Gavin LaValley was drafted out of an Oklahoma high school in 2014. The big selling card for the infielder was his raw power. During his senior year of high school he hit 19 home runs. For his high school career he had 66 home runs, which was 6th all time when he graduated.
Between his junior season of high school and his second season of professional baseball, Gavin LaValley shed a ton of weight. There were some rumblings that perhaps it was a tad too much and that it cost him a little bit of his power. In 2015 with the Dayton Dragons he only had four home runs in 125 games played.
Last season he spent almost all of his season with Daytona after a 5-game tune up as he came off of the disabled list to begin the year with Dayton. In 92 games for the Daytona Tortugas he took a step forward with the power. In 92 games he hit 29 doubles, two triples and 11 home runs. For the Florida State League, that’s quite impressive as the league in general suppresses power output more than any other league in the minors.
Despite having success last year in Daytona, Gavin LaValley is back there this season. The first baseman has played in 44 games this year and has nearly matched his home run total from the year before. Last night he smacked his 10th homer of the season in a 4-5 effort that also included his 10th double of the year.
For the year he’s now hitting .281/.339/.521 in 186 plate appearances. The average hitter in the league has a .255/.324/.370 line this year. While the average and on-base percentage are better for LaValley, it’s the big difference in power that stands out.
At 22-years-old he seems to be taking that next step forward with his power output. Some of those doubles are turning into home runs, and maybe a few of those singles are turning into doubles.
Shed Long keeps on hitting
Gavin LaValley isn’t the only guy who is swinging the bat well for Daytona. Shed Long is absolutely on fire for the Tortugas. Last night he went 3-5 with a home run. It was his 6th of the season. In 20 games during May he’s hit .377/.430/.532 with eight extra-base hits.
For the season he’s hitting .323/.373/.503 for the Tortugas through 42 games. That’s remarkably similar to what he hit in 38 games there last season when he was promoted in late July. In 159 plate appearances last season with Daytona he hit .322/.371/.503.