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Jordan Lawlar Taken by Diamondbacks with No. 6 Overall Pick in 2021 MLB Draft
July 11, 2021
Texas high school shortstop Jordan Lawlar is going to be the crown jewel of the Arizona Diamondbacks' farm system after he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.
An 18-year-old standout at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas, he has been regarded as one of the top talents in the 2021 class since he was a sophomore.
At the Perfect Game National Showcase in June 2020, Lawlar ran 60 feet in 6.45 seconds and showed elite-level arm strength at shortstop:
"Has very easy and smooth actions in the middle infield, hands are very quick and clean at the ball, rounds the ball with maturity and has a quick exchange and release, plays defense in an easy comfort zone with an advanced inner clock. Right-handed hitter, hits from a slightly open stance with a short and quick inside swing, ball comes off the barrel hard, high contact middle of the field approach that can grow as he gets stronger, projects well offensively."
Lawlar went on to win the Jackie Robinson Perfect Game Player of the Year as a junior. Jeff Dahn of Perfect Game noted the blue-chip shortstop hit .485/.561/.848 in an abbreviated 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MLB.com ranked him as the third-best player in the draft, behind California high school shortstop Marcelo Mayer and Vanderbilt ace Jack Leiter, and compared him to Bobby Witt when he was the No. 2 pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2019.
If Lawlar's development goes as expected, he will be a key contributor in Arizona in the near future after some time in the minor leagues.
Considering the Diamondbacks haven't made the playoffs since the 2017 campaign and they sit in last place in the National League West at 26-65 this season, they could use the reinforcements down the line.