On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 00:13:18 GMT, John Wade wrote:

snip

Hector Lopez was pretty good with the bat, and it was
a damned good thing he was too, because his fielding
was...I mean, at third base he...well, let me let others
tell you...

Bill James, in his "...Abstract" book, says of Hector, that
he was "...as bad a defensive player as you would ever
want to see."


I didn't realize Lopez was that poor of a fielder. I remember him as
an occasional starter in the outfield for the Yankees; but tend to
think of him more as one of the first men off the bench (along with
Johnny Blanchard) in the early '60s.

I wonder if he was incorrectly placed in the infield early in his
career, because of his size? He had kind of a slender build, and the
prejudice of the times may have pushed him in that direction. Glad
they found a place for him in the outfield where he belonged.

Ron