The Arizona Diamondbacks have lost eight of their last 10 games and have fallen to 2.5 games back in the National League wild card picture.
While the picture doesn't look great at the major league level, there are reasons for optimism down on the farm, where top prospect Jordan Lawlar has been promoted to Triple-A.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Lawlar was promoted to Triple-A Reno on Sunday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Lawlar began the 2022 campaign at Double-A Amarillo and was a well-rounded contributor, slashing .263/.366/.471 with 15 homers, 77 runs, 48 RBI and 33 stolen bases in 89 games. The 18-year-old will now be one step away from the majors and could be in the mix to be called up late in 2023 or early in 2024 if he performs well with the Triple-A club.
That little blurb has his age wrong. Lawlar is 21, but regardless, it's still exciting news for the D'Backs and their fans.
The top prospect in the Diamondbacks system, he's the 10th overall prospect in baseball, per the MLBPipeline top 100.
Here's a portion of his MLB.com prospect profile:
Lawlar’s compact right-handed swing is already helpful in his pursuit to square up balls, and his advanced pitch recognition aids that ability to produce solid averages and walk rates. (He notably walked at least 10 percent of the time at all three full-season stops in 2022.) The former Vanderbilt commit established a solid power base with 16 homers in his first full season and could build on that as he matures into his 6-foot-2 frame.
The Diamondbacks are 59-59 and will visit the Rockies on Monday at 8:40 p.m. ET.
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