Orlando López (minors01)

Orlando Antonio López González

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 0", Weight 185 lb.

• School Florida Gateway College
• High School Francisco Mendoza High School

• Born March 28, 1973 in Isabela Puerto Rico

BR register page

Biographical Information

Orlando López pitched in the Olympics and in the minors.

He was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 27th round of the 1991 amateur draft as a draft-and-follow pick. He went on to junior college. While there, he made Puerto Rico's squad for the 1992 Olympics, their youngest player. The teenager pitched three games in Barcelona, all against teams that finished in the top half of the pack. He relieved James Figueroa with one out in the 4th against Silver Medalist Taiwan and went the rest of the game (4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 5 R) in a game his team lost, 10-1. Against Team USA, he took over for Jose Mateo with one out in the 7th of a 8-2 loss and did well (1 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 UER) while facing Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra and Phil Nevin among others. In his last outing, he replaced Rafael Santiago in the 3rd of a 9-4 loss to Gold Medal winner Cuba and worked 2 2/3 IP (5 H, 2 BB, K, 3 R, 2 ER) before Jose Sepulveda relieved.

Signing with the Cubs following the Olympics, he pitched briefly that summer for the Huntington Cubs (1-0, Sv, 2.45 in 4 G). In 1993, he appeared for Huntington (7-1, 3.19) and the Peoria Chiefs (1-1, 5.84 in 4 G). He tied Mo Christmas, Maximo De La Rosa and Robert Gontkosky for 3rd in the Appalachian League in wins. Back with Peoria in 1994, he was 7-2 with a save and a 3.95 ERA in 42 games (5 starts), whiffing 106 in 93 1/3 IP. He was 7th in the Cubs chain in strikeouts, with all the other hurlers being primarily starters; he finished in between Amaury Telemaco and Greg Bobbitt.

Moving up to the Daytona Cubs in 1995, he again was 7-2, this time with 8 saves and a 2.68 ERA. He struggled in one game for the 1996 Rockford Cubbies, presumably battling injuries to end his career (1 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER). He had an impressive 23-6 record as a pro, with 10 saves and a 3.53 ERA in 104 games (17 starts).