Blessing comes out of Struggles

[Reds_fan_4_life]

By John Fay

HOUSTON - Though the Reds have struggled this season, they might have found their shortstop of the future.

Felipe Lopez has been the club's best player for nearly a month now. Lopez takes the club's longest hitting streak since 2003 - 14 games - into tonight's opener of the Reds' three-game series in Colorado.

But Lopez has done a lot more than slap singles.

In the 30 games since he began playing every day, Lopez has hit for average (.302), he's hit for power (six home runs, 13 doubles) and he's fielded his position almost flawlessly (two errors). Overall, Lopez is hitting .295 with eight home runs, 25 RBI and four stolen bases.

No one wins a position long-term over 30 games - or over 53 games for that matter. But if Lopez can continue to play near this level, he will be the Reds' shortstop for the foreseeable future.

Lopez would like that very much, largely because of the man whose legacy he's following - Barry Larkin.

"I hope so," he said when asked if he thinks he's the Reds' long-term solution at shortstop. "I hope they think the same way. I really like it here. I like Cincinnati. It would be good to follow Barry, because he helped me so much."

The plan was for Lopez to follow Larkin when the Reds traded for Lopez in December 2002. Lopez was 22 at the time and already had played 124 games in the big leagues.

The Reds thought enough of his talent to trade their best starting pitcher at the time, Elmer Dessens, to get Lopez from Toronto as part of the four-team deal.

But in the two-plus seasons since the trade, there have been a lot of times when it looked as if Lopez would never become a full-time big-league player, much less one who is thriving the way he is now.

"I've been at the bottom," he said. "The last three years have been hell. It's made me stronger."

It's hard even for Lopez to pinpoint what has allowed him to make the leap he has this year.

"I don't think it's one thing," Lopez said. "I think it's my whole pro- cess in the big leagues. Everything I've been through. It's not like, 'Ah, this is what it is.' "

Hitting coach Chris Chambliss thinks it's confidence and hard work.

"He has a lot of confidence right now," Chambliss said. "He's in a rhythm. But he doesn't take it for granted. He continues to work and study. He's always asking about who he's facing, how to approach it."

Lopez has been given the chance to win the shortstop job before. Then-manager Bob Boone declared in spring training of 2003 that Lopez and Larkin were in competition for the job. Larkin even played a game in the outfield that spring.

But Larkin won the job. And Lopez struggled as the backup. He hit .213 and committed 16 errors in 59 games. He was optioned to Triple-A Louisville June 16 and never made it back to the big leagues that season.

On July 25 of that year, he dislocated his left ankle, which required season-ending surgery.

He recovered from the injury ahead of schedule and played his way into the Reds' plans by the end of spring training. But he didn't make the club out of Sarasota.

He played well at Louisville - .273, nine homers, 44 RBI in 75 games - earning a promotion June 1.

But again, he struggled in the big leagues. He hit .152 in 18 games, earning a ticket back to Louisville.

He was brought back to the Reds July 26, largely because the club was depleted by injuries. He played decently - .261, seven home runs, 26 RBI - in 61 games.

But that didn't stop the Reds from trading for shortstop Anderson Machado. The plan was for Machado to compete with Lopez for the job in the spring. When Machado injured his knee playing winter ball, the Reds signed Rich Aurilia.

That doesn't exactly send signals that management is confident in your skills.

But Lopez took it well. He put in his time in the offseason in Orlando.

"I watched a lot of my tapes in the offseason - hitting and fielding," he said.

He came into spring training in shape and playing well.

But he still lost out to Aurilia.

The big reason Aurilia won the job was the Reds were confident he would make the routine plays. Aurilia's career fielding percentage entering the season was .973; Lopez's was .956.

The Reds were willing to sacrifice range for reliability.

One of the major problems with Lopez was his throwing woes.

That has not been a problem this year. He has one throwing error all season and only two overall.

"His feet are so much better," infield coach Randy Whisler said. "He's got a good first step. He gets himself in position to make good throws."

Lopez continued to work while he wasn't playing. When the Reds inserted him in the lineup at second base to get more speed at the top of the lineup, he took advantage of the chance.

"I knew I was ready," he said. "I was confident. I was confident because of the work I put in in the offseason."

Lopez moved to shortstop when Aurilia went on the disabled list with a strained hamstring. Lopez has played so well in the interim that the job is his now.

He knows what he has to do to keep it.

"I think I can get better," he said. "There's always room for improvement. I want to keep getting better."

If the All-Star team were picked today, Lopez probably would make it. He leads National League shortstops in home runs and the all-important on-base-plus-slugging category, and is second in doubles.

"A few years back, if you asked me about the All-Star Game, I'd say no way," he said.

"Hopefully, it'll happen if I keep working hard."

good article about how FeLo has really developed into a bright star this year well over the last month/ I had no no idea that he was drafted one pick after Austin Kearns in 98. Keep it up Lopez bring us hope when hope is lost.

[Wally Mo Pena]

felo is awsome.

[QuietAcre]

I have absolutely no faith that the Reds organization knows how to handle this situation. Odds are great he'll be traded before next spring training. Just as will Dunn and others. Lopez is the kind of player any manager would love to have eight of in a lineup.