Photos: Javy Lopez, Participant In Braves' Caravan Thursday Afternoon

Javy Lopez was signed by the Atlanta Braves in 1987 as an amateur free agent. He made his debut on September 18, 1992 against the Houston Astros. After sharing duties with Charlie O'Brien and Eddie Pérez for four seasons, Lopez established himself as the Braves regular catcher in 1996. While with the Braves, he was one of Atlanta's most popular players.

In 1996, he led the Braves to win the National League Championship Series, earning the series Most Valuable Player honors.

Lopez made the National League All-Star team in 1997 and 1998. He had had his best season in 2003 with a .328 batting average, 43 home runs and 109 RBI in 129 games, including a .378 on-base percentage and a .687 slugging percentage. In that season he broke Todd Hundley's record for most home runs hit in a season by a catcher (41) and was selected to the All-Star Game, winning the Silver Slugger Award and finishing fifth in the National League MVP ballot.

Before the 2004 season López signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .316 with 86 RBI, and the following season hit .278 with 49 RBI, while seeing a decline in his game time from 150 to 103 games.

In a 15-season career, López posted a .287 average with 260 home runs and 864 RBI in 1,503 games. His 243 home runs as a catcher ranks eighth on the career list at that position. His final game was on September 2, 2006.