Former Player Rodrigo López to Join the Arizona D-Backs Spanish Broadcasting Team

Photo Credit: Jon Willey,Arizona Diamondbacks

By: Cindy G. Castillo

Backed by 20 years of pro-league baseball experience, Rodrigo Lopez joins the Arizona Diamondbacks Spanish Broadcasting Team as the first former Arizona player to join the team.

López will begin to serve as the Diamondbacks’ radio color analyst beginning 2014 airing on 1400AM La Mejor.

“I feel very happy and excited to have this opportunity to work with the Diamondbacks not as a player but as a sports analyst in Spanish,” López said.

The opportunity presented itself to López thanks to the relationship he built with the Diamondbacks team after having played for them in 2010. The sports analyst position was presented to him, and being able to follow his sport locally led him to accept.

“The main thing is that I can participate in some way with the Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball and simply contribute and make my knowledge more accessible to the public,” he said.

In 2007, López had the opportunity to broadcast the MLB World Series through Televisa Mexico, where his interest in being behind a microphone was born.

“[The opportunity] was appealing to me because I’ve always enjoyed broadcasting, teaching, and talking about baseball; so it was not a hard decision to make,” López said.

“As a player, it’s easy to know what is happening in the playing field, [things] that sometimes as a spectator, commentator, or writer in a newspaper you can’t experience.”

Retirement had been a lingering thought for López, which made the decision to accept the offer much easier. However, he does admit to being anxious and nervous about the new journey.

“My major challenge will be losing the nerves a little bit when talking; I think I worry too much on being clear when I speak,” he said.

The experiences and knowledge he’s gathered throughout the years will be the major contribution López offers 1400AM. From his commentary during the game to community involvement, he looks forward to mostly representing the Diamondbacks.

“The experience that I have as a pro-baseball player is the easy part; I think my homework now is to be more responsible in analyzing players and be able to give the audience a good idea on what to expect from the game,” López said.

Years back, he had the opportunity to meet former announcer Miguel Quintana, and was able to build a friendly and courteous relationship giving him the trust when it comes to his work.

Announcer Oscar Soria was also a source of advice for López. “I’ve known him for a long time … I had the opportunity to get together with him, and outside the radio cabin, he’s given me a couple of words of advice at the moment of transmission.”

López’ greatest responsibility lies with the Diamondbacks, the Hispanic public, and fellow Spanish-speaking audiences to bring the Major League Baseball experience to their home.

“I want to do my best work, I want to not only contribute what I know as a baseball player, but also try to give the public the most information possible and make them understand baseball from the numbers to the vision that a player has [in the field].”