D-backs giving Lawlar chance to grow defensively

For the second straight winter, Diamondbacks prospect Jordan Lawlar found himself in the Dominican Republic during the offseason.

Last year it was so the former first-round pick could make up for missed at-bats due to injuries suffered during the 2024 regular season. This time around, the idea was to give Lawlar, a shortstop since being selected sixth overall in the 2021 Draft out of high school, some experience playing center field.

Lawlar was Arizona's top-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline prior to graduating off the list this past season, and when he was selected he was seen as the team's shortstop of the future.

While Lawlar was making his way through the Minor League system, though, shortstop Geraldo Perdomo was continuing to make strides with each big league season, and in Spring Training last year, the Diamondbacks signed him to a four-year, $45 million contract with a club option for 2030.

With Perdomo ensconced at short, the Diamondbacks started to give Lawlar some reps at third base and even second in hopes of finding other ways to get his bat into the lineup when he was finally ready for the big leagues.

Lawlar made his big league debut with Arizona in September 2023 when he was promoted from Triple-A Reno to try to give the offense a boost down the stretch while the team chased an NL Wild Card spot.

As most young players do, Lawlar struggled at the plate initially and did not see a lot of playing time in the postseason as Arizona made a surprising run to the World Series.

Injuries limited him to just 104 Minor League plate appearances in 2024 while Perdomo continued to assert himself at shortstop.

Lawlar again battled some injuries in 2025, which limited him to 63 games for Reno and 28 for the Diamondbacks.

While with Reno, Lawlar played 20 games each at second, third and short as the team continued to push his versatility.

While in the big leagues last year, Lawlar saw the majority of his time at third base where, after a good start defensively, he struggled to the point that manager Torey Lovullo decided to stop playing him in the field while the coaching staff worked on his mechanics at the position.

The organization sees the defensive struggles as a blip rather than something they are overly concerned about.

"We had been bouncing him all over the field in Triple-A," GM Mike Hazen said. "I don't think that's ever conducive from a defensive standpoint. I think we asked a lot of him defensively and I think that's what it was more than anything else."

With Blaze Alexander's emergence at third following the trade of Eugenio Suarez, the Diamondbacks wanted to increase Lawlar's versatility by getting him some reps in center.

In 11 games for Licey this winter, Lawlar saw time at short (seven games), center field (three) and third base (one).

"It was a very small sample, so I don't want to read too much into it, but the fact that he was out there and working and playing was a good sign for us," Hazen said. "And I think it will give us a good head start going into Spring Training."

Lawlar is expected to see time in center and in the infield this spring, and he could end up being a major contributor for the Diamondbacks.

"He could wind up playing a big role," Hazen said. "I thought he made strides offensively with us towards the end of the year. Like with a lot of young guys it's about controlling the strike zone, controlling their at-bats."