Easier for Lawlar to play for Reno than to get there

After spending his summer demolishing Texas League pitching for Double-A Amarillo, Jordan Lawlar headed west to Triple-A Reno and wasted no time making an impression, swatting his first Aces home run in his second at-bat during the club’s 17-12 win at Greater Nevada Field on Tuesday night.

Just over hours before he dug into the batter’s box with “Aces” splayed across his chest for the first time, MLB’s No. 10 overall prospect was in scramble mode.

Lawlar arrived in Las Vegas on Monday with plans to travel on to Reno. But plane trouble canceled his flight, pushing his arrival until the wee hours of the night. To boot, his bags were lost, leaving him to head to sporting goods stores in the area to prepare him for the game. The bat he used for his first Triple-A appearance wasn’t even his own.

Despite using brand-new gear purchased just hours earlier, Lawlar’s first plate appearance almost provided fireworks in and of itself. An elevated changeup was swatted to right field, but with a 50-degree launch angle, it fell well short of the wall. But having seen the cambio set the stage for Lawlar’s second trip to the dish a frame later.

So nice, we had to show it twice 😍

I think we are going to like this Jordan Lawlar kid 💯 https://t.co/O8mddtdAwA pic.twitter.com/tway75fASN

— Reno Aces (@Aces) August 16, 2023

After taking a changeup for a ball from Las Vegas starter Hogan Harris, Lawlar unleashed a 1-0 cut that left little doubt about the end result. The ball careened off the scoreboard beyond the wall in left-center field. Just weeks ago, Harris was recording outs in the big leagues -- despite that, Lawlar said his approach never wavered and he was able to simplify down to the salient points of facing a southpaw who might give him something to rip.

If there were first-game jitters or a desire to expand his strike zone in an attempt to wow his new teammates, Lawlar’s plate discipline served as a veritable poker face. The D-backs' No. 1 prospect saw 25 pitches by Aviators hurlers, but swung at just nine. While the 425-foot homer pops, his approach also produced a pair of bases-loaded walks that enabled him to tie his career high of four RBIs.

“Executing that approach,” Lawlar said, summarizing his plan. “Just being really strict and stubborn. That approach got me here and that’s given me some success in the past, so why change it?”

Lawlar got the call to Reno after a scorching start to August with Amarillo. In 10 games, he batted .349 and compiled a 1.010 OPS while successfully swiping all five bags he attempted. After a blip on the radar in May, the 21-year-old delivered at an elite clip with a .904 OPS in June and a .955 in July.

When he got the news he was Reno-bound, his biggest fan was there -- his mom, Hope.

“I was able to share that moment with her,” Lawlar said. “And then I pretty much immediately called my grandparents and filled them in and then we shared that moment.”

This summer, the 21-year-old became a two-time participant in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. Combined with his successful stint in last year’s Arizona Fall League, Lawlar’s Minors' odyssey has been one of checked boxes propelling him to the next stop.

In an age of preternaturally gifted young stars impacting the game at the highest level, it’s worth remembering that MLB’s third-ranked shortstop prospect is the same age as most college seniors.

From the moment Lawlar was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2021 Draft out of Jesuit College Preparatory School in Dallas, the tantalizing potential of a true five-tool shortstop making his way to the middle of the diamond at Chase Field loomed. Even though there have been setbacks -- a posterior labrum tear in his left shoulder, a fractured left scapula -- he is now one call away from The Show.

“I know the first person that I’ll call for sure, it’ll be her,” Lawlar said of his mom. “I hope she’s actually with me whenever that time may come. I can’t wait to share the news with her and see her reaction.”