Gavin Thomas Lux (born November 23, 1997) is an American professional baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Gavin Lux
Lux with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers – No. 9
Second baseman / Shortstop
Born: (1997-11-23) November 23, 1997 (age 27)
Kenosha, Wisconsin, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 2019, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.252
Home runs28
Runs batted in155
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams
Career highlights and awards

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. As a member of the Dodgers, he won the 2024 World Series.

Early life

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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]

Career

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Minor leagues

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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]

 
Lux with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in 2018

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]

Los Angeles Dodgers

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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 hit .278 in the 2024 NLDS with one home run and three RBI[32] but struggled in the 2024 NLCS as a result of an injury which limited him only six at-bats.[42] In the 2024 World Series, Lux had only one hit in 10 at-bats, though he did walk three times as the Dodgers won the championship.[32]

Personal life

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Lux's parents are Heather and Tom Lux Jr.[43] His uncle, Augie Schmidt, is a former minor league professional baseball player and current head coach of the Carthage College baseball team.[44]

References

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  1. ^ Haudricourt, Tom (June 8, 2016). "Indian Trail shortstop Gavin Lux drafted by Dodgers". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ Menaker, Elise (February 2, 2016). "Kenosha baseball player considered Top 50 HS draft prospect". WTMJ-TV Milwaukee. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  3. ^ "2015-16 Gatorade State Baseball Players of the Year". USA TODAY High School Sports. May 24, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  4. ^ Johnson, Mike (January 16, 2016). "Indian Trail's Lux a baseball star deluxe". Kenosha News. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  5. ^ Boehler, Dave (March 30, 2016). "Future looks bright for Indian Trail's Gavin Lux". Milwaukee, Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Van Vooren, Tim (May 16, 2016). "For Kenosha Indian Trail baseball player, it's ASU or the pros next year: "Either way, a win-win"". Fox 6 News. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Gurnick, Ken (May 24, 2018). "Gavin Lux picked 20th by Dodgers in MLB Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  8. ^ Hoornstra, J.P. (June 9, 2016). "Dodgers use 20th overall pick on shortstop Gavin Lux". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  9. ^ Gurnick, Ken (June 16, 2016). "Dodgers ink first-round Draft pick Lux". mlb.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  10. ^ "Local briefs: Lux collects first multi-hit game". Kenosha News. June 28, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  11. ^ Grennel, Michael (August 31, 2016). "Dodgers' first round pick Gavin Lux joins Ogden Raptors for homestand". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c "Gavin Lux Register statistics & history". Baseball Reference.
  13. ^ "Dodgers' Gavin Lux: Dealing with rib issue". CBS Sports. April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  14. ^ Bernreuter, Hugh (April 19, 2017). "Dodgers send No. 1 draft pick Gavin Lux to Loons". Mlive.com. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  15. ^ Lindskog, Mike (April 2, 2018). "2018 Roster Announced". milb.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  16. ^ Lindskog, Mike (June 11, 2018). "Six All-Stars for Quakes in 2018!". milb.com. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
  17. ^ Bumbaca, Chris (August 21, 2018). "Bannon leads California League All-Stars". milb.com. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
  18. ^ Young, David (September 17, 2018). "Dodgers name Gavin Lux and Tony Gonsolin minor leaguers of the year". SB Nation. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  19. ^ "Gavin Lux Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  20. ^ Starkand, Daniel (April 4, 2019). "Gavin Lux, Dustin May & Keibert Ruiz Headline Double-A Tulsa 2019 Opening Day Roster". Dodgerblue.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  21. ^ "Top Prospects Named to Rosters for ONEOK Field All-Star Game". milb.com. Tulsa Drillers. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  22. ^ Callis, Jim (June 28, 2019). "Here are the 2019 Futures Game rosters". mlb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  23. ^ Maun, Tyler (June 28, 2019). "Lux tallies three hits in Triple-A debut". milb.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  24. ^ Johnson, Mike (July 18, 2019). "Gavin Lux on a tear in Triple-A". Kenosha News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  25. ^ "Kenosha's Gavin Lux crushing AAA pitching; Dodgers soon?". Jsonline.com. July 18, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "2019 Register Batting Leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  27. ^ Glaser, Kyle (September 9, 2019). "Gavin Lux Named 2019 Minor League Baseball Player Of The Year". Baseball America. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  28. ^ Minami, Craig (September 19, 2019). "Branch Rickey honors for Gavin Lux and Josiah Gray". SB Nation. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  29. ^ Rill, Jake (September 1, 2019). "Roberts: Lux to start for Dodgers on Monday". mlb.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  30. ^ Gurnick, Ken (September 2, 2019). "Dodgers' top prospect Lux makes early impact". mlb.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  31. ^ Silver, Zachary (September 10, 2019). "Dodgers' top prospect Lux belts first homer". mlb.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g "Gavin Lux Stats". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  33. ^ Gurnick, Ken (October 3, 2019). "Buehler's gem sends Dodgers past Nats". mlb.com. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  34. ^ Castillo, Jorge (July 21, 2020). "Dodgers top prospect Gavin Lux won't begin season on roster after being optioned". LA Times. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  35. ^ Johnson, Mike (September 2, 2020). "Lux called up to big leagues again". Kenosha News. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  36. ^ Castillo, Jorge (October 6, 2020). "Dodgers' NLDS roster: Gavin Lux and Dylan Floro replace Edwin Rios and Keibert Ruiz". LA Times. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  37. ^ "2020 NL Division Series Los Angeles Dodgers over San Diego Padres (3-0) Dates: October 6 - 8, 2020". Baseball Reference. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  38. ^ Harris, Jack (September 28, 2021). "Second base can wait for now: Gavin Lux is helping the Dodgers in the outfield". LA Times. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  39. ^ Harris, Jack (February 28, 2023). "Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux has torn ACL and is expected to miss 2023 season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  40. ^ Stephen, Eric (January 11, 2024). "Dodgers sign 10 players to avoid salary arbitration". SB Nation. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  41. ^ Stumbach, Julia (March 8, 2024). "Mookie Betts to Be Dodgers' Starting Shortstop over Gavin Lux, Dave Roberts Says". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  42. ^ "Dodgers' Gavin Lux: Not in lineup for Game 6". CBS Sports. October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  43. ^ Johnson, Mike (June 20, 2016). "Indian Trail graduate is 20th overall pick in MLB Draft". Kenosha News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  44. ^ Pedro Moura (August 9, 2019). "Welcome to The Future: Gavin Lux destined to be the Dodgers' next big star". The Athletic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
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