Former B-Royal Nicky Lopez Makes History With First Career Homer

Former Burlington Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez had a major homecoming party last night in Omaha. Playing at TD America Park, home to his old college team Creighton University, Lopez blasted his first career home run while becoming the first major leaguer to hit a longball in the state of Nebraksa.
It was only three years ago that Lopez was dominating that same ballpark in his junior campaign with the Bluejays. He hit .306 on the season with a pair of homers and 22 runs batted in over 55 games. This put him on the radar of the Kansas City Royals, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB Draft.
After signing with Kansas City, his first stop in the minor leagues was with the B-Royals. That 2016 season showed plenty of potential for what would come, with him hitting .281 with six homers and 29 RBIs. He also flashed his speed, stealing 24 bases while legging out six doubles and five triples.
His ascent to the majors from there was rapid. He hit .279 in 2017 and stole 52 bases between the A-Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks and Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He one-upped that performance in 2018 with the Naturals and the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers, hitting .308 with nine home runs and 53 RBIs while again swiping 52 bags on the year.
Lopez made his final push to the show with an incredible start to 2019 with the Storm Chasers. After hitting .353 over the first 31 games, he forced Kansas City's hand and earned his promotion to the bigs.
Nicky Lopez's Burlington Royals baseball card is still available in the B-Royals team store.
The Burlington Royals are the Appalachian League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Royals season starts on the road against the Bristol Pirates on Tuesday, June 18th. The home opener at Burlington Athletic Stadium is on Monday, June 24th against the Kingsport Mets. Single game tickets are on sale now!