New Chicago White Sox infielder Nicky Lopez is enjoying the most unforgettable offseason of his life.

That was true even before receiving an honor Friday that he said ranks among the best of his accomplishments.

“It’s been an eventful offseason, for sure,” Lopez said. “A day before I got married, I got traded from the Braves to the White Sox.

“That was something I won’t take for granted, just to be able to come back and play for a hometown team, which is something special.”

But getting the call for the Naperville Central Athletic Hall of Fame is equally special for Lopez, 28, who graduated from the school in 2013 after earning five varsity letters in baseball and basketball. He was inducted Friday, joining a Hall of Fame that already included Candace Parker, Anthony Parker, Owen Daniels, Sean Payton and Casey Krueger.

“100 percent it’s up there, only because it means so much not only to me but my family,” Lopez said. “This is where it started.

“This is a steppingstone for the journey that I’m still on. So that’s what I’m most thankful for, that I’m coming back and seeing all the teachers who have helped me become who I am. That’s why it’s a little bit more special.”

Those teachers include Naperville Central basketball coach Pete Kramer and baseball coach Mike Stock, who were proud to be part of the induction ceremony held before the boys basketball game against Neuqua Valley.

“It being Nicky, there was a lot of excitement in the building, and that would have been the case even if he was playing for the Braves,” Stock said. “But the fact he’s with the Sox adds another layer.

“It’s just a blast. It’s one of the rewards that you get from being around people like this all the time. We want to make sure we slow it down and celebrate. He’s a great young man from a great family.”

Also inducted Friday were 2006 graduate Erica Carter, who helped Naperville Central’s girls basketball team win two state titles and scored more than 1,000 points at Binghamton; pioneering female athlete Lois Madsen, a 1975 graduate who became the first person to earn a full volleyball scholarship at Northern Illinois; wrestling star Rodney Landorf, a 1962 graduate who became an Army officer and received a Bronze Star in the Vietnam War; and late wrestling coach Bill Young.

“I haven’t been back to Naperville since a few months after I graduated,” Carter said. “There are so many amazing times that happened throughout high school and my athletic career.

“Walking through the hallways, it brings back a lot of good memories, and I feel honored to be a part of the Hall of Fame. I know there are so many student-athletes that go through the building at Naperville Central, and it’s just been a day full of amazing memories.”

Lopez’s family, including his parents Bob and Angela and brothers Bobby and Anthony, still lives in Naperville. Angela Lopez presented him for induction.

“Obviously, this honor is humbling,” Nicky Lopez said. “You always hear each year of people getting inducted, so to be able to add to the list is awesome.”

After graduating from Naperville Central, Lopez played baseball at Creighton and was picked by the Kansas City Royals in the fifth round of the 2016 MLB draft. When the Royals called him up in 2019, he became the first Naperville Central graduate to play in the major leagues.

Lopez, who has a .249/.312/.319 career slash line, was a Gold Glove finalist at second base in 2020 and became the first Royals shortstop to hit .300 in 2021. He played parts of five seasons in Kansas City before being traded in July to the Braves, whom he helped win the National League East title.

Lopez said he is thrilled to join the White Sox, who acquired him in November.

“I grew up going to White Sox games,” he said. “I went to Game 2 of the World Series in 2005, so just being able to put the jersey on, wow, it’s cool.”

Long known for his humble, hardworking approach to the game, Lopez is quick to share credit for his ascent.

“When you come to high school, obviously you’re there to learn, but you’re there to grow and also learn life lessons, and these teachers every step of the way helped mold me,” he said. “Whether it was my English teacher or math teacher, we’ve all had conversations with them that have helped me get to where I’m at.

“I can’t thank them enough. They’ve done so good by me with all the respect and love that they’ve shown, and I keep in touch with them.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.

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A St. Paul firefighter who was fired by the city after using carotid artery pressure points to subdue a combative patient lost his appeal in the courts this week.

According to court documents, Kenneth Zepeda was fired from the St. Paul Fire Department in January 2022.

Court documents give the following details:

At about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2021, several emergency workers responded to a 911 call. They found a man near a downtown transit station who was disoriented, wearing hospital scrubs, no shoes and a bloody face mask.

At first the man was cooperative with first responders but became combative and tried to punch them as they attempted to get him into an ambulance for evaluation and care, according to court documents. After they were able to get him inside the ambulance, he resisted, swearing, spitting and kicking the six responders. Eventually he was subdued after Zepeda “manipulated a pressure point on the patient.”

Once subdued, he was restrained, placed in a spit hood and taken to the hospital.

Portions of the incident were captured on the body cam of a Metro Transit police officer on scene. After the footage was reviewed, Zepeda and the other first responders were placed on paid administrative leave while officials from another county reviewed the events that night. The Minneapolis city attorney’s office investigated the incident to determine whether fifth-degree assault charges should be filed against Zepeda, which they ultimately decided were not warranted.

On Jan 24, 2022, the city of St. Paul said it was going to terminate Zepeda for using “verbal aggression and physical force to restrain and apply pressure to the neck of the patient, prior to and after the patient was fully restrained to an ambulance stretcher.”

A three-day hearing that included an impartial arbitrator was held and at the end, the arbitrator determined that the city had grounds to fire Zepeda.

During the hearing, which included review of the body cam footage and testimony by witnesses, Zepeda said he had learned the pressure point technique as a military police officer. Zepeda is an honorably discharged veteran.

Zepeda appealed the city’s findings and his appeal was denied this week.

His attorney could not be immediately reached Friday.

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The Chicago Cubs needed to find reinforcements for the bullpen.

Acquiring a reliever with a consistent track record was particularly important — and something they finally addressed Saturday.

The Cubs and veteran reliever Héctor Neris have agreed to a one-year, $9 million deal that includes a $9 million team option for 2025, a source told the Tribune. Neris’ club option converts to a player option if the right-hander appears in 60 games, a mark he has hit each of the last three years and six of eight seasons excluding the shortened 2020 season. His contract ultimately can max out at $23.25 million with incentives.

Bringing in Neris addresses key needs in the bullpen. He brings durability, pitching in at least 70 games five times, and gives the Cubs a proven, back-end-of-the-pen reliever who has experience pitching in big games. The Cubs bullpen struggled down the stretch en route to missing the 2023 postseason as an inexperienced group wore down and battled injuries in September.

Neris, 34, owns a career 3.24 ERA over 546 big-league appearances coming off two seasons in Houston, including a World Series title in 2022. He also spent eight years with the Philadelphia Phillies. Primarily used in the seventh and eighth innings with the Astros, Neris also has experience closing, earning five saves in Houston and 84 with the Phillies.

Neris gives the Cubs another splitter in the bullpen to accompany right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., whose pitch has been a shutdown weapon versus lefties. Neris utilizes his splitter against righties and lefties, a pitch that generated a 42.2 Whiff% and .237 slugging percentage in 2023.

While he typically relies on a four-seam fastball and splitter combination opposing left-handed hitters, Neris also mixes a sinker and slider when facing right-handed batters. His average fastball velocity dropped by 1.3 mph from 2022 to 2023, but this deal indicates the Cubs are not significantly concerned with that.

The Cubs’ work on building a more proven bullpen should not be complete with the Neris acquisition. They still need more depth and ideally another postseason-tested reliever.

And with Cody Bellinger among the notable position players still available in free agency, the Cubs are capable of making significant roster improvements in the coming weeks.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — Carlos Santana hasn’t hit leadoff in a regular-season game since 2018. But if Twins manager Rocco Baldelli’s spring training lineups are an indication of what’s coming, that could soon change.

Santana, a middle-of-the-order bat for most of his career, has hit leadoff recently in two games against lefties. While Edouard Julien is expected to fill that role against righties, Santana is among those Baldelli is considering against southpaws.

Last year, Donovan Solano, now a free agent, primarily settled into the leadoff spot against lefties. With him gone, there are “a few” options on the table, Baldelli said.

“It’s something I’m definitely thinking about and considering,” Baldelli said of Santana. “I think he will hit leadoff. I don’t know if it’s going to be the whole year. Our lineups really rarely hold for that long, but I think he’s a good candidate to do it. I think he can certainly handle it and he could do it.”

The switch-hitting first baseman, who said he enjoyed hitting leadoff, has historically been more successful from the right side of the plate. Last year, he slashed .266/.354/.453 against lefties with an .807 OPS.

Though his overall on-base percentage of .314 last season took a dip from his career number of .356, Santana has twice led the league in walks and is known for having a disciplined approach at the plate.

“They know that I’m taking a lot of walks and I’m getting on base all the time,” Santana said. “Everything that the team needs me for, that will help the team, I’ll do it.”

Spring Breakout on tap

The Twins’ top prospects will take center stage on Saturday, participating in the Spring Breakout against the brightest up-and-comers in the Tampa Bay Rays’ system. The game, which will start at 3:05 p.m. CT and will be seven innings, will be broadcast on Bally Sports North.

While top prospect Walker Jenkins is sidelined because of a quad strain, most of the organization’s top prospects will participate in the game, including Brooks Lee, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez.

David Festa, one of the organization’s top pitching prospects, is slated to start the game, with 18-year-old Charlee Soto, whom the Twins drafted 34th overall last year, also expected to pitch.

“I think it’s a really cool opportunity for them, especially some of them who didn’t play in big league camp and haven’t been brought over to just get in front of a slightly bigger crowd to get that feeling that they are being showcased for the future,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “Hopefully it’s a reflection of their status in the industry but also my hope is that they come out of it with the desire to work harder. This isn’t the end point.”

Briefly

Former Twins center fielder Michael A. Taylor has reportedly reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-year, $4 million deal. The Twins had been interested in a reunion with Taylor before pivoting to Manny Margot. … The Twins will play a Grapefruit League game against the Rays on Friday before the Spring Breakout. Pablo López will start that game.

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