There are perhaps no players who are are polarizing as Gavin Lux and Miguel Vargas. Everyone has an opinion it seems… and they vary wildly. Both are players who have defensive challenges and who have bats that could be special.
First of all, the Dodgers value Gavin Lux’s bat. I agree with that 100%. He could be a very special player. Gavin has always seen himself as a shortstop. The Dodgers let him try and prove it this Spring, but if I saw the fear in his eyes, they saw it sooner.
The Gavin Lux at SS experiment is over. PERIOD! Now, the only question is: Can he be the offensive force they believe? I believe in Gavin Lux’s bat the same as I do in Miguel Vargas’ bat. They are the same player… except that one is RH and the other is LH. Gavin struggled when he first came up, and so did Miggy… for different reasons.
I believe both of their bats will play up and progress is not linear. We have to give both players some time.
Sometimes that is all it takes. Can Gavin play 2B? I believe that he can… but we may see the YIPS flare up a few times… hopefully those are few and far between. It appears that LF is Vargas only position. Can he play there. Of course he can, but he will likely be at OKC (barring injury) for a lot of this year. His time will come. The Dodgers need Gavin Lux now and his fragile psyche needs to be healed. I his mind he needs to accept that 2B is his new position and there is a lot less pressure to make the throws. Gavin needs to put this on his bathroom mirror and believe it:
“Bloom where you are planted” is credited to Saint Francies de Sales who lived in the late 1500s and early 1600s. This quote brings to mind a picture of a beautiful bloom, but what it implies is a situation that is difficult that requires grit, surrender, and gratitude. Easy to say – hard to do. Gavin must have the GRIT to work through this. He has to SURRENDER to the fact that he is not a shortstop (at least not in this life) and he needs to feel GRATITUDE that he is a damn good MLB Player.
What do I see for Gavin Lux? I see a player who can hit .300, OPS .850 and jack 20 big flys. I see the same for Migual Vargas, but we might have to wait for that. Gavin Lux is two years older than Miguel. Both have had their struggles. Struggles will make you bitter or better. You have to choose.
I am confident that Mookie Betts can play a solid (maybe spectacular) shortstop for two to three years. Let’s get by this one first.
Discussion (7)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Rushing displays a good eye. Walked in the first.
Is anyone able to get the Angels – Dodgers game? It’s supposed to be on ESPN+, but it’s not!
Dodgers added Hudson to the 40-man roster, designated Lipcius for assignment and optioned Miguel Vargas to AAA.
“Airport police said they detained a South Korean man who allegedly hurled an egg near Dodgers manager Dave Roberts at the airport. Police said they were trying to determine the motive for his action, but his family told investigators the man in his mid-20s has a history of mental illness”.
This is very interesting:
good morning dodger fans! i have to admit mark, i rarely even think of Vargas anymore. i too believe he can be a good major league player. but maybe not in LA. if mookie plays a good , maybe not excellent SS i think lux will handle 2nd ok. Max looks slimmer and hopefully he plays well at 3rd. the last thing the pitching needs is the baseball flying all over the field. outfield defense should be vey good. will smith is rated 2nd best catcher in baseball behind reucthman(can’t spell it!) freddie is as good ss it gets at first! chris taylor and rojas can play some excellent infield defense. kiki can run it down in the outfield.(don’t let him near SS)! barnes is barnes. it wasn’t my idea to maybe make Dustin a closer. i was just commenting on the possibility. but bear , with the right secondary pitch he might be good. i read the astros were hot on Blake Snell, but didn’t see that the dodgers were being a sleeper in the snell sweepstakes. i know you can never have enough starting pitching, but does this make any sense? or could this just be playing keep away from other nl west teams. very good pitcher, but lots of walks also. remember how the yankees used to play keep away with players they actually didn’t need or even want? or maybe Walker is further away than being reported, who knows. i do feel Glasnow is an absolute stud. Bobby Miller may be as well. yamamoto will be just fine, just have to catch the ball behind him. James Paxton has really good stuff if he can post every 5-6 days. Gavin looks great! if walker comes back strong as ever, some tough but intriguing options to consider. hey Bear , how about when Clayton and Dustin come back they piggyback together? wouldn’t that be something? 4 for clayton and 4 for Dustin! just pondering!!
I personally wish we would stop talking and commenting on Lux and Vargas. Let both situations play out. Both could be with the Dodgers at the end of 2024 or both or one could be traded. Their performances will dictate their ultimate fate.