I will be very up front about this. Yesterday on the chat I was asked which Mariners I enjoyed interacting with on a daily basis. Jose Lopez's name was the second I listed. He is a great person to be around, has a great personality, I suspect most of you would like him as well. Add to this the fact that I have known him since he was a 22 year old rookie, seen him go through the highs of being named to an All Star team to the lows of losing his brother then dealing with knowing he would lose his sister to cancer, yes, I admit it, I have a soft spot for Jose Lopez. I do not think that should disqualify me from weighing in on the Lopez bashing that has been going on. I have stopped myself from this a couple of times but enough is enough.

Yes, Lopez has had a terrible year offensively. I have no problem with people being upset with his offense. What troubles me are the personal assessments of him that have been made quite frankly by many who do not have the information needed to make them. He's fat. He's lazy. He has a terrible work ethic. He doesn't care. When the Figgins incident occurred in the dugout some people were quick to blog and Tweet that Lopez went after Wakamatsu. These accusations could not be more wrong. Why do I write about it today? This was the final straw for me. In an article by Jerry Crasnick looking at players who have experienced a power shortage this year he wrote:

"He's kind of an enigma," an NL scout said of Lopez. That's a diplomatic way of saying that Lopez doesn't exactly bowl people over with his work ethic or passion for the game.

Really? Because work ethic and passion for the game have never been a concern with Lopez according to everyone I have talked to. A coach recently asked me with everything that has gone on with this team this year why does everyone pick on Lopez? I really don't have an answer for that. I know that I have seen him put in the work. I know that it is impossible to make the switch from second to third and play a credible third without putting in a heck of a lot of work. I know there is no one who gets more excited about a Felix start than Lopez. I know he loves to play. In case my judgment was clouded because I like the guy I decided to ask others.

When Lopez made the base running error which cost the Mariners a run on July 21st Mike Salk said on his show he talked with teammates of Lopez's who said that they were disturbed by his attitude following the mistake. The unnamed players didn't think he showed that he cared that he made the error. That surprised me because I saw him at his locker with his head down after the game. No media member approached him but he was there to be questioned if they chose to do so.

I talked to Don Wakamatsu the next day about the comments. "That's ridiculous," he said. "He was beating himself up about it," he said. "I know Jose and I could tell."


I then asked if he ever had concerns about his work ethic or perhaps that he had a don't care attitude and he said no. "He is always out there working on his defense. He loves to play. He wants to be out there in big situations. He wants to hit fourth. He has had several conversations with me about that. It is not easy to do in this lineup and he wants to do it. Now, does he get the job done there right now? That is another matter, but he wants to be out there every day."

On a team where this guy is not comfortable hitting in this spot and that guy insists on hitting in another and in a lineup with absolutely no protection Wak's options at four were limited. Add to this not wanting to put pressure on younger players it was probably a relief to have someone who actually wanted to hit in that spot.

What about the weight? Lopez has noticeably slimmed down but no one seems to want to report that. I asked him recently about this and he laughed. "No one sees it because I do it all in the gym," he said of his increased workouts. "I have to buy a lot of new pants." What prompted him to increase his workouts? So he could better make the plays to his left. "I think I could get to more," he told me. "I am going to work very hard on that this winter."

I asked trainer Rick Griffin if there were any concerns about Jose's fitness level and he told me that he is in tremendous shape. How good of shape? When Lopez took his four fitness tests recently, strength and flexibility, explosiveness, speed, and endurance he scored career highs in three out of the four categories. Griffin, who was aware of the criticism of Lopez that was taking place outside of the organization then said that Lopez has never been a problem in any way. "The neatest thing about Jose is that of all the guys in this clubhouse I don't think anyone wants to be out on that field playing more. He really loves to play."

When I read the comment that the scout said he thought Lopez was kind of an enigma I laughed. A NL scout described Franklin Gutierrez to me with the exact same words before the 2009 season. What I hear mostly about Lopez from those in baseball is that he is frustrating offensively, that he has great tools at the plate but he lacks a good idea about hitting. One person in the game wondered why the Mariners didn't pair him up with Edgar Martinez for some tutoring. "If this guy gets an idea of what he is doing at the plate he could be dangerous."

It is unlikely we will see Jose Lopez the dangerous hitter in a Mariners uniform but it would not surprise me in the least if he goes somewhere else and puts it all together. I find it funny that so many were willing to blame Figgins offense on his move to second but not afford Lopez the same allowance. It may be because the long term investment is in Figgins. Regardless, Lopez does not deserve the portrayal that some have put out there of him. Criticize his offense, his heads upness at times but do not criticize his desire to play or work ethic.

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