Diamondbacks Want Jordan Lawlar To Be Ready For Everyday Role
The Diamondbacks have aligned their roster in such a way that 21-year-old shortstop Jordan Lawlar might not be on it when Opening Day rolls around.
But they still very much expect their top prospect to figure into their future in a major way.
With shortstop Geraldo Perdomo coming off his best season and newcomer Eugenio Suarez expected to anchor third base, it is difficult to see a path for Lawlar to get everyday at-bats. At least at the outset.
Moreover, Arizona brought in veteran Kevin Newman on a minor league deal to provide infield depth.
The D-backs don’t want Lawlar to sit and stagnate, so all signs point to a likely opening assignment to Triple-A Reno.
“He just has to put the finishing touches on his game,” D-backs assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye said. “Some of that is going to come in the big leagues, obviously. Some of it may happen in the minors. That’s up to him.
“He’s going to press his way onto this team at some point.”
Lawlar is coming off a 2023 season in which he hit .278/.378/.496 with 20 home runs and 36 stolen bases in 105 games at Double-A Amarillo and Reno before making his MLB debut in September. He appeared in three postseason games, going 0-for-1 with a walk, as Arizona advanced to the World Series.
Lawlar struggled at the plate in the majors, going 4-for-31 with 11 strikeouts in limited play. That likely won’t be the case with his next big league opportunity.
“We don’t need him to watch and pinch-run anymore,” Sawdaye said. “We need to him to get consistent at-bats.”
Though Sawdaye said Lawlar could possibly see time at third base in Reno, he expects him to remain mostly at shortstop. Sawdaye did not sound concerned about a potential logjam in the future, suggesting that performance or injury will sort things out.
Or that Lawlar or Perdomo are flexible enough to thrive at a variety of positions.
“Guys who are that instinctual and that good of athletes” can play almost anywhere, Sawdaye said.
