Baltazar López

Baltazar López Acedo

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 1", Weight 185 lb.

• Born November 22, 1983 in Caborca, Sonora Mexico

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Baltazar López has played in the minor leagues since 2002 and has appeared for the Mexican national team.

López debuted in 2002 with the Sultanes de Monterrey, hitting .417 in very limited action (5 for 12). In 2003, he moved to the Anaheim Angels chain and batted .301/.360/.439 in 44 games for the AZL Angels; he led the team with 12 doubles and had the best OBP among their starters.

Baltazar spent 2004 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, hitting .314/.368/.513 in 64 games. Only Howie Kendrick had a better OPS on the team; the lone negative was his defense, with 14 errors at first and a .975 fielding percentage there.

López batted .258/.313/.320 for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, struggling for the first time as a pro. He hit nothing further than a double in 194 AB. Back with the Quakes for 2006, the left-handed hitter produced at a .300/.366/.400 rate in 58 games and fielded .993 at first base. At age 22 in high A ball, those were respectable numbers, but it was a high-scoring league and hitter-friendly stadium and he was not showing much power. That could explain why it was his last year in the Angels chain.

In 2007, Baltazar returned to his native Mexico, joining the Chihuahua Dorados and hitting .296/.356/.471. He joined the Mexican national team for the 2007 Baseball World Cup and fared very well, hitting .273/.316/.545 with 3 doubles, 2 homers, 7 runs and 12 RBI as the starting first baseman. He led the tournament in RBI and was one homer behind co-leaders Mike Saunders, Justin Ruggiano, Andy LaRoche, Yuliesky Gourriel and Chia-Hsian Hsieh. He failed to make the All-Tournament team at 1B as Yasuyuki Saigo of Japan was selected. The Arizona Diamondbacks claimed his MLB rights from Anaheim in the AA phase of the 2007 Rule V Draft.

López's batting line was just .139/.162/.250 in winter ball for the Algodoneros de Guasave of the Mexican Pacific League. Back with Monterrey for the first time since his rookie year, he hit .266/.313/.430 in 68 games and he did not appear in the league finals, which Monterrey lost.

Sources

• milb.com
• SABR
• 2004-2007 Baseball Almanacs
• IBAF
• Mexican Pacific League