As the KC Royals beef up for another long season, second baseman Nicky Lopez appears to be doing the same thing. Per MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan, the second-year man has added 18 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2019 season. Following a nutritional plan similar to what star utility guy Whit Merrifield implemented a few offseasons ago, Lopez is looking to improve on a so-so rookie season.
Lopez hit .240 in 2019, adding a .276 OBP and .325 SLG. Good for an OPS of just .601, his playing weight of around 165 pounds simply didn’t do him any favors in the power department.