2020 recap of Gavins and Guys From Granite

I like to do yearly recaps of the active non-star players I collect. Honestly, these such posts are mostly for me, because otherwise sometimes I forget to check in on these guys! But I get a blog post out of it, and hopefully a few readers find this stuff mildly interesting too.

However, with the cancelation of the 2020 minor league season, there's not a whole lot to report this year. So I'm combining the guys who share my first name and the guys who went to my high school in one post.

Gavin Lux - In really the only good news to mention in this entire post, 2020 marked the first time ever that a guy named Gavin won a World Series. It's a proud moment for us Gavins everywhere! lol. (Honorable mention to Scott Gavin Erickson with the '91 Twins.)

But otherwise it was a disappointing season for a kid who was projected to be a frontrunner for NL Rookie of the Year. Lux didn't impress in training camp and didn't make the opening day roster. He made it up to the bigs for 19 games (down from his 23-game call-up in 2019) and hit just .175 for the Dodgers. His lone postseason appearance was a strikeout in the NLDS.

But yeah, 2020 was a weird season and you gotta take these stats with a grain of salt. Collectors haven't given up on him yet, as his cards still ain't cheap. I haven't added any new Lux cards to my collection this year other than maybe a base card or two from a trade package, as any card that caught my eye seemed to creep out of the price range I was comfortable with.

But here's hoping he bounces back for a strong 2021 season. (Or if he continues to struggle, well, the silver lining for me is his card prices could finally chill out.)

Gavin LaValley - Big Gav was sadly among the 48 minor leaguers that the Reds released at the conclusion of training camp this past June. After a so-so second go-round in Double-A the previous year, LaValley looked like a longshot to make the majors, but were it not for covid crapping on everything, he possibly would have gotten a shot in AAA. He turns 26 next month and I'm not holding my breath for another club to sign him for 2021, but best of luck to him. If he's hung up his cleats for the final time, I wish him all the best in the next chapter of his life!

Gavin Cecchini - The Diamondbacks gave Cecchini a look in spring training, but he didn't stick with them and was released in May. He had earlier been on track to play pro ball in Australia, but the wild brushfires scared him back to the States just in time for the pandemic, lol. What an awful time in civilization we live in! He'll be 27 next month and may very well be done in organized ball. But like with LaValley, I'm wishing him the best of luck.

Here are some more minor league Gavins that spent 2020 in limbo but hopefully take the field for official MiLB games next year:

Gavin Collins
Gavin Collyer
Gavin Garay
Grant Gavin
John Gavin
Gavin Hollowell
Gavin Jones
Gavin Sheets
Gavin Stupienski
Gavin Wallace

Good luck, Gavins!

As for Guys From Granite, no 2020 stats from anybody to report.

Travis Taijeron had been back with the Mets in camp this spring, but was among the 39 players New York released in May. He'll be 32 next season, so that might be it for him on the diamond. I'd be surprised if he's still playing next year, but I wish him the best!

There are 3 other active players who went to Granite Hills High School hoping to return to the field in '21: Trenton Brooks, Andrew Brown, and Jordan Verdon. No Granite grads have been drafted since Verdon in 2018, but hopefully we get some new blood in pro ball soon.

Thanks for reading and have a great holiday weekend.