Building the perfect Dodgers lineup for 2021 season

Batting Eighth: Gavin Lux, 2B

It’s time for the Dodgers’ top prospect to shine.

OK. Show us what you’ve got, kid. No more service-time manipulation.

You’re the Dodgers’ starting second baseman and you’re batting eighth. Justify your top-three prospect in baseball status.

Now that LA has secured that elusive championship, there’s no downside to starting Lux from day one. There’s no pressure. There’s also…no reason this shouldn’t go well? Prior to 2020, Lux seemed to be a shoo-in for National League Rookie of the Year honors. Unfortunately, in an up-and-down year, he batted just .175 in 63 at-bats in a season he was meant to dominate (though he still posted 0.7 WAR).

Lux’s 2019 postseason debut against the Nationals seemed to portend that he was ready for everyday work when the curtain rose on 2020. Then, unfortunately, the entirety of 2020 changed.

There’s a chance he proves quickly that he still isn’t ready for an everyday role, and Taylor can step right in, in that case. But if Lux isn’t ready now, when will he be? In our perfect lineup, Lux bats eighth, hits .280 with 20 homers, and proves that he was always the man for the job, despite a strange blip on the radar in the shortened campaign.

If he’s unable to deliver on our idealized vision, then there’ll be a tough conversation at the tail end of this year.

3 players the Dodgers need to sign to contract extensions this offseason

The Los Angeles Dodgers need to make sure these guys are under contract beyond 2021 before this offseason comes to an end.