Making Sense of the Dodgers’ Decision to Move Mookie Betts to Shortstop, Gavin Lux to Second Base

The Dodgers were ready to give Gavin Lux the reins at shortstop after coming back from an ACL injury. However, his poor defense this spring training seems to have forced their hand.

On Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that Lux would move back to second base. In a corresponding move, Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts will transition to shortstop.

While spring training is ripe with overreactions, this move does not seem like one. On Thursday, the Dodgers’ manager changed his tune with regards to who would start at shortstop this season. When asked about the move on Friday, Roberts said that for now, this infield alignment is permanent.

How the Dodgers Handled the Gavin Lux Situation

Los Angeles had several ways to address Lux’s struggles at shortstop. They could have started Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor, or Kiké Hernández primarily at shortstop over Lux.

Whether as a platoon or for a more extended period, this would have given Lux time to get more comfortable in the position. However, doing so would have taken away at-bats from him, someone who would benefit from everyday playing time.

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman could have acquired another shortstop via trade. This could still happen and, again, Willy Adames remains a top candidate for the Dodgers.

However, since none of that happened, it’s clear the Dodgers still believe in and value Lux.

They could have moved off him entirely or sent him down to the minors for more seasoning. Instead, they opted to shift him back to second base and keep his bat in the lineup.

Last year, the club gave Miguel Vargas up until the trade deadline to prove himself at the major league level. They sent him down after he struggled both at the plate and defensively. It would have been hard to believe that the Dodgers would not afford their former top prospect this luxury.

Why Did the Dodgers Move Gavin Lux Off Shortstop?

The Dodgers moving Lux has nothing to do with his athleticism. He has the quick twitch and agility to get to almost anything hit his way. The problem comes down to his arm strength.

He grades out in the eighth percentile in arm strength according to Statcast. That places him dead last among shortstops in 2023 in that category.

Justin Turner experienced a similar drop off back in 2019. He could not make the throws from third base as well as he used to. So, he developed the ability to one-hop the ball from third to Max Muncy, at the time, at first.

Lux had been doing the same thing this year in spring training. After a few errant throws in his first few attempts, he started bouncing the ball to Freddie Freeman at first. In doing so, he’s trying to get the ball across the diamond accurately, but seldom in time.

By moving Lux back to second base, the Dodgers can hide Lux’s lackluster arm strength. The throw from second base to first is significantly shorter than from shortstop. Plus, with the use of the revamped shift, Lux might be standing between first and second throwing to either bag.

What to Expect from Gavin Lux in 2024

The former Minor League Player of the Year appeared in 102 games at second base back in 2022. While he looked uncomfortable at times, the defensive metrics graded out favorably for him.

Despite nine errors on the year, according to Statcast, Lux graded out in the 80th percentile of outs-above-average. He also accounted for three defensive runs saved according to Fangraphs.

As mentioned above, moving Lux back to second signals that the Dodgers still value his offense. They are trying to find ways to keep his bat in the lineup without compromising too much defensively.

He commented in the past how he much prefers playing shortstop because he feels more athletically free. However, it looks like he needs to learn second base if he wants to stay on the roster — at least with L.A.

Will Mookie Betts Be a Good Shortstop?

Betts wanted to earn a Gold Glove at second base, and he very well could have. That goal becomes significantly harder moving to shortstop.

Not only are there better defenders there overall, but shortstop is by far Betts’ worst defensive position. For context, in 107 games in right field in 2023, Betts had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage according to Fangraphs.

That number ticked down ever so slightly in the 70 games he appeared second base with a .991 fielding percentage. It’s a small sample size, but his fielding percentage dropped all the way to .935 in 16 appearances at short. He committed three of his five errors at shortstop in about 10 percent of the games.

This does not mean Betts will be a bad shortstop by any means. He showed flashes of his elite athleticism in that small sample size at short last year. Now, he has to put it together for the whole season — or at least the beginning of it until the Dodgers find a solution. His being just an average defensive shortstop still makes him one of the most valuable players in all of baseball.

The Dodgers, as would anyone, are betting on their $365 million player figuring things out at shortstop over a younger player coming off injury. This might have been the best in-house solution to this problem. This way, the Dodgers still keep Lux in the lineup, Betts in the infield, and sacrifice much less on defense.

Photo Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

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