Jorge López will get a chance to showcase his skills on one of MLB’s biggest stages.
The Orioles closer is the team’s representative at the 2022 MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
It will be the first career All-Star appearance for the 29-year-old López, and he is the first reliever to represent the Orioles at the game since Brad Brach and Zack Britton in 2016.
“It’s always something going around, talking and everything, but it’s something you don’t think about,” López said. “I get here every day to do my job every day and take the opportunity to get to the mound and get the win to the guys. It means a lot, and it’s an honor, for sure, to be part of this organization and represent not only this organization but Puerto Rico and my family, where they’ve been giving me a lot.”
López has collected 17 saves in 21 opportunities this season, pitching to a 4-5 record with a 1.62 ERA (8 ER/44.1 IP) in 40 games. He has struck out 51 batters while walking 15, limiting opponents to a .167/.254/.263 (26-for-156) slash line with a 0.92 WHIP.
His 17 saves rank sixth in the AL and 11th in MLB. He has recorded six saves of more than 1.0 inning, tied for the most in the majors this season with Scott Barlow of Kansas City. Since 1993, only two Orioles have recorded more such saves in one season — Chris Ray, with nine in 2006, and Armando Benítez, who had seven in 1997.
“I looked at reliever stats a few days ago,” manager Brandon Hyde said, “and for guys pitching in his situation, to close games, he’s got by far the most innings, which for me means, it’s not that I’m doing two-inning saves with him, it’s that I’m putting him in tough situation in the eighth inning to help us out and then go out and pitch the ninth.
“So, I know he’s had a couple of rocky outings, but he has been one of the huge reasons why we’ve won so many games.”
López has also been an inspiration off the field and his son, Mikael, is traveling with him to the All-Star game. In recent years, Mikael has undergone chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, and Jorge Lopez has balanced his career with the care for his son.
“I have to be thankful to Brandon and Mike [Elias] for giving me that job and trusting me,” López said. “That’s something, I think, at this level you don’t see a lot, when a guy who has struggled a lot, and give him the opportunity, it is huge.”
It’s possible that López could be dealt at the trade deadline as the Orioles put the final pieces in place for their rebuild. López could bring back several key prospects because almost all of the contending teams need a late-inning reliever or closer.
However, the Orioles are still in the wild-card race heading out of the All-Star break and the team might be inclined to keep Lopez.
General manager Mike Elias said everything is on the table.
“Everything that I do or that we do has tradeoffs, and all I can say is, we do everything from a very global, a very thoughtful perspective about what is the right thing to do for the health of the Orioles’ franchise,” Elias said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m saying we’re taking a look at everything as we make these decisions and we’ll see what happens.”
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