Checking in with Gavin Lux
A conversation with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top prospect
Baseball fans in Oklahoma City have been lucky to see many of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top prospects this season, several of whom have already gone on to make big-time contributions at the Major League level.
OKC Dodgers shortstop Gavin Lux perhaps carries the most hype presently, thanks to his fast start in Triple-A and his ranking as the Dodgers’ №1 prospect and the №10 overall prospect in all of baseball, according to Baseball America.
Oklahoma City Dodgers Communications Assistant Brian Brown recently caught up with Lux about the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, excelling at a new level and retooling his swing.
Brian Brown: It’s been a busy season for you. Tulsa, the Texas League All-Star Game, Oklahoma City, the Futures Game. Do you have a favorite memory of this season that stands out?
Gavin Lux: Man, that’s tough. The Futures Game was really fun. Just being around a lot of really good players and being able to see Cleveland. That was really fun. Obviously getting here and being able to win some games has been fun too. Kind of a toss-up between those two.
BB: Had you been to a MLB All-Star weekend before?
GL: No, that was my first time.
BB: What was that like?
GL: It was a really fun atmosphere. The celebrity softball game was awesome. Just being around the city and the energy. There was a lot going on with a lot of different people. It was a ton of fun.
BB: Did you get see the Home Run Derby or the All-Star Game?
GL: No, no I left that morning.
BB: I’m assuming you did more than play in the Futures Game. What else were you wrapped up in?
GL: We did some stuff with MLB Play Ball, where kids from the community come together and we play a whiffle ball game. That was pretty fun. Other than that, I was at the field.
BB: There was a lot of media at the Futures Game for batting practice. I saw you had a chat with Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ), calling your shots in batting practice. How were those guys and what was that conversation like?
GL: They’re awesome. They’re super funny. One of my favorite social media accounts, if you follow them on Twitter. I was kind of joking around saying I was going to hit it into the third deck. Obviously, I knew I was not going to do that. But we just talked about growing up in Wisconsin and how that environment was when I was playing there and how different it is than from where some of these other guys come from.
BB: I saw video of you getting the call-up to Oklahoma City during the Texas League All-Star Game. What was that like, and is that typically how you’re told you’re moving up to a new level?
GL: No. That was a complete surprise. When I got moved up from [High-A] Rancho to [Double-A] Tulsa last season, they just pulled me out of the game and said, ‘Hey man, you got moved up.’ So, to be told like that was definitely a surprise. I got pulled from the All-Star Game and I was walking into the clubhouse and then he was like, ‘Come here. I got something to tell you,’ and I was like, ‘What is he going to tell me?’ I have no clue. And he was like, ‘Hey man, you’re going to OKC.’ It was awesome. Super caught off-guard, like you can see in the video. It was cool.
BB: In your debut at a new level in your professional career, you’re hitting .391. Moving up may make some players over-anxious, but it’s working out for you pretty well. Is there any reason that you can think of that things are working out for you so well and so quickly?
GL: Well, I think when you first get moved up, there is kind of that nervous feeling where you just want to get out there and play. When I first got moved up here, I definitely had some nerves, but getting that first hit out of the way in your first at-bat, it just takes away all of the nervousness and anxiousness. I think you just lock it in when you move to a new level. You want to show people that you can play there and that’s kind of how I am.
BB: As of right now, you’ve reached base safely in all of your first 33 games in Triple-A. Have you ever had a streak like that? What’s that like? (Editor’s note: Lux went on to reach base safely in each of his first 37 Triple-A games).
GL: Not in professional baseball. Probably in high school baseball. But not in professional baseball. Last year I had an 18-game hit streak with Rancho, but nothing like this. Guys use the term ‘unconscious,’ and it’s true. You just go up there not thinking about anything, just having fun doing what you do. Everything just kind of happens on its own. It’s been a lot of fun out of the gate.
BB: I’ve read about you retooling your swing. What is retooling and what’s that process?
GL: Going into 2018, I wasn’t too happy about my performance in 2017. I did a complete overhaul in my swing. Basically, it is a lot of trying to get the ball in the air more with my bat path and being able to adjust to different pitch locations and speeds on the fly and giving myself a better room for error. A new bat path really gave me a chance to do that. That was the main thing I really worked on going into 2018.
BB: Is that something that relates to launch angle and exit velocity?
GL: Kind of. Yes and no. I want to get the ball in the air, obviously because of the shifts and how much data teams have now. If you hit it on the ground, there’s a guy there almost every time, so I think if you have a good launch angle and you hit the ball hard, you give yourself a chance to do more damage. Home runs, doubles, extra-base hits, stuff like that.
BB: Your name has popped up quite a bit at the trade deadline the past two seasons. Is that something that you really think about or is it just business as usual?
GL: I mean, it’s hard not to. My friends, my family, Twitter, Instagram. Everyone is tweeting at you, messaging you, saying, ‘Hey, are we going to trade you?’ or ‘We should trade you,’ or ‘We shouldn’t trade you.’ It gets frustrating at times, but you have to take it for what it is and be where your feet are. That’s how I went about it. I still have to go to work at 7 o’clock. I just shut off my social media and prepped for the game, go play, and try not to worry about it.
