2 The Bigs

By Chris Corso:

If you’re not a die-hard Arizona Diamondbacks fan or really into tracking MLB prospects and you watched the 2023 World Series from afar, you may not know who that bright-eyed, lanky shortstop is that was cheering on his teammates from the Arizona dugout at the Fall Classic.

The 19-year-old flashed a vibrant smile high-fiving his teammates and patiently waiting for his chance to get full-time reps in the starting lineup like Derek Jeter did in the ALDS series against the Seattle Mariners in 1995. Jeter didn’t play in that series as his Yankees were defeated in walk off fashion, but he was up to be a part of the experience. Unfortunately, his Diamondbacks were defeated by the Texas Rangers 4-1 in the World Series suffering a tough defeat in front of their home fans in Arizona on Wednesday night.

But don’t worry if you didn’t see this shortstop take this field during this year’s Fall Classic, because I can promise you there will be a time to see him again soon. Just like The Captain in the Bronx watched and waited in 1995, Lawlar did the same this November. But once this shortstop sticks in the Diamondbacks’ starting lineup, he could be a fixture for the next 20 years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUr_VsYL9Wg

Jordan Lawlar is one of today’s MLB’s best prospects and has one of the highest ceilings in the game. He’s super athletic, can hit for elite contact in a time when contact is hard to come by and he has some power in his swing that will continue to develop as he gets reps at the MLB level. As previously mentioned, he boasts a wiry frame, but his raw athleticism and talent got him through the minors in record speed and onto the Diamondbacks 40-man roster as he turned 20 years old. Like I said, so far, he’s just like Number 2. I can continue to make a lot of promises about his game, but I can’t promise he’ll win four World Series titles in the next five years.

Instead of continuing to look forward and project this future of stardom, let’s first go back and see what he did to breeze through the minors after being selected as Arizona’s first round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft.

When Lawlar was selected by the Diamondbacks he went straight to rookie ball in 2021 at 18-years old. In 2022 (at 19), he went from Single-A all the way to Double-A. With four teams at the age of 19, he soared through the minors hitting a combined .303 with 16 homers, 62 runs batted in and 39 stole bases across 100 games.

He flashed his tools in the Arizona Fall League that off-season and came into 2023 ready to continue to move up in the system. In 2023 when he was called up to Triple-A in Reno he slashed his way to a .358 average, with five homers and 19 RBI in just 16 games. The 20-year-old pretty much forced the hands of the Diamondbacks to call him up on Sept. 6^th.

Give it a year, but by the age of 21, I can see him hitting in the .280s, bashing 20-plus home runs, stealing 30-plus bases and playing an elite shortstop. I like his game more than that of Wander Franco’s, who had some of the best scouting ratings of all-time, because of his size, speed on the base paths and athleticism. 

I’m not over-exaggerating when I say I see him joining his teammate Corbin Carroll as one of the best young players and faces of the MLB very soon. Lawlar projects as a player with all the tools to bat in the 2 or 3 spot in the Diamondbacks lineup. He’s got elite speed on the bases; he will get on base, and he will compliment Carroll’s left-handed bat perfectly at the top of the Arizona lineup.

His 1st Bowman autos are already hard to come by if you are not willing to spend a pretty penny. You can find Lawlar’s 1st Bowman auto in the 2021 Bowman Draft set, which he has the most valuable card alongside Boston Red Sox top-prospect and fellow shortstop Marcelo Mayer. I would say if you planned on investing, hop on, and buy during the middle of this winter because it could be your last chance to be on board as his prices could soar once soon as he gets a full season in the starting lineup in 2024.

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