Lawlar 'knocking as hard as you can' on MLB door

PHOENIX -- Through six innings Sunday, the numbers to the right of the purple and teal Serpientes logo on the scoreboard displayed half a dozen goose eggs.

With the first-pitch temperature outside at 100 degrees and the first-pitch volume inside ramped up to 100 with a chance to take a series against the reigning World Series champion Dodgers, the D-backs’ offense scuffled to muster much in an 8-1 loss at Chase Field as they ultimately split what manager Torey Lovullo described as an “exhausting” four-game set.

Ketel Marte enjoyed a scorching-hot first three days of the series with all four of his hits going for extra bases. But as he returns to play from a strained left hamstring that cost him nearly a month of action, the club has erred on the side of caution, leading to Tim Tawa (Arizona’s No. 25 prospect) drawing the start at second base.

Of course, one player does not make a lineup. But not many organizations can boast one player with the impact potential of MLB’s No. 4 overall prospect.

• 'Your name is all you have': How mom shaped Lawlar on and off the field

“We are very well aware of Jordan Lawlar and his progression and his development, and he is coming on quickly,” Lovullo said. “We know that he's doing his job, and I'm really proud of him because he is a very talented player that is knocking as hard as you can at the big league door.

“Based on some of the things I'm telling you -- guys needing days off -- we could, if we need to, we could probably get [Lawlar in the lineup] 3-4 days a week, and that's enough at-bats per week. There's different criteria for different players.”

Lovullo might put that to the test soon. According to a report from the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro, the team plans to call him up from Triple-A Reno.

The biggest factor working against Lawlar during spring camp was a sheer numbers game: There wasn’t an open spot on the big league infield to compete for, and he had to show he could withstand the rigors of playing every day again after thumb and hamstring injuries zapped his health in 2024. He has made 17 starts at second, 10 at shortstop and eight at third for Reno, flashing the leather at all three spots with regularity.

When asked about the possibility of Lawlar being a de facto utility infielder who subs out everyday starters Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Eugenio Suárez on a rotating basis, thereby stemming Lawlar’s everyday at-bats at Reno in favor of staggered at-bats in Arizona, Lovullo was succinct:

“I wouldn't mind it, that's for sure," he said. "I want impact players here. That's what I always tell [general manager] Mike [Hazen], and you’ve got to impact the game offensively, defensively and run the bases. If you're just getting by here, we don't want those types of players because we have really good players on this team and in this system, and when you are making statements the way that Jordan Lawlar is, we certainly are taking notice. He's a special, once-in-every-five-years type of player. That's what he potentially can do.”

Even with his recent slide of going 5-for-35 with one extra-base hit over eight games for the Aces, Lawlar is hitting .336 with a .992 OPS overall. He sizzled a 107.6 mph RBI single on Sunday for Reno, marking his third hardest-hit ball of the season. Across 37 games, he has registered 31 balls hit at 100 mph or higher, a mark that just four D-backs big league regulars (Corbin Carroll, Josh Naylor, Suárez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.) have reached.

Even the most impactful prospects often need an acclimation period, as Lawlar showed firsthand when he got his first spell in The Show back in September 2023 (4-for-31).

But in many ways, the D-backs’ top-ranked prospect is something mirroring a much more finished product 20 months later.

Lawlar set myriad club records for Reno en route to winning April’s Pacific Coast League Player of the Month honors. At just 22 years old, he leads the circuit in hits (51), extra-base hits (23) and total bases (88), and ranks in the top 5 in wRC+ (144), wOBA (.433), OPS (.992) and RBIs (31).

The 2021 first-rounder has swiped 13 bases on 14 attempts this year, has recorded three “bolts” (sprint speeds at 30 ft/sec or better) – bested only by Carroll within the D-backs’ organization – and his 9.1 FanGraphs speed score is the top mark among all players with 150 Minor League plate appearances this season.

Lovullo mentioned a desire to have a player who impacts the game with the bat -- check. Glove -- check. On the bases -- check.

“He is just a different breed,” Lovullo said of Lawlar. “He feels like either you're winning or you're growing. That's his mindset, and he wants to grow and win at the same time.”