'Great day' for DBacks: Top prospect Jordan Lawlar arrives in heat of playoff race

CHICAGO — All week, even amid a crucial three-game series with the Rockies, the Diamondbacks knew what loomed over the weekend. Four games in Chicago against a Cubs team with whom they’re battling for a wild-card spot. As far as regular season baseball goes, it could hardly be more important.

But even a series that could make or break their season took on a different feel Wednesday afternoon, when the club made the decision to promote its top prospect, shortstop Jordan Lawlar.

“It's amplified, obviously, because Jordan's here,” manager Torey Lovullo said on Thursday before the series opener at Wrigley Field. “It's certainly a great day for this organization.”

There are not many prospects who could change the tenor of a series like this. Lawlar, though, is viewed differently. Since being drafted with the sixth overall pick in 2021, he has hit .291/.390/.503, rocketing through the minor leagues and establishing himself as a top-10 prospect in baseball according to most rankings.

Thursday might not be quite the same production as was seen last season, when Corbin Carroll was promoted and the Diamondbacks flew members of the organization to Chase Field from across the country. It remains, though, a big deal. Lawlar is hitting eighth and starting at shortstop, moving Geraldo Perdomo to third base. For the rest of the season, he will start every game against left-handed pitchers, with scattered starts against righties.

All of it, of course, comes in an unusual landing spot. Unlike Carroll, who could adapt to the major leagues in the dying embers of a lost season, Lawlar is immediately thrust in a playoff race.

He did not, though, sound bothered by that pressure.

“It's exciting,” Lawlar said. “I'm a competitor, I love to win. So that's everything I want to do and can't wait to join this team and hopefully give them a little bit to help them win.”

After getting the news of his call up Wednesday and hurriedly packing his bags at both the ballpark and hotel, Lawlar flew into Chicago from Albuquerque, arriving just before his new Diamondbacks’ teammates. At the team hotel, he caught up with familiar faces like Carroll and Zac Gallen. Carroll, who adapted to the majors with few difficulties, offered Lawlar a simple message of advice: “Just be yourself.”

Lovullo’s concerns over how Lawlar would adapt dissipated quickly when the rookie walked into his office at Wrigley Field on Thursday afternoon.

“I know we're all excited about it, Jordan too, but he was calming me down when I sat him down in my office, the way he just came in and sat, leaned back in a very relaxed way,” Lovullo said. “It made me feel good that he's here.”

Earlier this season, such a call up for Lawlar looked unlikely. After struggling in a 20-game cameo in Double-A last September, he began this year hitting .162 with a .638 OPS through the middle of May.

The Diamondbacks’ hitting coaches, though, were able to get Lawlar’s swing sorted out, identifying that he had become too pull-happy and working with him on having an all-field approach. By August 15, he earned a promotion to Triple-A Reno, where he hit .358 with a 1.049 OPS in 16 games.

“Worked on refining the approach and just getting back to the middle,” Lawlar said. “I think that's what I do best. As long as I can stay there, good things will happen.”

In a sense, the timing of his call-up could work to catch lightning in a bottle. Often, prospects will excel for the first two or three weeks after their major-league debut before opposing pitchers gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. If Lawlar enjoys that type of instant success, it would be a major boon to the Diamondbacks’ playoff hopes.

“You get a certain number of at-bats … and then the league starts to pay very close attention to what you do well,” Lovullo said. “So maybe there won't be time for that. But he's a good hitter. I think he's gonna make quality adjustments and stay one click ahead of everybody else.”

Certainly, Lovullo is showing immediate faith in Lawlar, inserting him into the starting lineup against a right-handed pitcher on his major league debut. It’s an approach Lovullo often takes when a player is promoted, hoping to get him immediately acclimated to the major leagues.

With this promotion, that acclimation carries even greater stakes.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: DBacks hoping prospect Jordan Lawlar provides boost during playoff race