D-backs Reddit AMA: What will it take for Lawlar to get the call?

On Wednesday, MLB.com D-backs senior reporter Steve Gilbert held an Ask Me Anything on Reddit with D-backs fans at r/azdiamondbacks. This mailbag features questions and answers from there. The full AMA can be read here.

Questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

What does Jordan Lawlar have to do to get a callup?
Lawlar is raking at Triple-A Reno, so I totally understand why you asked the question the way you did. The front office wants to make sure that the next time Lawlar is called up, he's never going back to the Minors, so the decision as to when to promote him is going to be taken very seriously.

Yes, Lawlar could have been called up when Ketel Marte got hurt, but at that time he hadn't really played much second base and the Diamondbacks weren't going to ask him to suddenly learn a new position in the big leagues while facing big league pitching on a daily basis. So that's why they went with Tim Tawa instead, and he's done a nice job for them.

Arizona isn’t going to call Lawlar up unless he's going to get regular playing time and they aren't ready to give up on Eugenio Suárez yet. Remember, Suárez looked far worse in the first half last year than he does now, and he came on and carried the Diamondbacks offensively during the second half.

Marte is likely coming off the IL on Friday in Philadelphia so that will limit potential playing time for Lawlar.

If he continues to hit in Reno you will see Lawlar in the big leagues this year. Just not yet.

Why was the bullpen issue not addressed appropriately in the offseason?
Well, the Diamondbacks didn't have a ton of room left in the budget once they made the other additions to the team and in fairness they had A.J. Puk coming off a huge second half, Justin Martinez looked dominant last year and Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson had both pitched well.

So there was a bunch of depth there and it didn’t seem like they needed to add a lot more.

They’ve picked up Jalen Beeks, who has been almost unhittable for the Diamondbacks, and bullpens are historically very unpredictable. You will see them continue to make changes to it as the season goes on.

When do we start to worry about how this season is going to turn out?
We've got a long way to go before that. Look, I get it, the last 10 games haven't been great and there are teams in the division that are off to great starts. But we're just one month into the season and already you've seen the Padres have some struggles over these last 10 games as well.

Remember last season after losing on May 4, the Diamondbacks were six games under .500 and some worried the season was on the brink. Heck they were seven games under at the end of May before getting hot in the second half.

There will be ebbs and flows throughout the season. It's far too soon to panic.

What moment made you realize you wanted to become a sportswriter/reporter?
Somewhere around my junior year of high school I realized that if I wanted to stay around baseball it wasn't going to be as a player. I started writing for the local paper (Tempe/Mesa/Chandler Tribune) covering high school sports around that time.

I loved the excitement of deadlines and covering games, getting to talk to coaches and managers. I've always loved baseball and writing and this job allows me to combine both.

What's your favorite story you've covered with the D-backs?
Wow, this is a tough one. I'm sure I'm going to be forgetting a bunch of them and this is probably recency bias, but as for fun stories, the "Bee Game" from last year was one of the most unique ones for sure.

The craziness of it, the story of how the beekeeper was at his son's little league game, the way he ended up with his own baseball card -- one of which Corbin Carroll bought and got signed when the same guy came out to take care of a bee issue at his house -- combined to make it a really fun story to write.