for it. He is a groundball pitcher who walks the narrowest of tight ropes in order to avoid disaster, but he struggles to stay on that fine line. Four of his 18 starts last season were of the quality variety, and he failed to make it through five innings in six of his other outings. He also allowed multiple homers in seven of his starts while allowing three homers in three of those seven outings. The surface numbers did not improve all that much in relief, though he did have a 4.15 FIP and 3.98 xFIP in his 37.1 innings out of the bullpen, providing some hope that he could have a future there. As long as he's a starter, Lopez is not rosterable unless he is is facing Detroit in a split-squad game.

Lopez bounced between the Brewers' bullpen and Triple-A Colorado Springs for the first half of the season with good results, recording a 2.75 ERA in 19.2 innings. After being sent to Kansas City as part of the Mike Moustakas trade in late July, he went on to make six starts, posting a 7.14 ERA despite flirting with a no-hitter in one of those outings. His strikeout rate fell from 17.7% in relief to 15.4% as a starter, but that came with a dramatic cut in his walk rate from an untenable 15.3% to 6.0%. Lopez once projected as a No. 3 starter as a prospect (consensus top-75 overall prospect prior to 2016), with decent fastball velocity (averaging 94.5 mph last year) and a deep arsenal. However, after struggling as a starter he was quickly shifted to the bullpen once Milwaukee's window for contention opened. The Royals wouldn't have much to lose by letting Lopez start again in 2019, but fantasy managers can afford to take a wait-and-see approach in most formats.

Lopez was unable to capitalize on an excellent 2015 that included his major league debut at just 22 years old. He was eaten alive at Triple-A Colorado Springs -- a fate many a minor league arm has suffered -- as he served up 101 hits in 79.1 innings and a brutal 6.81 ERA in 16 starts. In July, the Brewers mercifully demoted Lopez back to Double-A, where he found more success but continued to struggle with control and posted a 3.97 ERA, nearly a half run higher than his 2015 mark. Lopez has shown mid-rotation upside, but last year, the inconsistency in his command that had many doubting him in the past defined his campaign. Lopez is just 24, but he needs to turn things around sooner rather than later.

Lopez earned a couple of spot starts and was hit around a bit (14 hits in 10 innings) but struck out 10 batters and managed to hang around for five innings in each start. He was just 22, and he dominated the Double-A Southern League in 24 starts, posting a 2.26 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in 143.1 innings despite being two years younger than his average opponent. Lopez may not make Milwaukee's rotation out of spring training, but he will be on the short list of replacements should the Brewers need another starter due to injury or ineffectiveness. That's a pretty good bet, considering that the team used 11 different starting pitchers in 2015. Lopez struck out 137 batters (8.7 K/9) in Double-A last year, and he has the stuff to compete. The next step will be tightening the control, as he posted a 3.3 BB/9 with Biloxi in 2015.

More Fantasy News

Might get chance to close

PWashington Nationals

Groin

February 10, 2025

Lopez (groin) is the only reliever in the Nationals' bullpen with any significant closing experience, Bobby Blanco of MASN Sports reports.

ANALYSIS
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Headed to Washington

PWashington Nationals

Groin

January 11, 2025

Lopez (groin) signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Nationals on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

ANALYSIS
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Goes back on IL

PChicago Cubs

Groin

September 23, 2024

The Cubs placed Lopez on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right groin strain, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
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Returns from IL

PChicago Cubs

September 18, 2024

The Cubs activated Lopez (groin) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

ANALYSIS
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Nearing return

PChicago Cubs

Groin

September 16, 2024

Lopez (groin) has rejoined the team and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list within the next few days, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Lots of trade interest

PBaltimore Orioles

July 1, 2022

Many teams have an interest in acquiring Lopez, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

ANALYSIS
Lopez is "getting lots of hits" as teams look to shore up their bullpen at the trade deadline. The 29-year-old is having a breakout season and has posted a 0.73 ERA and 0.81 WHIP while notching 13 saves in 32 appearances for Baltimore. The Blue Jays, Cardinals, White Sox, Padres and Twins could all benefit from an upgrade at the back end of their bullpen. Lopez has two years of team control after this season, and the Orioles could also keep him as they work to field a competitive team within that time frame.

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