The Diamondbacks' top prospect, right-handed hitting shortstop Jordan Lawlar, finds himself in the middle of a camp battle for a role on the major league roster.
Lawlar, 21, had a monstrous 2023 season in the minors, moving up from Double-A to Triple-A, to the majors in the span of just over 100 games. He spent only 16 games in Reno but slashed an incredible .358/.438/.612 in that short span, and has a career OPS of .893 in the minor league system.
By all measurable accounts, the young infielder is the future, however, a rough offensive output in just 14 major league games saw him post a .129/206/.129 slash. He showed out defensively, but, with some added infield depth in veteran shortstop Kevin Newman, and the recently-appointed full-time starter in Geraldo Perdomo, his off-season will present a challenge for him to see any frequent usage, and could likely lead to him beginning 2024 in Reno.
But Lawlar feels "great, healthy, and ready to go," as Spring Training begins, and has his sights set on a chance for personal improvement, rather than the pressure of winning playing time. Lawlar spoke to Inside the Diamondbacks' Jack Sommers about what goals his 2023 takeaways will lend him to this off-season.
“Get better at every facet of the game. It’s always my goal in the off-season. Coming back in just healthy, stronger, and better overall," said Lawlar, "control what you can control. Baseball is a tough game, especially early on when you haven't seen much, so just control what you can control and execute your approach.”
The young infielder noted the need to simply get the reps in, and continue to gain as much as possible out of the opportunities ahead.
"Experience is the best teacher, no matter what level you’re at. The more experience you get, the better you are," Lawlar said.
While it would certainly be tempting--and understandably so--for a young player to get caught up in the competition of a camp battle, Lawlar isn't so much worried about whether he's fighting for starts, or even a backup role.
“I think I'm running my own race. I think I'm just trying to get better at everything I can do, and as long as I come in and do my job, get better, and work hard, I think everything else will work out in the end.”
The shortstop expressed a mature outlook on the competition ahead of him, however he can't help but feel excitement for the future ahead of this young D-backs squad.
"It’s exciting, it’s exciting to see everybody all-in and having one goal, and that's to win the World Series. And I think we are a few steps closer now with the moves we’ve made. So I’m excited to get the season going and see where it takes us.”
General Manager Mike Hazen has said that there "will be a role" for Lawlar in 2024 and that the shortstop is "too good of a player to not be playing," however the question remains if the 21-year-old will win that opportunity in the Spring, or spend some time in Triple-A first.
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