Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES, CA — Our final stop on the infield in our 2024 preview is at a position that is as critical as any on the diamond: shortstop. And, it’s almost like I feel like some director should be calling out “Take Two!” because we are essentially where we SHOULD have been at this time last year: looking forward to Gavin Lux finally being given the reins to the position with Miguel Rojas at the ready as a backup. So here we go again….
Gavin Lux (4 years MLB experience, all with LAD)
So here we go… after a freak accident on the bases sideline Lux for all of 2023, Gavin is back in camp and healthy as we head into 2024, ready to assume a near everyday role at short. Will that end up happening? It’s hard to say at this point. So far, his bat is looking good, with a Cactus League batting average over .300 as of this writing. However, as we all know, shortstops are not really looked at for much offense unless your last name is Turner or Seager. The Dodgers need to be confident that Lux will be able to field the position at a big league level.
“With Gavin, the No. 1 thing is you want him to be healthy,” said manager Dave Roberts a couple of days ago, and from everything we’ve seen and heard, he is. Now, we’ve just got to get back to playing mode and compete mode. We’ve got to understand that it takes time to get back up to major league speed, and we feel that once the bell rings, he’ll be right where he needs to be.”
The concern about Lux’s fielding is not without foundation. In his days at short so far, Lux’s fielding percentage is a lackluster .968 and he committed seven errors with a sample size of over 500 innings. That pencils out to an accrued minus-5 outs above average, according to Baseball Savant. Not great, Bob.
“For me, it’s just simplifying everything — catch the ball, throw the ball,” Lux was quoted as saying in the LA Times. “The cues are things you say in your head over and over and get you back to where you need to be. … Miggy (Rojas) has been great. In my opinion, he’s probably the best defensive shortstop in baseball, so I’m just trying to pick his brain as much as possible.”
So we’ll see. I still have faith that Lux will work it out. His talent is such that once he figures it all out, he’s going to be a major contributor to the team.
| Season | Team | Level | G | PA | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | FGDC | PROJ | 105 | 455 | 10 | .258 | .333 | .398 | .319 | 102 | 1.8 |
Miguel Rojas (10 years MLB experience, two with LAD)
Miguel Rojas is a bit of a throwback shortstop. In the days when often a player’s offensive production is prioritized over defense, Rojas is definitely a glove-first kind of guy at this point in his career. We Dodger fans should be grateful that we had him last year, though. Without his steadying influence, the Dodgers’ infield would have been a trainwreck in 2023. So after a hearty gracias from management, Rojas now assumes the position that he was meant for all along: that of Gavin Lux’s back-up, and more importantly, his mentor in the field. Rojas, who ranked fifth among 20 qualifying shortstops with 12 defensive runs saved last season, has been working with Lux this spring to develop some mental cues to keep his confidence up in the field.
Offensively, Rojas was not great last year. However, he did have a bit of a mini-power surge in the second half of the season, hitting five homers after the All-Star break, and posted an acceptable .659 OPS. It will be interesting to see how this veteran will be deployed by Dave Roberts in 2024. I don’t see him getting a lot of AB’s, but if Lux struggles against left-handers, I can envision Rojas playing in a platoon role. Or, in a late inning shift, Rojas might come in at short, Lux could shift over to second and Mookie and his Gold Glove could return to right field.
| Season | Team | Level | G | PA | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG | wOBA | wRC+ | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | LAD | MLB | 125 | 423 | 5 | .236 | .290 | .322 | .271 | 69 | 0.6 |
| 2024 | FGDC | PROJ | 55 | 238 | 4 | .252 | .304 | .362 | .292 | 83 | 0.6 |
Other options…
Of course, we can’t forget that we have two awesome utility guys, Hernandez and Taylor, both of whom are quite comfortable at shortstop. In addition, Austin Gauthier and Trey Sweeney are in Arizona as non-roster players, and they too have experience at short, but given the depth that the Dodgers have at this position, it will be surprising to see either of the those guys crack the lineup this year. Despite this depth, though, shortstop remains one of the big question marks that remains on this roster. Here’s hoping that Gavin Lux gets out of the box strong in 2024, and he’s one less thing for Dave Roberts to worry about as he tries to assemble a strong roster for the postseason.
DODGERSBEAT RATING: C+
