This Spring Training has been an absolute blast to seeing prospects excel and turn some heads in their direction. JJ Wetherholt (Cardinals) is going to be a problem for opponents in the NL Central. Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones have been a treat for the Yankees and Chandler Simpson (Rays) is a player that could be a problem. The list of prospects goes on and on, but one player in particular has my attention.

One team that has really good young talent is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Some of them are already on the roster but one player that should further be on baseball fans radars is short stop Jordan Lawlar.

Only A Matter of Time for Lawlar

There is so much to love about Lawlar and his game. Lawlar is a player that is extremely well-rounded player, especially at the plate. He is also coming into the season looking to prove himself further, as injuries took a major toll during the 2024 season. Adversity comes in waves and this is a wave that Lawlar is surfing.

“It’s a blessing,” Lawlar said. “I learned a lot from it — perseverance, and I know my body even more now [since] I spent a lot of time on the [training] table. Obviously I want to be out there with the guys and be with the fellas, but a lot of good can come out of something like that sometimes.” A great attitude to have from a young player, which is as good of an approach as he has at the plate. 

One thing he has is a good approach at the plate. He is disciplined and does a tremendous job at generating walks and allowing himself to get on base. Once he entered the minor league system in 2022, he generated a walk rate north of 10% at each level. He finished the 2022 season with a walk rate of 12.4%. He gradually kept developing further and got his first glimpse of Triple-A action in 2023. Still, Lawlar was able to have a walk rate of 11.5%, showing the quality of competition doesn’t change his approach. That same ability did carry over in 2024, and improved greatly, reaching 12.1%.

Jordan Lawlar 🚀

MLB’s No. 11 prospect clobbers his first homer of the spring for the @Dbacks. pic.twitter.com/fBJWTgQbEW

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) February 26, 2025

His approach at the plate pivots to raw power. Lawlar can hit a variety of pitches and is able to spread the ball around. One thing that he has also notably done is have a good slugging percentage at the Triple-A level. Lawlar has seen himself slug above .500 in both 2023 and 2024, which is huge. However, that success he’s had at the Triple-A level did not translate to the big leagues just yet.

Lawlar got a stint with the Diamondbacks in 2023. In 34 plate appearances, he was hitting just .129, having just four singles. One thing he notably needs to work on is his strikeout rate. In his first stint with the Diamondbacks, he had a strikeout rate of 32.4%, which is not ideal by any means. His strikeout rate has always hovered around the 20% range, so if Lawlar cuts down on that he will be quite the effective bat for the Diamondbacks. Not to mention, he provides good defense with his athletic ability. There’s truly so much to love about his game and what he can do at the MLB level.

The Diamondbacks are coming off a season where they scored the most runs in baseball and have one of the best put together offensive units. Sure they’ve lost Christian Walker and Joc Pederson, but with the teams pitching and group they do have in the fold, they are going to compete in the National League. But where does he fit and when?

When Will the Time Come

It is not a matter of if, but when Lawlar is on the roster. As of February 20, Mike Haden (Diamondbacks General Manager) said that when he is ready to be on the roster, he will be on the roster. This came shortly after the Diamondbacks signed short stop Geraldo Perdomo to a four year contract extension. There’s no need for him to panic and manager Torey Luvollo made sure of that.

“I know that he’s probably curious about the Perdomo contract and we talked about it,” Lovullo said. “I called him and he said it’s a non-factor for him. He’s here because he wants to learn, and he’s going to have a lot of good days for us. And when it’s time [to be in the Majors], he’s going to show us it’s time. When that is, I don’t know. It might be tomorrow, might be a week from now, might be a month from now, I don’t know. But he’s a special talent, and the best part of him is from the neck up. He’s a great teammate.”

Perdomo is a great defending shortstop and gives the Diamondbacks a huge boost in the middle of the infield.

Regardless of that, it seems like there will always be a fit and they will find room for him to play. According to their depth chart, Lawlar can spread around. Not only can he play short stop, but he can also man the hot corner and is slotted in as the back up third baseman. With his impressive range and arm strength, that’s a position he can handle and one that he has played in the Dominican Republic during winter ball. Also, he can play second base, but unless Ketel Marte goes down, that’s not happening.

Regardless, Lawlar is on high alert and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his arrival to the big leagues.

Snakes are alive and it’s truly going to be fun to watch.