While López starred for the Braves, he very rarely caught future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, who was not comfortable pitching to him. Instead the Braves' backup catcher, which varied over the years, would become Maddux's personal catcher.[2]
Baltimore Orioles
Before the 2004 season, López signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .316 with 23 HR and 86 RBI, the following year López suffered a broken hand on a foul tip, ending the year with a .278 with 15 HR and 49 RBI while seeing a decline in his game time from 150 to 103 games.
Boston Red Sox
In the 2006 midseason, López was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from Baltimore in exchange for minor league outfielderAdam Stern and cash considerations.[3] López debuted with Boston on the same day after Doug Mirabelli left the game early after an ankle injury. On September 8, the Red Sox released López due to Jason Varitek returning from the disabled list, which minimized playing time for López.
Retirement
In January 2007, it was reported that López reached a preliminary agreement on a $750,000, one-year contract with the Colorado Rockies,[4] but he did not play for them during the regular season.[5] Before the 2008 season he signed a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training with the Atlanta Braves, in an attempt to return to the majors. But after being told he would not make the opening day lineup, López retired for good.[6] "I feel perfect physically", he said. "It's just that the hitting wasn't there and unfortunately I couldn’t throw anybody out on stealing attempts. That's a concern. I don't blame them. My role as a backup catcher is to be able to throw runners out."[7] He plans to continue in the Atlanta Braves organization performing other duties. In a 15-season career, López posted a .287 average with 260 home runs and 864 RBI in 1,503 games. His 243 home runs as a catcher ranks eighth on the career list at that position. Strong defensively, he recorded a .992 fielding percentage. In 60 postseason games, he batted .278 (57-for-205) with 27 runs, 14 doubles, 10 home runs, 28 RBI and 14 walks. His final game was on September 2, 2006.[8]
Personal life
López's first marriage was to Analy Hernández. They have two children: Javier Alexander (born 11/6/95) and Kelvin Gabriel (born 10/17/99). The marriage ended in divorce. López married his second wife, Gina Brodbeck, on June 23, 2004.[9] They have two sons: Brody Brodbeck Lopez, born in 2010, and Gavin Richard Lopez, born in 2013.[10]
