Young Infielder's Development is a Necessity for 2026 D-backs

In both of his (short) major league seasons now, Arizona Diamondbacks' former top prospect Jordan Lawlar has struggled to produce in the early goings.

He struggled at the plate when first called up at the tail end of 2023. He endured a brutal stretch of injury luck in the 2024 season, and began 2025 in similarly poor fashion.

In fact, Lawlar did not record his first hit of the season until his 12th major league appearance — a span of 31 at-bats. The success did eventually start to come, but it was a long, winding road to Lawlar's first knock of 2025.

To the 23-year-old infielder's credit, his final month of the season was an impressive one. He hit .308 and slugged .487 in 18 games. But still, his overall season numbers were poor, with a .182/.257/.288 slash, a .545 OPS and only six walks against 26 strikeouts.

Arizona needs to see a significant jump in consistency, both offensively and defensively in the 2026 season.

Arizona Diamondbacks Need Development From Jordan Lawlar

Lawlar is no longer considered a prospect. Continuing to shuttle him back-and-forth between Triple-A Reno (where he's always produced in an offense-heavy environment) and the majors is nearing the point of detriment to his development.

Lawlar needs consistent playing time at the major league level, even if it requires enduring some cold stretches.

But in balance with that fact, Lawlar also needs to find a way to produce. He'll need to find a way to force himself into an everyday role, even considering the overall presence of youth on the D-backs' roster.

This does not mean Lawlar must perform at a superstar level right away, and he may still get as much favorable platooning as manager Torey Lovullo is able to offer him. But the D-backs' future plans will be — at least to some degree — affected by Lawlar's ability to mature into an everyday contributor.

There is, clearly, plenty of raw ability present. Lawlar's first hit of the season was a 108 MPH double. Hard contact became a norm as his season progressed, and he even came through with a walk-off single in a critical game over Arizona's NL West rival Giants.

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With that said, Lawlar's defense was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of his season. He committed seven errors total across third base, second base and shortstop, posted -3 Defensive Runs Saved per Baseball-Reference, and provided -4 Fielding Run Value per Statcast.

Upping his defensive output to a notable degree would go a long way towards earning the trust of both Lovullo and GM Mike Hazen, who both cited defensive struggles as a major concern of the 2025 D-backs.

There is plenty of room left for development, especially considering how much time the 23-year-old has missed in recent seasons. Lawlar is anything but a finished product.

But if Arizona wants to solidify its infield, he'll need to take full advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead — this time as a major-leaguer.

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