Davey Lopes obit

 

Speedy Dodgers great Lopes dead at 80

He was not on the list.

Davey Lopes has died at the age of 80.

The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed the passing of the four-time All-Star and World Series winner on Wednesday.

A native of East Providence, RI, Lopes spent 16 seasons in the majors, playing his first decade in the league with the Dodgers. Lopes was a member of the Dodgers team that won the 1981 World Series. The Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in six games.

Known for his speed, Lopes twice led the National League in stolen bases, posting 77 in 1975 and 63 in 1976. He finished his career with 557 swiped bags, 26th-most in MLB history. Lopes was caught stealing 114 times. A second baseman and outfielder, Lopes won a Gold Glove in 1978.

After leaving the Dodgers after the 1981 season, Lopes joined the Oakland Athletics and would later suit up for the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros, with whom he would finish his career win 1987.

Lopes finished his career with as a .263 hitter with 1,671 hits, 155 home runs, 614 runs batted in and an OPS of .737 in 1,812 games. His 42.4 career WAR is 487th all-time and puts him level with Jose Canseco and Don Mattingly.

Following his playing career, Lopes had an extensive coaching career and served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers for parts of three seasons from 2000 to 2002, posting a mark of 144-195. Lopes also spent time on the staffs of the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals. From 2011 to 2015, Lopes returned to the Dodgers as first base coach.

A rare blend of speed and power, Lopes hit a career-high 28 home runs in 1979, becoming one of only seven second basemen in NL history to have hit that many home runs in a season (Rogers Hornsby, Davey Johnson, Jeff Kent, Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel, and Chase Utley are the others)

His 557 career stolen bases rank 26th all-time, but his success rate of 83.01% (557 steals in only 671 attempts) ranks 3rd-best all time among players with 400 or more career stolen bases (behind Tim Raines and Willie Wilson). In 1975, Lopes stole 38 consecutive bases without getting caught, breaking a 53-year-old record set by Max Carey. Lopes' record was later broken by Vince Coleman in 1989. Lopes led the National League with 77 steals in 1975, and again with 63 the following season. He won the Gold Glove Award for second basemen in 1978.

Before the 1982 season, the Dodgers sent Lopes to the Oakland Athletics (for minor leaguer Lance Hudson) to make room for rookie second baseman Steve Sax. With Oakland, Lopes teamed with Rickey Henderson to steal 158 bases, setting a new American League record for teammates. Henderson collected 130 and Lopes 28.

The Athletics traded Lopes to the Chicago Cubs on August 31, 1984, to complete an earlier deal for Chuck Rainey. He was then traded on July 21, 1986, to the Houston Astros for Frank DiPino. He stole 47 bases at the age of 40 and 25 at age 41, before retiring at the end of the 1987 season.

Second baseman / Manager

Born: May 3, 1945

East Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.

Died: April 8, 2026 (aged 80)

Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.

Batted: Right

Threw: Right

MLB debut

September 22, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Last MLB appearance

October 4, 1987, for the Houston Astros

MLB statistics

Batting average           .263

Home runs       155

Runs batted in 614

Stolen bases    557

Managerial record       144–195

Winning %      .425

Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Managerial record at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Teams

As player

Los Angeles Dodgers (1972–1981)

Oakland Athletics (1982–1984)

Chicago Cubs (1984–1986)

Houston Astros (1986–1987)

As manager

Milwaukee Brewers (2000–2002)

As coach

Texas Rangers (1988–1991)

Baltimore Orioles (1992–1994)

San Diego Padres (1995–1999, 2003–2005)

Washington Nationals (2006)

Philadelphia Phillies (2007–2010)

Los Angeles Dodgers (2011–2015)

Washington Nationals (2016–2017)

Career highlights and awards

4× All-Star (1978–1981)

2× World Series champion (1981, 2008)

Gold Glove Award (1978)

2× NL stolen base leader (1975, 1976)