Gavin Lux | |
---|---|
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 9 | |
Second baseman / Shortstop | |
Born: Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S. | November 23, 1997|
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
MLB debut | |
September 2, 2019, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
Batting average | .252 |
Home runs | 28 |
Runs batted in | 155 |
Teams | |
| |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Gavin Thomas Lux (born November 23,1997) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).
Lux played baseball for Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha,Wisconsin,and was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB draft by the Dodgers. He made his major league debut in September 2019.
Lux attended Indian Trail High School and Academy in Kenosha,Wisconsin. He batted .560 for the school in his senior season. [1] He was one of the top 50 high school prospects heading into the 2016 MLB draft. [2] He won the 2016 Wisconsin baseball Gatorade Player of the Year awards and Holy Rosary Sports Night Male Athlete of the Year Award in high school. [3] [4] He had committed to Arizona State University. [5] [6]
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Lux in the first round,with the 20th pick overall selection,of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. [7] [8] Lux signed with the Dodgers for a $2.31 million signing bonus. [9] The Dodgers assigned him to the Arizona League Dodgers to begin his professional career. [10] At the end of the season he was promoted to the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer Baseball League. [11] Between the two levels,he played in 56 games,batting .296/.375/.399 with 21 RBIs. [12]
Lux got a late start on the 2017 season as he dealt with a rib issue in spring training. [13] He was assigned to the Single-A Great Lakes Loons of the Midwest League on April 19. [14] He played in 101 games for the Loons,hitting .244/.331/.362 with seven home runs,39 RBIs,and 27 stolen bases. [12]
He was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League for the 2018 season [15] and was selected to the mid-season all-star game. [16] He was promoted to the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League in August. He was named to the post-season all-star team with Rancho Cucamonga. [17] and was also named the Dodgers Minor League Player of the year. [18] In 116 games between Rancho Cucamonga and Tulsa,he slashed .324/.399/.514 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs. [19]
Lux began 2019 with the Tulsa Drillers. [20] He was selected to the mid-season Texas League All-Star Game [21] and also the All-Star Futures Game. [22] He was promoted to the Triple–A Oklahoma City Dodgers on June 27. [23] [24] [25] He batted .347/421/.607 with 99 runs (2nd in the minor leagues),61 walks (tied for first in the minors),8 triples (4th),26 homers (5th),and 76 RBIs (7th) in 113 combined games in the minors. [12] [26] Lux was selected as Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year [27] and also named by the Dodgers as their minor league player of the year for the second straight season. [28]
Lux was called up by the Dodgers to make his major league debut as the starting second baseman against the Colorado Rockies on September 2,2019. [29] He singled on the first pitch he saw from Peter Lambert and doubled in his second at-bat. He also scored three runs in the game. [30] On September 10,2019,Lux hit his first MLB home run off Tanner Scott of the Baltimore Orioles. [31] In 23 games with the Dodgers in 2019,he had 18 hits in 75 at-bats (.240 average),hit two home runs and drove in nine runs. [32] On October 3,in his first at-bat in his postseason debut,Lux hit a pinch-hit solo home run off Hunter Strickland of the Washington Nationals. At 21 years and 314 days old,Lux became the youngest player all-time to hit a pinch-hit home run in the postseason. He was also the youngest Dodger to hit a home run in a postseason game,a record previously held by Cody Bellinger,who homered at the age of 22 years and 88 days during the 2017 NLDS against the Arizona Diamondbacks. [33]
The 2020 season was delayed and shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic and Lux missed the first week of training camp in July and was not able to regain his timing so he was optioned to the team's alternate training site to begin the season. [34] He was not called back up to the Dodgers until the beginning of September [35] and played in only 19 games,hitting .175/.246/.349 with three homers and eight RBIs in 63 at bats. [32] He was left off the post-season roster for the first round then was added back for the second round. [36] He had one plate appearance as a pinch hitter in the series but was left off the roster for the subsequent series. [37]
In 2021,Lux hit .242 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 102 games. [32] While he primarily played second and short he was moved into the outfield at the end of the season in order to get him more playing time. [38] Lux became the full-time second baseman for the Dodgers in the 2022 season,playing in 129 games and batting .276 with six homers and 42 RBI. He also led the National League in triples with seven. [32]
Lux was expected to become the Dodgers starting shortstop for the 2023 season. However on February 27,during a spring training game,his knee buckled while running the bases and he was diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee,which kept him out the entire 2023 season. [39] Despite missing all of the previous season,Lux signed a $1.22 million contract with the Dodgers in his first season of salary arbitration. [40]
A fully healthy Lux went to spring training in 2024 with the Dodgers still intending for him to play shortstop,however his poor defense at the position in the Cactus League games led to the Dodgers moving him back to second base. [41] Lux played in 139 games with a .251 average,10 homers and 50 RBI. [32]
Lux's parents are Heather and Tom Lux Jr. [42] His uncle,Augie Schmidt,is a former minor league professional baseball player and current head coach of the Carthage College baseball team. [43]
Below is a partial list of Minor League Baseball players in the Los Angeles Dodgers system.
Luis Alfonso Cruz is a Mexican professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates,Milwaukee Brewers,Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines,Yomiuri Giants and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
August Robert Schmidt IV is the current head coach of the Carthage College baseball team. He was a minor league baseball shortstop from 1982 to 1986.
John Logan Forsythe is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres,Tampa Bay Rays,Los Angeles Dodgers,Minnesota Twins,Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins. While primarily a second baseman,Forsythe has played at least one game at every position except for center field and catcher.
Corey Drew Seager is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is often regarded as one of the best shortstops of his generation.
Markus Lynn "Mookie" Betts is an American professional baseball outfielder and shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Boston Red Sox. Betts is an eight-time All-Star,a six-time Silver Slugger Award winner,a six-time Gold Glove Award recipient,a two-time World Series champion,and was named the Most Valuable Player in the American League in 2018. He is also second in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) among active position players,behind Mike Trout.
Miguel Elias Rojas Naidernoff is a Venezuelan professional baseball shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 2014 and also played in MLB for the Miami Marlins from 2015 to 2022.
JoséFrancisco Peraza Polo is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the Leones de Yucatán of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers,Cincinnati Reds,Boston Red Sox,and New York Mets. Listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg),he bats and throws right-handed.
Alexander Brady Verdugo is an American professional baseball outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
Drew Hamilton Jackson is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He played college baseball for Stanford University. The Seattle Mariners selected Jackson in the fifth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland Athletics.
William Dills Smith is an American professional baseball catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals. He was selected by the Dodgers in the first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft,and made his MLB debut in 2019. Smith is a two-time All-Star and won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2020.
Edwin Gabriel Ríos is a Puerto Rican professional baseball third baseman and first baseman in the Cincinnati Reds organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. He played college baseball for Florida International University. Ríos was drafted by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft and debuted for them in 2019.
Donald Scott Peters is an American professional baseball pitcher and former outfielder in the Texas Rangers organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and in the KBO League for the Lotte Giants.
Jeter Deion Downs is a Colombian professional baseball infielder for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals. Listed at 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) and 195 pounds (88 kg),he bats and throws right-handed.
Keibert Jose Ruiz is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Matthew Thomas Beaty is an American professional baseball first baseman and left fielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers,San Diego Padres,San Francisco Giants,and Kansas City Royals. He played college baseball for the Belmont Bruins. The Dodgers selected Beaty in the 12th round of the 2015 MLB draft,and he made his MLB debut with them in 2019.
The 2019 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 130th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball,and their 62nd season in Los Angeles,California. They played their home games at Dodger Stadium. On September 4,the Dodgers broke the National League record for most home runs in a season with their 250th home run,breaking the old mark set by the 2000 Houston Astros. The record would later be broken by the 2023 Atlanta Braves. The Dodgers became the first team to clinch a playoff berth by winning their seventh straight National League West title on September 10,the earliest they had clinched in franchise history. They finished the regular season with a record of 106–56,breaking the franchise record for wins in a season previously held by the 1953 Dodgers. Their 106–56 record was the second best in the MLB,just one game less than the Houston Astros who had a record of 107–55. The Dodgers lost to the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals in the NLDS in five games,ending their streak of three straight NLCS appearances. With the Washington Nationals winning the World Series,the Los Angeles Dodgers become the second franchise to lose to the eventual World Series champions in four consecutive postseasons,.
Michael James Busch is an American professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He played college baseball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Dodgers.
Dustin Jake May is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was selected by the Dodgers in the third round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft,and made his MLB debut in 2019.
Zachary McKinstry is an American professional baseball utility player for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.