As the Mobile BayBears prepare to close out a 23-year run, the franchise is looking back at the best players to wear the uniform.
The club is rolling out its All-Time Mobile BayBears Team, with selections based on a player’s or coach’s overall career, not just their time in Mobile. Members are being revealed one at a time ahead of the BayBears’ final game on Sept. 2.
The latest honoree is pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, who joined the BayBears late in 1998 and helped them win a Southern League title, going 3-0 in four starts. He spent the full 1999 season in Mobile, starting 28 games and going 10-8.
Lopez made his major league debut with the San Diego Padres in 2000 and joined the Baltimore Orioles in 2002, finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting after a 15-9 season. He remained a starter in Baltimore through 2006, made 14 starts for Colorado, then returned to the majors with the Phillies in 2009 and started 33 games for the Diamondbacks in 2010 and 16 for the Cubs in 2011 before pitching four years in the Mexican League.