Al Lopez
Al Lopez was elected to the Hall of Fame as a manager, after he had caught a record 1,918 games behind the plate and was a major leaguer for 19 seasons. His 1954 Indians and 1959 White Sox interrupted a 16-year stretch in which the Yankees won every pennant but those two. His Indians set a record with 111 wins in '54, and his '59 "Go-Go Sox" won that franchise's first pennant in 40 years. Had there been a wild-card in his managerial days he may have taken his teams to the post-season every year - he guided his club to a second place finish ten times.
Played For
Brooklyn Dodgers (1928-1935)
Boston Braves (1936-1940)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1940-1946)
Cleveland Indians (1947)
Managed
Cleveland Indians (1951-1956)
Chicago White Sox (1957-1969)
All-Time Rankings
Al Lopez ranks #39 among the Top 50 all-time at C. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1933
Lopez hit .301 with three homers and 41 RBI from the #8 spot in Brooklyn's order. But it wasn't his stick work that made him valuable. The 24-year old caught 126 games and made just five errors, while throwing out 39 of 71 enemy basestealers. The Dodgers finished sixth.
His Best Team: The 1954 Cleveland Indians
Ranked by many experts as one of the greatest teams of all-time, the '54 Tribe disappointed in the post-season, losing to the New York Giants in four straight. However, the team was an unqualified success during the 154-game season, setting and AL record with 111 wins, leading the league with a 3.23 ERA, and finishing second to the Yankees in runs scored. With eight players in double figures, Cleveland led the loop in homers, out-homering their opponents 156-89. Second baseman Bobby Avila led the league with a .341 average, and center fielder Larry Doby won the home run and RBI titles. Their mound corps was one of the most talented in history, with Early Wynn (23 wins, 2.73), Bob Lemon (23 wins, 2.72), Mike Garcia (19 wins, 2.64), Bob Feller (13 wins, 3.09), and Art Houtteman (15 wins, 3.35 ERA) in the starting rotation. The bullpen was hardly needed, but it was superb, with lefties Don Mossi (1.94) and Hal Newhouser (2.51) and right-hander Ray Narleski (2.22) chewing up most of the pen innings.
Most Wins by Manager, MLB (1951-1965)
Al Lopez... 1,381
Casey Stengel... 1,129
Walter Alston... 1,075
Paul Richards... 859
Fred Hutchinson... 830
Where He Played
He retired having caught more games than any player in National League history.
Born
Alfonso Ramon Lopez was born on August 20, 1908, in Tampa, FL.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Primary Position: C
Primary Team: BRO
Major League Debut
September 27, 1928
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1928
Al Lopez
Bill Dickey
Chuck Klein
Rollie Hemsley
Pepper Martin
Mel Harder
Carl Hubbell
George Earnshaw
Clint Brown
Nicknames
Senor
Uniform Numbers
#10 (1932-1935), #7 (1936-1939), #8 (1940 Boston), #12 (1940-1947)
Similar Players
Jim Sundberg
Related Players
Lopez played under Wilbert Robinson, Max Carey, Casey Stengel (twice), Bill McKechnie, Frankie Frisch, Spud Davis and Lou Boudreau... These future managers played under Lopez: Larry Doby, Bob Kennedy, Birdie Tebbetts, Bob Lemon, Sam Mele, Les Moss, Ken Boyer and Bobby Knoop.
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1949 |
BBWAA |
1 |
.7% |
1952 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.9% |
1953 |
BBWAA |
2 |
.8% |
1958 |
BBWAA |
34 |
12.8% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
11 |
6.9% |
1964 |
BBWAA |
57 |
28.4% |
1964 |
Run Off |
34 |
15.1% |
1966 |
BBWAA |
109 |
36.1% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
114 |
39.0% |
1967 |
Run Off |
50 |
16.3% |
1977 |
Veterans |
|
% |
|
Notes
Finished 10th in National League Most Valuable Player Award voting in 1933... Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1977... In the 1930s, Lopez invested in an oil well in Omaha, Texas, on a recommendation from former outfielder Randy Moore. Lopez eventually invested $10,000 and received a nice monthly dividend from the oil company into his 80s.
Transactions
December 12, 1935: Traded by the Brooklyn Dodgers with Ray Benge, Tony Cuccinello, and Bobby Reis to the Boston Braves for Ed Brandt and Randy Moore; June 14, 1940: Traded by the Boston Bees to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Ray Berres and $40000 cash; December 7, 1946: Traded by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Cleveland Indians for Gene Woodling.
All-Star Selections
1934 NL
1941 NL
Replaced
Hank DeBerry and Val Picinish, two veteran receivers who were at the end of their careers in 1930.
Replaced By
Jim Hegan, who went on to a long, productive career behind the plate.
Best Strength as a Player
Lopez was known as the most nimble catcher in the National League during his prime. He also had a strong, accurate throwing arm.
Largest Weakness as a Player
In almost every season of his career, he was a below-average offensive player. Of course, in the 1930s and 1940s, hitting was a secondary concern when it came to the catching position.
Learn More about Al Lopez
Search Amazon.com for Books about Al Lopez ⇒
Search for Al Lopez at Google ⇒
View a map of his hometown at Mapquest ⇒
