After struggling at various points over the past two seasons, Gavin Lux has enjoyed a career year thus far in 2022 and been key to the Los Angeles Dodgers storming their way to another National League West title.
Lux has been on a tear since the All-Star break, batting .294/.366/.459 with 11 extra-base hits and 20 RBI in 33 games. He only has been slowed by more neck trouble that has kept Lux out of the Dodgers lineup since Sept. 1.
Overall this season, he’s hitting .293/.368/.428 with 18 doubles, seven triples, six home runs and 42 RBI in 115 games.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Lux has taken the next step in his career and credited Freddie Freeman for providing mentorship, via SportsNet LA:
“It’s really fun to see. I think he’s sort of Freddie Freeman lite. He’s really seen firsthand what Freddie does on a daily basis, and I think if there’s anyone that has kind of gone under Freddie’s wing, it’s Gavin. That’s the preparation each day, the at-bat quality, being able to check down and drive a run in by shortening your swing, it’s what Freddie does. These are his words. Just to see that, for me, I know he’s on the right track. His growth has been exponential and I know he’s going to be big for us.”
Freeman has been a model of consistency since entering the league in 2010 and is one of the best pure hitters behind his patented short swing.
Lux has imitated Freeman’s approach at the plate and it has generated excellent results. The former top prospect has posted career-bests in several categories and figures to play a prominent role for the Dodgers during the postseason.
Dave Roberts: Gavin Lux ‘understanding’ how to approach at-bats
After an uneven start to his Major League career, Roberts believes Lux’s production and consistency this year have been closer to meeting expectations.
“I think that he’s worked really hard on the mechanics as far as really understanding what type of hitter he needs to be right now, in this point in time,” Roberts recently said of Lux. “His work has reflected that every day. He’s really understanding how to approach each individual at-bat and pitcher.
“So I think that’s a big part of it. And ultimately, when you take a number of Major League at-bats, things start to slow down. Where now you can process information, you’re not kind of chasing your tail when you don’t get hits in a game. So I think now he just has a good foundation of who he is as a Major League hitter.
“So whether it’s a left-hander or right-hander, or a big spot, he’s conducting the same type of quality at-bat.”
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