Out Of The Blue

Gavin Lux transforms from a prospect in doubt into our Minor League Player of the Year

- Kyle Glaser

When Trey Magnuson first saw Gavin Lux in the summer of 2015, the Dodgers’ area scout for the Upper Midwest was immediately drawn to Lux’s athleticism and lefthanded bat.

The actions Lux showed at shortstop were rare in a teenager from cold-weather Wisconsin. Even more rare was his advanced feel to hit and comfort facing velocity.

As Magnuson began digging deeper and getting to know Lux in the ensuing months, something else began to stand out even more.

“You put a little obstacle in front of him, he was going to prove he could get through it,” Magnuson said. “He has that resilience. He has that maturity that’s going to make any kid succeed.”

In time, Lux would prove Magnuson’s assessment spot-on.

Lux overcame a rough first full pro season and years of throwing issues to become one of the top performers in the minor leagues this season.

The Dodgers’ 21-year-old shortstop prospect thrived at the two highest levels of the minors on his way to his first major league callup in September.

In 113 games at Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City, Lux hit .347 to rank fourth in the minors, while his .421 on-base percentage ranked 10th and his .607 slugging percentage placed sixth. In terms of OPS, he ranked fourth (1.028) overall, behind just Kevin Cron, Jared Walsh, and Mark Payton, a trio of older, bat first players at Triple-A.

Lux pieced together a 50-game on-base streak that stretched from early July to mid-August and slashed his errors from 27 last year to 13 this season.

For his performance, Lux is our Minor League Player of the Year.