Gavin Lux has not had the start to his career that he wanted or expected as one of the former top prospects in all of baseball.
The 23-year-old opened the season as the starting second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers but in 85 games hit .221/.302/.340 before being demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers remained confident in Lux’s ability, and manager Dave Roberts described him as “uber-talented.” But it was clear Lux needed some time to regroup and L.A. was able to give him that time because of their deep roster.
The weeks spent in the Minors appears to have done the trick for Lux, who has seven hits in 17 at-bats (.411) since being recalled on Sept. 10. Lux has also added three walks in his 21 plate appearances, giving him a .588 on-base percentage, while only striking out three times.
“There’s just more of a calmness in the batter’s box,” Roberts said. “I think he’s really settled in, he’s allowing his athleticism and ability to be a good baseball player kind of come to the forefront.
“There’s just no panic in the box. He’s always had the ability to look over the baseball, and now there’s a calm, a clarity, and he’s using the whole field, taking really good at-bats and helping us win some ballgames. Really, really excited for him.”
In his career, Lux has hit .222/.303/.356 with an 82 wRC+ after a two-year run in the Minor Leagues where he looked like one of the most talented hitters on the planet.
Lux learning left field
Lux has exclusively played left field since getting recalled, which he hadn’t done professionally until Sept. 9 in Oklahoma City.
Although Lux has held his own with the new position, he has had some communication issues that will need to be straightened out.
“We’ll clean that up. The thing I like is he’s not playing tentatively out there,” Roberts said. “Where sometimes guys that don’t have experience in the outfield or change a position, are more tentative.
“I like his aggressiveness out there. We’ve just got to clean up that communication.”
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