Despite winning six consecutive National League West titles and shipping out a plethora of prospects for established Major League players over the years, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to boast one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball.
The club’s collection of Minor League talent was ranked seventh by MLB Pipeline entering the 2019 season, headlined by top prospects Alex Verdugo and Keibert Ruiz.
Verdugo, of course, has gone on to become a significant contributor at the Major League level, while Ruiz is still considered one of the best catching prospects by many pundits.
Another player that has ascended this season is Gavin Lux, who is in the midst of an incredible run at the plate. Recently promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, the 21-year-old is turning heads with his video game-like offensive production.
Lux’s historic showing has earned him plenty of praise amongst his Oklahoma City teammates and coaching staff, per Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com:
“Everyone here is pretty much in awe of what he’s doing,” said Oklahoma City manager Travis Barbary. “When he gets a double, everyone’s thinking, ‘Really? Here we go again.’ Then, he hits another homer, and you can only think, ‘Really?’ There’s a little bit of sarcasm in that, but I think everyone here knows we haven’t seen someone be this hot before. Even my hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh said that he hasn’t seen a hitter on a run like this. In the gap, out of the park, all over the place — if he gets his pitch, he’s not gonna miss it.”
Lux was promoted from Double-A Tulsa to Oklahoma City on June 27, and went on to register at least one hit in his first 16 games with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate. Despite having that snapped, Lux is batting an unworldly .487/.552/.961 with 37 hits, nine doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 23 RBI.
Lux enjoyed his best statistical performance last Thursday against the Iowa Cubs, collecting five hits in six at-bats. He doubled twice while homering once and tallying three RBI. It also marked the fifth consecutive game in which Lux hit a home run, which was unprecedented at any level across professional baseball
Prior to being promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, Lux hit a superb .313/.375/.521 with seven doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 291 plate appearances over 64 games for the Drillers.
