D-backs' top prospect Lawlar getting much-needed ABs in DR

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It was somewhat of a lost season for Jordan Lawlar, who was ranked as Arizona's top prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 9 in the Major Leagues after being limited to just 23 games in 2024 due to injury.

The 22-year-old shortstop had to undergo surgery for a torn ligament in his right thumb just before the regular season opened, and he did not see action until May 29 in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Four games after his return to Triple-A Reno on June 11, Lawlar injured his left hamstring, and he reinjured it on July 8 while on a rehab assignment in Rookie ball, forcing him to miss two more months.

Given the mere 85 at-bats Lawlar got this season, he approached the D-backs about playing winter ball to try to make up for lost time.

Lawlar wound up going to the Dominican Winter League to play for Licey. In his first 27 plate appearances, he slashed .409/.481/.773.

"I think it's great," D-backs GM Mike Hazen said of Lawlar's decision to go to the Dominican Republic. "I appreciate he's down there. I appreciate that he's making up his at-bats. He's working and trying to push to make the team next year."

The D-backs suggested the Dominican Winter League instead of the Arizona Fall League because of the intensity of the competition that Lawlar would face.

"It's a good environment down there," Hazen said. "It's win at all costs, you have to perform, so I love winter ball for that. It's just a more intense environment [than the Fall League]. I think it's a harder place to play as a hitter. You're facing good arms. You may not get the best [pitching] prospects down there, but you're getting good, veteran arms that throw hard. I think on the whole, you're getting a more competitive environment."

Lawlar made his big league debut for the D-backs on Sept. 7, 2023, after the team designated veteran shortstop Nick Ahmed for assignment.

While Lawlar didn't play a lot -- he got 34 plate appearances -- and posted a slash line of .129/.206/.129, he picked up some valuable experience being around a team that went on a run to the World Series.

Lawlar got one at-bat in the National League Championship Series and one plate appearance in the World Series, walking and scoring a run.

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"I have high hopes that this guy is going to make a huge impact on this organization," Hazen said. "We just need to get him healthy and get his bats going, so that his bat is ready to just move into the lineup and contribute the way we know he can when he gets that opportunity."

That opportunity could come as soon as next season, depending on how Lawlar progresses.

Geraldo Perdomo is locked in as the D-backs’ everyday shortstop, and the team is all but certain to pick up third baseman Eugenio Suárez’s $15 million option for next year. But if Lawlar shows he's ready, Arizona will find a way to get his bat in the lineup.

Should first baseman Christian Walker not re-sign, perhaps Suárez will see some time at first, opening time for Lawlar at third. It's also possible that second baseman Ketel Marte will see more time at DH next year as a way of reducing the wear and tear on his body, which would open up at-bats at second base for Lawlar.

In anticipation of that, the D-backs are expecting Lawlar to see time at shortstop, third base and second base with Licey before he returns home next month.

"He's too good of a player to not figure out a place to have him play if his bat is what we think it's going to be," Hazen said.