Diamondbacks call up top prospect Jordan Lawlar
Ahead of a pivotal four-game series against the Chicago Cubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks have called up top infield prospect Jordan Lawlar, according to Arizona Republic DBacks beat writer Nick Piecoro.
Lawlar, 21, was recently promoted to Triple-A Reno, where he saw plenty of success, albeit across just 16 games. In 80 plate appearances, he slashed .358/.438/.612 (1.050 OPS) with five home runs and 19 RBIs.
The Diamondbacks drafted Lawlar No. 6 overall in the 2021 Amateur Draft. In his first full professional season in 2022, he slashed .303/.401/.910 with 18 doubles, seven triples, 16 home runs, 62 RBIs and 39 stolen bases across four different levels, finishing the year in Double-A Amarillo.
He got off to a slow start to begin 2023 in Double-A, but sported a .840 OPS in 410 plate appearances that prompted his promotion. Lawlar’s always sported an above-average walk rate at the MiLB level, but if he can continue refining his hit tool with his above-average pop, he could be a very productive two-way player on the left side of the infield.
Lawlar currently ranks as the Diamondbacks’ top prospect and the 10th-best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. At the time of this writing, he would be the only current top-10 prospect in MLB.
He will maintain his rookie status heading into 2024, similar to Corbin Carroll this year, who played 32 games with the big league club in 2022 after 93 combined minor league games across three levels.
Lawlar is expected to play third base with Arizona, where he has experience. The Dbacks have used a combination of Evan Longoria, Josh Rojas, Emmanuel Rivera, Jace Peterson and Geraldo Perdomo to patrol the hot corner this season, but likely plan to stash Lawlar alongside Perdomo for the remainder of 2023.
***
Click here for more MLB content
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube