Gavin Lux has had a bumpy start to his career after being a top Los Angeles Dodgers prospect, and one of the most highly regarded young players in baseball.
Lux performed below exactions for the first three seasons of his career before he started to break out in 2022. But even his first good year took a poor turn as Lux suffered a neck injury and struggled to replicate that early success when he returned from the injured list.
Heading into 2023, the 25-year-old was expected to take over as the everyday shortstop after playing second base for most of his MLB career.
Lux was among the Dodgers who made a trip to Driveline Baseball, a data-driven training academy that has quickly gained popularity in recent seasons. Lux found the trip to be beneficial as Driveline was able to break down what he needs to improve on in a visual way, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“I’m a vision guy,” Lux said. “So when you put up a 3D picture of my skeleton and what my body is actually doing, you can get a way better idea” of how to improve your swing.
Lux further expanded that the visit helped add 6 mph to his bat speed, which was a significant increase that was expected to help produce more power and hard contact.
Last season, Lux ranked in the 33rd percentile of average exit velocity, 41st percentile of max exit velocity, 48th percentile of hard-hit rate, 32nd percentile of barrel% and and 33rd percentile in expected slugging percentage. Those were are all numbers he needed to improve on to increase his offensive value.
Lux finished the 2022 season batting .276/.346/.399 with 20 doubles, seven triples, six home runs, 42 RBI, a .328 wOBA and 113 wRC+.
Gavin Lux with Dodgers for Opening Day
Unfortunately for Lux, how much visiting Driveline was going to pay off came to a grinding halt when he suffered a torn ACL and LCL during Spring Training.
He underwent season-ending surgery in March but was with the Dodgers for Opening Day and their first homestand of the season. Manager Dave Roberts said that was beneficial for Lux’s moral as he navigates a prolonged rehab process.
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