PHOENIX -- Now that Corbin Carroll’s wrist has passed the exhibition test, it’s clear that the two-time All-Star will be manning right field on Opening Day and beyond. What’s less clear is who will be lining up to his right.
We know that Alek Thomas and Jordan Lawlar will be the other two primary outfielders, but who will play left and who will play center?
Manager Torey Lovullo went with Thomas in center and Lawlar in left on Monday, but cautioned against looking into that as an indication of what the D-backs will go with when they open the season at 5:30 p.m. MST on Thursday at Dodger Stadium (NBC/Peacock).
Sure enough, Lovullo switched the pair for Tuesday’s exhibition finale at Chase Field against the Guardians.
“Lawler is emerging as a really good center fielder, and I don't want to take that opportunity away from him,” the manager said. “A.T. is already a really good center fielder, so I want to see how it continues to look and watch [Lawlar] grow and develop.”
So, if Thomas and Lawlar will both be in the lineup, why does it matter who plays center?
For the time being, it doesn’t, as the D-backs are comfortable with the defensive ability of both players. But Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will be back from his knee injury in a little over a month and will eventually play every day in left field.
While it can be argued that Thomas’ experience may give him the edge on Lawlar defensively, there’s no doubt that Lawlar has the superior offensive profile. So if the D-backs want his bat in the lineup once Gurriel returns, putting him in center field is the only way to do it without disrupting the first base/DH mix of Carlos Santana and Pavin Smith.
“Lourdes Gurriel is a really good baseball player, and he's gonna help the team win a lot of baseball games, so I can't wait till he comes back,” said Lovullo, who also said the club would ease Gurriel back into action to help avoid reinjury. “… Once we get to that point, we're gonna have some really tough decisions to make.”
Lovullo said it could come down to who has had the best opening month or so of the season.
Lawlar, the D-backs’ former top prospect and No. 11 overall when he graduated from MLB Pipeline prospect status last season, had an excellent camp. He went 1-for-2 in Tuesday’s exhibition-season finale to finish the spring with a slash line of .333/.448/.604 and four home runs.
He struggled to a .182 average last season, but many have attributed that to his adjustment going from shortstop to third base, where he’d played sparingly in the Minor Leagues.
With a new season and a new position for Lawlar, Lovullo is confident he has the makeup to bounce back and show what he can do at the plate. After all, the 23-year-old former sixth overall pick has hit at every level since he picked up a bat.
“That's one of his great qualities,” Lovullo said. “He doesn't show you when he's upset. He doesn't show you when there's frustration. I know I’ve talked about this a bunch of times. He's either learning or having the success that you're supposed to. That's his mindset.”
Lawlar is penciled in as the nine-hole hitter, but that means something different in a Torey Lovullo lineup. Like Geraldo Perdomo did for much of the past three seasons, Lawlar will serve as a second table-setter for the top of the order of Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Perdomo.
“I want somebody on base when Marte, Carroll and Perdomo come to the plate, for sure,” Lovullo said. “And Perdomo had that role for two and a half, three years, and we were really a baseball team. …
“I will find a way to figure out how to maximize run-scoring potential. We've been on a heater for the past couple or three years, right? Our run scoring ability has been elite, and I have every reason to think that that will continue.”