Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star Ketel Marte was ranked the best second baseman by MLB Network’s The Shredder for the 2020 season. Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Gavin Lux just missed the cutoff.
Rounding out the list, in order, is the New York Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu, the Houston Astros’ Jose Altuve, the Atlanta Braves’ Ozzie Albies, the Tampa Bay Rays’ Brandon Lowe, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Keston Hiura, the Cincinnati Reds’ Mike Moustakas, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Cavan Biggio, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Kolten Wong and the Minnesota Twins’ Luis Arraez.
While Lux was excluded from the rankings, he placed ninth in MLB Network analyst Ben Lindbergh’s list, and 10th in Sarah Langs and Mike Petriello’s respective lists. Lux was also voted the No. 10 second baseman by the fans.
Lux began his 2019 campaign with Double-A Tulsa, hitting .313/.375/.521 with seven doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 37 RBI in 64 games for the affiliate.
Lux received a midseason promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City and continued putting up video game-like numbers, batting .392/.478/.719 with 18 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 39 RBI in 49 games.
Proving that he could handle Minor League pitching, the Dodgers called up Lux as soon as rosters expanded on Sept. 1.
Lux was immediately tested by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, being penciled into the starting lineup in 10 of his first 12 games. He hit his first career MLB home run on Sept. 10 against the Baltimore Orioles.
In 23 regular season games, Lux hit .240/.305/.400 with four doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI across 82 plate appearances.
Lux showed promise and earned a spot on the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster. He appeared in four of the five games — starting at second base in three of them — and most notably made franchise history by hitting a home run in his first career postseason at-bat.
The 21-year-old posted an .856 on-base plus slugging in nine plate appearances against the Washington Nationals.
Wait for Lux
Lux entered the offseason with a goal of earning the starting job at second base in 2020. Prior to Spring Training coming to a halt, he hit .276/.323/.345 with one triple and one RBI in 31 Cactus League plate appearances (11 games).
However, he didn’t look his usual self during Summer Camp and was optioned to the team’s alternate training site. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Lux has made improvements and is nearing a return.
| Rank | The Shredder | Mike Petriello | Sarah Langs | Ben Lindbergh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks) | Jose Altuve (Astros) | Jose Altuve (Astros) | Jose Altuve (Astros) |
| 2 | DJ LeMahieu (Yankees) | DJ LeMahieu (Yankees) | DJ LeMahieu (Yankees) | Ozzie Albies (Braves) |
| 3 | Jose Altuve (Astros) | Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks) | Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks) | Ketel Marte (Diamondbacks) |
| 4 | Ozzie Albies (Braves) | Ozzie Albies (Braves) | Ozzie Albies (Braves) | Kolten Wong (Cardinals) |
| 5 | Brandon Lowe (Rays) | Keston Hiura (Brewers) | Kolten Wong (Cardinals) | DJ LeMahieu (Yankees) |
| 6 | Keston Hiura (Brewers) | Kolten Wong (Cardinals) | David Fletcher (Angels) | Brandon Lowe (Rays) |
| 7 | Mike Moustakas (Reds) | Cavan Biggio (Blue Jays) | Keston Hiura (Brewers) | Keston Hiura (Brewers) |
| 8 | Cavan Biggio (Blue Jays) | Brandon Lowe (Rays) | Brandon Lowe (Rays) | Cavan Biggio (Blue Jays) |
| 9 | Kolten Wong (Cardinals) | Mike Moustakas (Reds) | Jean Segura (Phillies) | Gavin Lux (Dodgers) |
| 10 | Luis Arraez (Twins) | Gavin Lux (Dodgers) | Gavin Lux (Dodgers) | Mike Moustakas (Reds) |
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