Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 1 Lux's loud MLB debut brings more eyes to Wisconsin baseball
December 31, 2019
Hailing from Indian Trail HS in Kenosha, Gavin Lux (2016) helped shed more light on the budding Wisconsin baseball scene in 2019 when he made a loud debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 2 when he redirected a line-drive single on the first pitch of his first at-bat in the Majors.
Lux just kept getting better back in high school. Then, he was a lanky 6-foot-2 athlete with strong defense and a quick twitch left-handed swing. As he added strength, he also gathered more and more interest from the pro scouting community that eventually culminated in a first-round pick, No. 20 overall, by the Dodgers.
In the months leading up to the draft, Lux shined at events like the Super 60, asserting himself as a high-ceiling prospect worthy of Day One consideration. At the time, even just four years ago, there was a stigma surrounding prospects from cold weather states like Wisconsin, states that weren’t exactly known for baseball. While that stigma still exists, and with reason, Lux’s success in the minors and eventually the Majors helped force the pro scouting community to pay closer attention to the Wisconsin area that has yielded some high-profile prospects before Lux and since.
Gavin Lux (Super 60, 2/7/16)
Lux’s pro career started strong but absolutely exploded in 2018 when he debuted in High-A Rancho Cucamonga. In 88 games at High-A, Lux slugged 11 homers, four more than he had in the almost two years prior combined. He was promoted down the stretch to make the big leap to Double-A and he didn’t skip a beat – really, he hasn’t since.
He began 2019 back in Double-A and hit 13 more home runs in 64 games and then hit another 13 in 49 Triple-A games before the Dodgers decided Lux, who was just 21-years old, could help them at the big league level in September.
He saw regular playing time down the stretch for the Dodgers, though he cooled off for the first time in two years toward the end of September. Still, LA named Lux to their playoff roster and he homered in his first career playoff at-bat against the Washington Nationals in game one.
Gavin Lux went yard in his first postseason AB. Doesn’t get sweeter than that. ? pic.twitter.com/57NSRwB08i
— Bleacher Report MLB (@BR_MLB) October 4, 2019
Following Lux keep up a torrid pace in the minors and eventually make his debut with the Dodgers in Los Angeles at the start of September was one of the most fun and important stories for the Wisconsin baseball scene in 2019. Lux will hopefully be joined in the MLB by some fellow Wisconsin prep products in the not-too-distant future, but for now, his exhilarating debut for the Dodgers was our No. 1 story of the year.