I am going to be profileing Dodger Prospects and there may be 35 to 40 as I count them down. I am starting with Luke Fox. Luke Fox, a 6’2″ left-hander out of Duke, is a player whose journey has been anything but ordinary. A dynamic talent before Tommy John surgery derailed his 2023 season, Fox was seen as a potential top-10 round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. Yet, despite the setback, the Wisconsin native’s ceiling remains as high as ever.
Before his injury, Fox displayed electric stuff, with a fastball that ranged from 90-93 mph, reaching 94-95 at times. His sidearm delivery, a blend of precision and deception, made his sweeping 80 mph breaking ball—boasting a 48% whiff rate in 2022—one of the most unhittable pitches in his arsenal. Along with a sharp slider and a mid-80s changeup, Fox developed a repertoire that made him a strikeout machine, racking up 142 strikeouts in 108.1 innings between 2021 and 2022, though his control was at times erratic, leading to 47 walks and a 4.74 ERA.
In 2022, injury struck. Fox underwent Tommy John surgery after battling a forearm strain, leaving him sidelined and forcing him to watch from the dugout. It was during this time, however, that Fox made his most important strides—not on the mound, but as a teammate. “I learned to lock in on being a good teammate,” Fox reflected, adding that seeing the game from a different perspective helped him reshape his approach both mentally and physically.
When draft day arrived in 2023, Fox had no expectations of being selected, let alone in the 17th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a pleasant surprise, and, eight days after being drafted, Fox signed with the organization, turning down the opportunity to return to Duke for one more year. The decision was solidified after a meeting with Dodgers’ Rob Hill and Will Rhymes, where they laid out the future Fox could expect in L.A. He knew his time at Duke had come to a close.
The 2024 season saw Fox’s triumphant return to the mound—and what a return it’s been. For many, his performance has been nothing short of astonishing given he hadn’t pitched in two years. However, Fox himself never doubted his progress. Having made major strides in his development prior to the injury, he believed the setbacks only deepened his game. While his numbers have been strong—a 1.35 ERA to be exact—he’s still hungry for more. “My command around the edges is messy,” he admits, though one has to wonder how messy a pitcher can be when posting such dominant stats.
Despite walking more batters than most, Fox’s efficiency stands out. Throwing just 3.785 pitches per plate appearance, he consistently works at a rapid pace, averaging 15.19 pitches per inning—top-tier numbers across all qualified starters. His 2024 sample size has been impressive: 30 innings, 38 strikeouts, 22 walks, and a 3.43 ERA. Look for Fox to return to the mound in 2025, either at Rancho Cucamonga or Great Lakes, where he’ll continue to refine his craft.
Luke Fox’s story is one of perseverance, talent, and unwavering belief in his potential. His journey is far from over, and his best days are likely ahead of him as he continues to rise through the ranks of the Dodgers’ system. He curremtly is unranked by MLB.com and Baseball America. That will change this season. To me, right now, he still profiles as a starter… and this year, I would expect him to add a couple of MPH velocity!
Videos
The above Video Interview is from Dodgers 2080.
Feel Free…
You can talk about Luke Fox, Trades and Free Agents. Have at it!
Duke is a highly regarded education institution. Watched the interview, and Luke seems intelligent and articulate with his answers. Wish him the best and hopefully to see him at Dodger Stadium one day.
I would like to see Blake Snell teach some of our left handed pitchers in Spring Training his devasting curve ball.
Cool. You can never have enough LHPs.
Learning about prospects is fun. Trying to figure out if they are keepers or bait. I’ve learned over the past year or two following these blogs that I have a higher regard for keeping prospects than most, that by no means makes me right. I almost get giddy when the front office takes someone like Busch who had no position for the Dodgers for the next few years and turn him into two prospects that could have a great impact for the Dodgers in a few years. I wonder if the same could happen with Rushing.
I love it when are players are mainly from are organization. I consider players such as Muncy and Justin Turner in this catagory because I can. I look forward to learning more about are upcoming prospects.
Did a human write this:
Luke Fox’s story is one of perseverance, talent, and unwavering belief in his potential.
I asked ChatGPT that question and here was the answer:
The passage you provided does not have any distinct markers that immediately suggest it was written by AI, but there are a few elements that might indicate AI involvement:
Writing Style: The tone is somewhat generic and could fit within a typical sports commentary piece, but it’s a bit formulaic and lacks specific, nuanced insight into Luke Fox’s career or potential. AI-generated content often carries a certain generalization, which is present here.
Content: The mention that Luke Fox is “unranked by MLB.com and Baseball America” and that this will “change this season” sounds like a projection without much detailed explanation or background. The projection that Fox “still profiles as a starter” and might add “a couple of MPH velocity” also seems like an educated guess but doesn’t offer a solid basis for that claim.
Overall, it’s possible this could have been written by AI, but it’s also within the realm of human-generated sports commentary. If it were AI-generated, it would have been trained on sports writing but might not include specific new insights or deep analysis that a dedicated sports journalist might provide.
I gues you have to decide if I am human or not! 😉
The wording felt very Google gemini.
We have noticed, at work, an overuse of the specific word “perseverance” and three word adjective lists when we use AI.
All good, just curious.
I will take that as a compliment!
Wow – so ChatGPT is saying a “dedicated sports journalist” possibly wrote the article:)
Appreciate the insight on guys I haven’t noticed before.
It is interesting that other than Snell, no other top-tier FA has signed.
Will it be a flood-gate or trickle of signings going forward.
I understand no action on the non-pitcher side until Soto signs, but thought the pitchers would start getting signed.
Living in NorCal, so fun watching the Giant press blow up with gloom – really hope their fears are correct.
Will be an interesting (or not) few weeks until the winter meetings.
We won’t have to wait “a few weeks” for the winter meetings.
They start a week from tomorrow.
Should be a very busy 10 -12 days between now and shortly after the conclusion of the meetings.
Mark I like you style.
Most people don’t pay attention to the farm hands. But I love to soak up as much information about the kids as I can. Thanks for switching it up and giving us exposes on the minor leaguers. Very cool. I don’t think my post is worthy of a Bluto snipe but we’ll see.
Book em
After the Dodgers the teams I follow most close are the top four minor league teams for the Dodgers. Check box scores daily and individual stats at least weekly. I’m far from an expert on our minor league teams because the real development I believe are in the lower or younger leagues. Hated when the league with Ogden was cut out but it was probably a very good business move and at the end of the day it’s a business. Where I live I’m able to catch OKC and Tulsa several times a year. Minor league games are great, low ticket prices and the people working there seemed to be happy that your at the game. Been to a lot of MLB stadiums where you don’t get that feeling. You pay more to park at a major league games than you spend for the whole experience at a minor league games than. Keep them coming Mark and thank you.
Thanks for the report on the crafty lefty. The scouting reports help us keep tabs on the up-and-comers.
Meanwhile, the latest “report” on mlb.com that just feels like a regurgitated rumor has the Dodgers interested in dealing for Arenado.
So here’s a Dodgers All-Rumor lineup:
Shohei DH (this ain’t changing)
Mookie SS (2B or not 2B?)
Soto LF (because Mark says so)
Freddie 1B (the people’s choice is locked in)
Arenado 3B (Alana Rizzo is rooting for this)
Robert CF (because Teo and Buehler take the $$ from the Soto-less Yanks, prompting AF to make a semi-bold move)
Smith/Rushing C (sorry, captain)
Max 2B (because Arenado. Plus, he has 2B experience)
Adames SS (more than just a rumor!)
Belli RF (yeah, he’s a “second leadoff man” on this team. )
Lux and Taylor and ??? are packaged in a salary-dump deal for Belli.
Turn the page. Bellinger will never be a Dodger.
luke duke! where’s Bo, uncle Jesse, Daisy? Hope the young man is in Dodger stadium someday!
Snell officially on the 40 man roster. Wondering if they’re planning a news conference to introduce Snell.