For Gavin Lux, small adjustments are paying off

Gavin Lux has been fiddling with his swing since 2020. That season, he traded his uppercut of a swing for a more level motion that resulted in more line drives and grounders, relying more on his speed to reach base than his power.

Since then, Lux’s exit velocity, contact rate, and whiff percentage on breaking balls have dramatically improved. Because of his flatter swing’s motion and mechanics, Lux has bought himself an extra second to better identify offspeed pitches. He’s also better able to hit high four-seamers rather than scooping the bat under them.

Lux is now in the 91st percentile of MLB players for exit velocity and in the 93rd for hard hit rate. He’s more patient at the plate, too: as of April 25, Lux had the 32nd lowest swing rate—36.9%—of major leaguers with 20 plate appearances. Max Muncy, also known for his pickiness at the plate, is at 17th with a swing rate of 33.8%.

All this, combined with a tendency to lay off of pitches outside the zone, is paying off for Lux. Robert Orr at Baseball Prospectus has more on the many small adjustments Lux is making to finally come into his own.

Dodgers Links

Jessica Mendoza has been a revelation in the booth as the Dodgers’ first female analyst, writes Helene Elliott at the Los Angeles Times.

Vin Scully took to Twitter to discuss the most important, most theatrical, and most. personally important homers he called in his career.

Will Smith has tied Mike Piazza’s record for fastest catchers to reach 50 homers, reports ESPN and Elias Sports Bureau.