Lopez, 22, was a 12th round draft pick in the deep 2057 draft, coming out of high school. After getting regular work as a reliever in 2058 with the Road Runners in rookie ball, where he was 2-2 with 1 save in 11 games with a 3.24 ERA, he moved up to Short-A in 2059 and 2060. While with Cat Island, Lopez pitched in 37 games, going 2-7 with 20 saves, 18 of which were in 2060. He had a 2.32 ERA that same year and only blew 2 saves in twenty total chances.
Moving to Silver Springs in 2061 and 2062, Lopez continued to be a reliable arm in the pen. He had a career ERA of 1.79 in 58 relief appearances, alongside an 11-4 record with 6 saves doing key middle relief and set up work. More importantly, Lopez moves his k/9 up to 6.8 and had a rWAR of 2.9 in those two seasons.
It's expected that Lopez will move to Santa Cruz for the 2063 season.
"Yes, he's very young," said GM Rob McMonigal, "but I felt like the way the scouts talk about his fastball and slider combo would make him attractive to a team looking for a guy who can throw the ball 100 miles per hour every single outing. It won't be too long before we're giving him a chance in Yellow Springs. Possibly as soon as this September."
Sammeta, 24, was an international signing in 2055, for 4.4 million dollars. He's a jack of all trades type who can play all around the infield as well as the outfield. He went straight to Cat Island in 2059, batting .234 in 20 games. 2060 saw him get a chance to be a starter, and he batted .276. But it was the move to A-ball and Silver Springs that got him going, under the tutoring of Dong-po Thum. In 2062, his second year with the Tarpons, Sammeta batted .336 with a WAR of 4.2, establishing himself as a bonafide prospect.
Playing primarily at shortstop, Sammeta has a 7.2 career ZR there, boosted by a 9.2 ZR in 2062. It's expected that Sammeta will also move on to Santa Cruz in 2063.
"I got asked if Sammeta was available shortly before we rostered him," said McMonigal. "You can tell other GMs are looking around at the strong defensive candidates we've put together in the minors. I'll be honest, I was worried Sammeta was yet another international bust, but he's really come through in a big way this past season. I look forward to more in 2063 and there's a chance he'll be competing for a roster spot with the Nine in 2065, maybe even sooner."
Both players will go to Spring Training with the big league club.
