Gavin Thomas Lux (born November 23, 1997) is an American
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
second baseman for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB).
He played baseball for
Indian Trail High School and Academy
Indian Trail High School and Academy is a public high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, part of the Kenosha Unified School District. Unlike the other high schools in the district, ITHS/A houses a comprehensive high school and an alternative school u ...
in
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...
, and was selected in the first round of the
2016 Major League Baseball draft
The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams.
The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be di ...
by the Dodgers and made his major league debut in September 2019.
Early life
Lux attended
Indian Trail High School and Academy
Indian Trail High School and Academy is a public high school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, part of the Kenosha Unified School District. Unlike the other high schools in the district, ITHS/A houses a comprehensive high school and an alternative school u ...
in
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...
. He batted .560 for the school in his senior season. He was one of the top 50 high school prospects heading into the 2016 MLB draft. He won the 2016 Wisconsin baseball
Gatorade Player of the Year awards
The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys' baseball, boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' cross country, boys' football, boys' a ...
and Holy Rosary Sports Night Male Athlete of the Year Award in high school. He had committed to
Arizona State University.
Career
Minor leagues
The
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...
selected Lux in the first round, with the 20th pick overall selection, of the
2016 Major League Baseball draft
The 2016 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 9, 2016, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams.
The draft order is the reverse order of the 2015 MLB season standings. In addition, compensation picks will be di ...
. Lux signed with the Dodgers for a $2.31 million
signing bonus. The Dodgers assigned him to the
Arizona League Dodgers to begin his professional career. At the end of the season he was promoted to the
Ogden Raptors
The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field.
Pitcher ...
of the
Pioneer Baseball League
The Pioneer League is an independent baseball league that operates in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. Its teams are not directly affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB). It is designated as an MLB Partner League.
From 1939 t ...
. Between the two levels, he played in 56 games, batting .296/.375/.399 with 21 RBIs.
Lux got a late start on the 2017 season as he dealt with a rib issue in spring training. He was assigned to the Class-A
Great Lakes Loons
The Great Lakes Loons are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Midland, Michigan, and play their home games at Dow Diamond, which opened in April 2007.
Histor ...
of the
Midwest League
The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
on April 19. He played in 101 games for the Loons, hitting .244/.331/.362 with seven home runs, 39 RBIs, and 27 stolen bases.
[
He was promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League for the 2018 season] and was selected to the mid-season all-star game. He was promoted to the Tulsa Drillers of the Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
in August. He was named to the post-season all-star team with Rancho Cucamonga. and was also named the Dodgers Minor League Player of the year. In 116 games between Rancho Cucamonga and Tulsa, he slashed .324/.399/.514 with 15 home runs and 57 RBIs.
Lux began 2019 with the Tulsa Drillers. He was selected to the mid-season Texas League All-Star Game and also the All-Star Futures Game. He was promoted to the AAA Oklahoma City Dodgers
The Oklahoma City Dodgers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and play their home games at Chickasaw Bricktown Ba ...
on June 27. 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.[ Lux was selected as '' Baseball Americas Minor League Player of the Year and also named by the Dodgers as their minor league player of the year for the second straight season.
]
Los Angeles Dodgers
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. 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. On September 10, 2019, Lux hit his first MLB home run off Tanner Scott of the Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...
. 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. On October 3, in his first at-bat in his postseason debut, Lux hit a pinch-hit solo home run off Hunter Strickland
Hunter Drew Strickland (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Ta ...
of the Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...
. 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
Cody James Bellinger (born July 13, 1995) is an American professional baseball center fielder and first baseman for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was selected ...
, who homered at the age of 22 years and 88 days during the 2017 NLDS
The 2017 National League Division Series were two best-of-five-game series to determine the participating teams of the 2017 National League Championship Series. The three divisional winners (seeded 1–3) and a fourth team—the winner of a one ...
against the Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...
.
The 2020 season was delayed and shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
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. He was not called back up to the Dodgers until the beginning of September and played in only 19 games, hitting .175/.246/.349 with three homers and eight RBIs in 63 at bats.[ He was left off the post-season roster for the first round then was added back for the second round. He had one plate appearance as a pinch hitter in the series but was left off the roster for the subsequent series.
In 2021, Lux hit .242 with seven homers and 46 RBI in 102 games.][ 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. 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.][
]
Personal life
Lux's parents are Heather and Tom Lux Jr. His uncle, Augie Schmidt
August Robert Schmidt IV (born June 28, 1961) is the current head coach of the Carthage College baseball team. He was a minor league baseball shortstop from 1982 to 1986.
High school and college career
Schmidt attended Mary D. Bradford High Sch ...
, is a former minor league professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Modern professional ...
player and current head coach of the Carthage College baseball team.
Lux's favorite baseball team growing up in Kenosha
Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosh ...
was the Milwaukee Brewers.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lux, Gavin
1997 births
Living people
Arizona League Dodgers players
Sportspeople from Kenosha, Wisconsin
Baseball players from Wisconsin
Major League Baseball shortstops
Major League Baseball second basemen
Los Angeles Dodgers players
Ogden Raptors players
Great Lakes Loons players
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes players
Tulsa Drillers players
Oklahoma City Dodgers players