Astros’ first base coach Omar Lopez will return to the coaching staff next season, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. It will be Lopez’s 25th year with the franchise, and comes shortly after bench coach Joe Espada’s reported agreement with the franchise.
Lopez played three seasons of minor league baseball with the White Sox and the Diamondbacks before joining the Astros organization in 1999. He then spent the next eight years working as a scout and as a hitting and infield instructor in Venezuela, being one of the scouts to recommend Jose Altuve to the organization.
In 2008, he transitioned to a coaching role and led Class-A Quad Cities River Bandits until 2018. During that time, Lopez worked with former Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa and starter Lance McCullers Jr. as they worked their way through the team’s system. Lopez would continue to Double-A Corpus Christi for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, earning the Texas League Manager of the Year award in 2018, before eventually joining Houston in 2020 as their first-base coach.
The dynasty will continue now.
I was on pins and needles…If Lopez goes then everything goes down hill. Cornerstone of the franchise hands down.
Yes, could you imagine only having from November until April to learn the home-run hand-slap, and the base-hit back-pat?! It’s like relearning pat-a-cake on long car ride! Who can do it?!
Only a superhero …
Hahahahaha Clip, the hand-slap and back-pat are rookie moves..
It’s the A$$ Slap that takes proper practice!
Haha! I wasn’t even going to bring up that seasoned move! That’s an easy 3-year learning curve….
I heard he was attempting it in practice. But he smacked Altuve in the rear so hard the little fella tumbled over into the dirt…He has since been barred from doing it.
Trumbo: That was…too far. Full-on party foul, like male frontal nudity in a movie.
I laughed so hard I think I dribbled…. Hahahahaha
As a matter of fact, I’m still laughing..lololol
LoL Clip these sort of deeply philosophical mini-convos are the reason I couldn’t bare to quit this site.
They could put all of these Astros “rumors” in one post and it would still be less than 5% the size of the Top 50 FA post.
Geez. No resting on their laurels for this ball squad. One week after WS victory and by far the most active team in regards to off field personnel moves. Mind blowing. Me, if owner, I’d still be partying. LOL.
Over the last 48 hrs, 5 non player personnel changes reported here alone. Plus Dusty news 4 days ago. Insanity! Yes?
Maybe Crane IS that owner driven to attempt to take his team to dynasty status. I say impossible, but he looks hell bent on going for it.
Could be a candidate to take over for Dusty whenever he retires.
Long time in org. Loyal. Minor league manager of year. Getting a few years of mlb experience on staff. Language an asset.
Knows most of the players. Won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Maybe 2024 or 25.
Still waiting for he and Scott Servais to have an MMA fight to settle their beef