Gavin Lux Needs To Prove Himself Worthy As A Big Leaguer
The Los Angeles Dodgers currently making a mistake. It’s one of the only few exhibited by the team in the last five years, but this one needs to be solved, and soon. This mistake that is hanging over the management’s head like a boulder is the rushing of second baseman Gavin Lux.
You talk to knowledgable Dodger fans about who their favorite prospect was going into the 2020 season, and most will say, Gavin Lux. He was, after all, the top prospect of the team, and the hype was real. He was crushing it in the minor leagues, batting .347 with 26 home runs between Double and Triple-A. The organization decided to call him up in September. He did okay in limited playing time and earned a chance to play in the NLDS. He also hit a home run in his first career playoff at-bat.
The next year, Lux struggled immensely. He got off to a slow start in the pandemic shortened year, hitting only .175 with three home runs in 19 games. There was no place to send Lux rather than the Dodger’s training squad practicing at USC’s baseball field. He didn’t even make the playoff roster when the team won it all against the Rays. He has a lot to prove in 2021 now with the weight of the second base position on his shoulders.
What the Dodgers as an organization did wrong was jumping ahead, have Lux start at second, and expect him to be a playoff-caliber superstar. Yes, he did hit that home run in the NLDS versus the Nationals but let’s not forget he only hit .240 with a .705 on-base plus slugging in the 2019 regular season. In hindsight, it’s easy to say this is a mistake.
The Dodgers do have success in calling up top prospects in September. When Corey Seager was called up in 2015, he was immediately impactful, hitting .337, and earning the shortstop position for good. The point being, everyone is different and the Dodgers should realize that Gavin Lux may need more time in order to prove his worthiness. He has a lot to prove in his career, and more than ample time to do it.
