CHICAGO (CBS) — Nicky Lopez grew up less than an hour from Guaranteed Rate Field.
The White Sox second baseman is a graduate of Naperville Central. Fans often remind him that his dream of playing Major League Baseball close to home came true.
“I hear things like the Naperville Nicky and all that, which certainly wasn’t a nickname I gave myself,” he said. “It’s special. To be able to put on a uniform where I wore the same uniform as a kid coming to World Series games, to be able to play in this stadium, it’s really special.”
The Royals drafted Lopez in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft.
He played a brief stint with the Braves before being traded to the South Side.
Despite the Sox’ disappointing start, Nicky says he has enjoyed a clubhouse that gets along well.
“On days off after a game on the road, we all sit in a hotel room playing video games,” he said. “I know fans can feel it. Sometimes we don’t win many games, but we feel it too. We are a close group.”
Lopez learned to be part of a team at a young age. He grew up on a softball field with his father, Bobby, a 16-inch softball hall of famer from Chicago.
‘I followed him everywhere when I was so young. Obviously not old enough to hit youngsters, but that’s my father’s bat, which was bigger than me and which he wore around his hamstring at the time and which fit over his entire leg. I was an easy kid, an easy baby, I always wanted to be near a baseball field.”
Now Nicky uses baseball to make a difference. In July, the infielder will introduce his first Softball Charity Classic.
Proceeds benefit various organizations that help adolescents and young adults in their fight against cancer.
“One of the first things he says to us is, ‘I want to do things in the community.’ So not only is he doing the softball classic, but he’s already done a hospital visit. We have all kinds of youth groups coming to the ballpark, so he’s the real deal,” said Christine O’Reilly, executive director of White Sox Charities. .
“When I played for Kansas City, I wanted to do it in the offseason when I got back home to Naperville,” he said. “Then we got traded to Chicago and we were like, you know what? It would be a really good idea if we did it now during the season. I’ve always learned to respect others, as cliche as it sounds, others to be treated as the best.” the way you want to be, but I just think there’s so much hate in this world. If you have an opportunity to give back or show love, do it.”
Lopez’s goals for the rest of the season are to stay busy both on and off the field.
“You have to take it game by game, whether you play 4-4 0-4, good game, bad game, and be ready to work the next day,” he said.
