The Dodgers have named infielder Gavin Lux as the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Josiah Gray as the Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Lux, 21, started the 2019 season with Double-A Tulsa batting .313 (81-for-259) with 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 64 games. He was selected to the Texas League All-Star Game and appeared in the 2019 Sirius XM MLB Futures Game. Lux was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on June 27 and went on to hit .392 (78-for-232) with 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 49 games. Among Pacific Coast League batters with at least 200 plate appearances, Lux ranked second in average (.392), first in OBP (.478), fourth in SLG (.719) and third in OPS (1.197). The Kenosha, Wisconsin native was named the 2019 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year after hitting a combined .347 (159-for-458) with 26 homers and 76 RBI in 113 combined games between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was the third Dodger to win the award since its inception in 1981, joining Mike Marshall in 1981 and Paul Konerko in 1997. In four minor league seasons, Lux has amassed 79 doubles, 29 triples, 48 homers and driven in 193 runs while slashing .305/.383/.483 in 396 games.

The Dodgers first-round selection (20th overall) in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of Indian Trail High School (Wi.) joins Billy Ashley (1993-94), Paul Konerko (1996-97), Chad Billingsley (2004-2005), Joe Thurston (2000, 2002), James McDonald (2007-08), Zach Lee (2013, 2015) and Joc Pederson (2010, 2012) as two-time Branch Rickey Award recipients. He made his Major League debut on September 2, going 2-for-5 with three runs, becoming the first Dodger in franchise history to score three runs in his Major League debut.

In 26 games (25 starts) combined this season between Single-A Great Lakes, Single-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa, Gray finished with an 11-2 record and a 2.70 ERA (33 ER/130.0 IP) and 147 strikeouts against just 31 walks. The 21-year-old started his season in the Midwest League, posting a 1.93 ERA (5 ER/23.1 IP) in five starts before being promoted to Rancho Cucamonga. In 12 California League starts, he went a perfect 7-0 with a 2.14 ERA (16 ER/67.1 IP) with a 0.97 WHIP and a .209 opponents’ batting average. After earning a promotion to Double-A Tulsa on July 17, Gray pitched to a 2.75 ERA (12 ER/39.1 IP) across nine games (eight starts) for the Drillers.

The New Rochelle, New York native was selected in the second round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds from Le Moyne College. He was acquired along with infielder Jeter Downs in a trade from the Reds on December 21, 2018. In 38 career minor league games (37 starts) over two seasons, the right-handed pitcher is 26-7 with a 2.37 ERA (48 ER/182.1 IP) and has struck out 206 batters against 48 walks.

Lux and Gray will both be presented with their respective awards and honored in a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 21 prior to the Dodgers’ game vs. Colorado. 

(Article courtesy of LA Dodgers)

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