SANFORD, Fla.- En route to the best regular season record in the history of the Florida League, the Sanford River Rats consistently turned to their bullpen to close out ballgames - 15 of the team's 26 victories ended with a Sanford pitching picking up a save.

And among Sanford's dominant bullpen, Kaiden Lopez (College of Central Florida) was the leader.

Lopez led the Florida League with six saves, and allowed just one earned run across 11.1 innings of work. Lopez's dominance at the back end of the Sanford bullpen has earned him the moniker of the 2025 Florida League Reliever of the Year, as selected by Florida League officials. Lopez is the first Sanford River Rat to win the award since 2010, when Spencer Medick was selected.

Lopez got the ball ten times during the 2025 season, and the River Rats emerged victorious in each of those games. Six times, Lopez got the save for the River Rats, a total that led the Florida League. In fact, only two pitchers in the league - Sanford's Brady Appel and Winter Park's Matthew Demetree had more than three saves.

Lopez struck out at least one hitter in nine of his ten appearances, finishing the season with 19 strikeouts in his 11.1 innings of work. Opposing hitters managed just seven hits in those 11.1 innings, with Lopez posting an earned run average of 0.79. After allowing a run in a win over Winter Garden, Lopez ended the regular season with five straight scoreless outings across 5.2 innings, where he allowed only one hit.

The Orlando native also helped the River Rats punch their ticket to the Florida League Championship Series, tossing a scoreless inning in Sanford's 10-3 win over the DeLand Suns in Game 2 of the FCSL Semifinals. 

As the leader of Sanford's bullpen during the 2025 season, Lopez played a major role in the River Rats being arguably the best regular season team in the 22-year history of the Florida League. His contributions make him a worthy recipient of the 2025 Reliever of the Year award.

This week, the Florida League will be unveiling our yearly award winners. The schedule of awards is as follows:
Monday: Coach of the Year- Terry Abbott
Tuesday: David Eckstein Sportsmanship Award- Blake Fields
Wednesday: Reliever of the Year- Kaiden Lopez
Thursday: Player of the Year
Friday: Pitcher of the Year
Saturday: All-Florida League
Sunday: Randy Harvey Umpire of the Year