Omar López (baseball)
| Omar López | |
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| Houston Astros – No. 22 | |
| Bench Coach | |
| Born: January 3, 1977 Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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Omar E. López (born January 3, 1977) is a Venezuelan professional baseball coach and former player, scout, and manager in Minor League Baseball (MiLB). He is the bench coach for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB), a role in which he has served since 2024. López has worked in the Astros' organization since 1999. López also managed the Venezuelan national team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic and the 2024 WBSC Premier12.
Baseball career
[edit]From Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela, Omar López played as a third baseman in Minor League Baseball for the Chicago White Sox organization in 1996 and 1997 and for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization in 1998. He then joined the Houston Astros organization in 1999 as a scout and hitting and infield instructor in Venezuela and worked in that capacity until 2007. One player that he recommended to the club to sign was a 16-year-old Jose Altuve.[1]
From 2008 to 2019, López managed in Minor League Baseball[2] for various Astros' affiliates. While leading the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Astros in 2010, he was named the Astros' Player Development Man of the Year. In 2013, he led the High-A Quad Cities River Bandits to an 81–57 record and the Midwest League championship.[1]
During the 2014–15 season in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League (Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, LVBP), López managed the Caribes de Anzoátegui, and, at age 38, was the youngest in the league among his peers. He led the Caribes to the LVBP championship and earned the Manager of the Year Award.[1]
In his most recent minor league managerial post, López guided the Corpus Christi Hooks of the Class AA Texas League in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, he led the Hooks to an 82–56 record, a postseason qualification, and earned Texas League Manager of the Year honors.[1]
The Astros promoted him to the major league coaching staff as first base coach before the 2020 season.[3]
The World Baseball Classic (WBC) announced on August 17, 2022, that López was named manager of the Venezuela national team for the 2023 WBC tournament.[4]
In 2022, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give López his first career World Series title.[5]
During the 2023 WBC, López won his debut as Team Venezuela's manager in a 5–1 victory over the Dominican Republic.[6] Venezuela won Pool D with a 4–0 record, but were eliminated from the tournament by the United States in the quarterfinals, 9–7.[7]
On December 1, 2023, the Astros named López bench coach before the 2024 season.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Astros coach Omar López to manage Venezuela in 2023 WBC". MLB.com. August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ http://www.milb.com/content/page.jsp?ymd=20150106&content_id=105662768&fext=.jsp&sid=t482&vkey=roster [bare URL]
- ^ Rome, Chandler (December 23, 2019). "Astros promote Omar López to first base coach". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Van Doren, Kenny (August 18, 2022). "Houston Astros first base coach López named Team Venezuela manager". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
- ^ Leckle, Paige (March 11, 2023). "In clash of titans, Venezuela finally gets Classic win vs. D.R." MLB.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- ^ "Turner's slam lifts USA over Venezuela into World Baseball Classic last four". The Guardian. Associated Press. March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ "Astros name Omar López bench coach, set coaching staff for 2024". Houston Chronicle. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
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- 1977 births
- Living people
- Bristol White Sox players
- Houston Astros coaches
- Major League Baseball bench coaches
- Major League Baseball first base coaches
- South Bend Silver Hawks players
- Sportspeople from Valencia, Venezuela
- Venezuela national baseball team managers
- World Baseball Classic managers
- Venezuelan baseball biography stubs