Dodgers NLDS Roster Analysis: Dylan Floro and Gavin Lux in, Edwin Rios and Keibert Ruiz out
Question: Quick, guess how many hits Gavin Lux has versus Padres pitching in his career?
Answer: That would be none. Zero, zilch, nada. He's 0-14 with a walk and seven strikeouts, good for a .000/.067/.000 line. Or bad for. And he hit .175/.246/.349 overall in 2020, with three home runs and eight RBIs, with the homers and RBIs all coming in two games.
Other career numbers are as follows: .233/.305/.405, 4 HR, 15 RBIs vs. RHP and .095/.136/.238, 1 and 2 vs. LHP. .169/.290/.203, 0 HR, 2 RBIs at home and .241/.268/.506, 5 and 15 on the road. .213/.281/.394, 5 HR, 16 RBIs as a starter and .182/.250/.182 as a sub.
Lux is 0-2 leading off games and .171/.237/.257 leading off an inning. He's hit .241/.290/.552 with runners in scoring position, .294/.357/.529 with men on base and .077/.143/.077 with two out and RISP. His line is.208/.296/.458 in high leverage at bats, .238/.319/.405 in medium leverage and .194/.247/.333 in low leverage. He's hit .139/.205/.250 vs. power pitchers and .211/.286/.368 vs. finesse pitchers. He was 2-9 in the 2019 National League Division Series vs. Washington, with a homer. And he's been really good against Baltimore Orioles pitchers, hitting .444/.444/.889, with a homer and two runs batted in.
None of the above are selective statistical choices by a writer with an agenda. It's just objective fact. Draw your own conclusions. Mine isn't that Lux shouldn't be in there over Edwin Rios; it's that I have no idea what this is about. Dave Roberts will tell us in his pregame presser at Globe Life Ballpark at Arlington. Probably with something like, "for me, I just thought that Gavin gives us" fill in the blank, using "the compete" as a noun and perhaps divulging something about the health of Rios. This could be as simple as an injury we don't know about.
The addition of Dylan Floro to the Los Angeles pen makes as makes sense as three catchers, so there's no big deal there. I'd take Ruiz over Matt Beaty simply because there is less need for pinch hitters with the universal designated hitter in play (L.A. used a pinch hitter once in the NLWC) and because Ruiz is a switch-hitter, but OK. I like Beaty just fine.
Below is the Dodgers 28-man NLDS roster:
Starting pitchers (5): Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Julio Urias, Dustin May.
Relievers (9): Pedro Baez, Dylan Floro, Victor Gonzalez, Brusdar Graterol, Kenley Jansen, Adam Kolarek, Joe Kelly, Jake McGee, Blake Treinen.
Infielders (6): Beaty, Kiké Hernandez, Lux, Max Muncy, Corey Seager and Justin Turner.
Catchers (2): Austin Barnes and Will Smith.
Outfielders (6): Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts, Terrance Gore, Joc Pederson, A.J. Pollock and Chris Taylor.
Conclusion: While I don't understand the addition of Lux and someone else's expense, I believe that Andrew Friedman and company have earned our trust. They've earned mine, anyway. Lux may make an impact for better or worse in the NLDS and he may play no part at all. While I may be in the business of predicting rosters -- and I got this one wrong -- I do not try to predict the outcomes of games and series. Unless forced, which is not the case today. I have no idea what will happen in the NLDS. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
It's the Dodgers and the Padres in Texas tonight at 6:38 p.m. PT on FS1, Walker Buehler vs. Mike Clevinger.
And remember, glove conquers all.
Howard Cole has been writing about baseball on the internet since Y2K. Follow him on Twitter.
Video courtesy of Spectrum SportsNetLA/Los Angeles Dodgers.
