January 30th, 2023 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka With Dodgers pitchers and catchers due to report for Spring Training in just 17 days, and with the first game of the 2023 regular season now just 59 days away, Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman finally made it known who the Dodgers shortstop would be.
…sort of.
While a guest on MLB Network Radio on Sunday afternoon, Friedman was asked who his shortstop would be come Opening Day. As a surprise to (very) few, Friedman said that 25-year-old Gavin Lux will be the Dodgers shortstop.
“He came up as a shortstop and extremely highly touted, and last year we really got to see just how dynamic of a player he can be. He was having a really good year, and [Dodgers first baseman] Freddie Freeman has been great for Luxie.
“Then had a little injury and came back, wanted to get back quickly, and kind of numbers fell off a little bit, but really performed well in the ’22 season, and we think there’s even more in the tank.
“And so we’re excited about Luxie, feel like he’s going to be in the middle of a lot of things for us going forward.”
Where that ‘sort of’ thing comes into play is when Friedman added this:
“…Lux at short, if I had to guess right now, with [Max] Muncy at third and [Miguel Rojas] at second. But we’re going to let Spring Training play out and not go in with firm thoughts and exactly how it shakes out.”
The thing to keep in mind is that Friedman has a history of adding players – especially free agents – at the very last minute. And while there is no disputing that Lux is the odds-on favorite to break camp as the Dodgers primary shortstop, you just never know with Andrew Friedman at the helm.
Play Ball!
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I say give Lux a real shot. They can’t turn Lux into the next Joc by trying to hide him every chance they get. Let the kid play and if he’s truly awful then you move him off the position. Out of him, Trea and Seager I’d probably take Lux’s defense at SS over the others. People forget that Lux was really solid when he filled in for Seager for half a season. Of course the others bats are overwhelmingly better than Lux so far but a guy doesn’t just randomly hit .345 over a full season in AA and AAA if he can’t hit. He’s had a weird couple years with injuries and whatever the hell happened in 2020…let him play full time and let’s see what he’s made of.
I am on-board with this.
I was blessed to meet and get to know Gavin when he was at Rancho (when they were still Advanced Single-A) and witnessed firsthand why he was the Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2016. He is very talented regardless of where he plays.
If given a legitimate shot to be the Dodgers everyday shortstop, I believe that he will be very successful … if he can stay healthy.
Let me first say that I have always been a fan of the young guys coming up. Way back when players like Larry
Burright, Tommy Davis, Dick Nen, Darrell Griffith, Ron Cey, Mike Marshall, et al – some made it, some made it big, and others became coaches or went into other careers. That being said, if Dodgers put Lux at SS I am in his corner, wanting him to succeed big time. However, moving him off second base where he is defensively well above average (similar stats to Marcus Semien) to play shortstop where his ML stats are decidedly awful doesn’t seem like the right decision. With the rule changes that significantly restrict infield shifts, second base defense is even more important than the last few seasons. Moving Lux to shortstop seems like a move to get Miguel Vargas or Michael Busch into the lineup at second base — sacrificing defense for their offensive potential.
My hope, Lux proves me wrong and becomes the Dodgers next regular SS.
There is a TURKISH PROVERB that I live by:
“Everything is good until it isnt”
Lux will be at SS till he isnt.
I like it!
“Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
“Do tomorrow what you can put off today,” … or something like that, right?