The Arizona Diamondbacks have called up their top prospect, Jordan Lawlar, from Triple-A Reno. This move adds one of baseball’s better prospects, ranked in the top five by MLB.com and Baseball America, to the major league roster.
Lawlar’s performance in the minors had become too loud to ignore. In 37 games with Reno, the 22-year-old hit .336/.413/.579 with 31 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 14 tries.
Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said bringing Lawlar back to the majors was right for his team.
“I also feel like at some point we’re also required to put the 26 best players in our organization on our team,” Hazen told the Arizona Republic. “… We have said that every day matters, and clearly in the National League, every day is going to matter.”
Where and how much will Jordan Lawlar play?
Jodan Lawlar does not have a clear path to everyday playing time despite the call-up. The everyday infield positions are held by Geraldo Perdomo at shortstop, Ketel Marte at second base, and Eugenio Suárez at third base. Hazen envisions Lawlar starting “three or four days a week” for now, acknowledging this is unusual for a young player but warranted by his standing as one of the better players in the organization.
Lawlar has been seeing time at second and third base to get reps, in addition to his natural shortstop position, which will continue at the major league level. Hazen described him as a “really good athlete” with “good hands” and smarts, noting the challenge of playing multiple positions but believing Lawlar will “figure it out”. Lawlar himself said he enjoys getting the views from second and third base.
Jordan Lawlar feels good about joining the Diamondbacks, no matter what his role looks like.
“Whatever they call me on, that’s what I want to do,” Lawlar said. “I just want to help the team win.”
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