Javy Lopez Retired
In case you missed it over the weekend, long time Braves’ catcher Javy Lopez retired this weekend. Returning to the place where his career started Lopez thought the change of scenery would help him rediscover his Major League talent. However Lopez’ decision to retire came after he failed to earn a spot as the primary backup to Brian McCann. From ESPN.com -
“I feel perfect physically,” Lopez said. “It’s just that the hitting wasn’t there and unfortunately I didn’t throw the guy out on the stealing attempts. That’s a concern. I don’t blame them. My role as a backup catcher is to be able to throw every single runner out.”
Lopez finished his career as a .287 hitter with 260 home runs and 864 RBIs. He was an All-Star with the Braves in 1997, 1998 and 2003.
In addition to that Lopez also won the 2003 Silver Slugger award and the NL Comeback Player of the year. Lopez was also the NLCS MVP in ‘96 and won a World Series title with the Braves in 1995. Baseball is losing one of it’s “Estrellas” but maybe one of his two sons can fill that void in a couple of years.
