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A transfer from St. John Bosco HS, Ethan Lopez is currently playing third base for La Mirada but will move to shortstop, his natural position, next season after the graduation of the current starter.
There is a lot to like about Lopez defensively. His quickness and ability to read the ball off the bat allow him to position himself perfectly. His arm strength allows him to make all of the throws from the hot corner, which should only only play up once he moves to shortstop.
Offensively there is still some work to be done. He stays a little long with his swing with two strikes but the foundation on which to build is there. An aggressive approach early in the count has helped him get dialed in. There is power in their too, just needs a little refinement.
At the time of print, Lopez was batting .263 with 7 RBI, 14 runs scored, 3 doubles, a triple, and a home run. He puts the ball in play regularly while not wasting many at bats.
An assistant coach told me that Lopez plans to play for the Garciaparra Baseball Group this summer.
Below is a video shot 5/7/13 against Mayfair High School.
(Sorry about the video quality. I couldn't upload the YouTube video directly, but it can be found here)