Dallas-area prep shortstop Jordan Lawlar, a potential Orioles target in the upcoming MLB Draft, credits his mother, Hope, for the person he is today since she has always pushed him athletically and academically.
Growing up, Lawlar’s mother encouraged him to try out different sports, including baseball, basketball, football and track and field. As he got older, Lawlar gravitated more toward baseball, saying that he enjoyed the one-on-one competition both at the plate and in the field.
Hope pushed her son to challenge himself academically as well. Lawlar is currently committed to Vanderbilt University.
“I feel like if you commit yourself to education and you do well in the classroom, I think it plays on the field as well,” Lawlar said on Glenn Clark Radio June 24. “So that commitment on both sides of the field or in the classroom, it just helps you as a person.”
And the work has paid off. Lawlar explained that he has implemented classroom lessons on the field, too. The infielder explained how his math and geometry lessons relate to the game of baseball, like how the ball comes off the bat or the angles to take to a batted ball.
“I think math is big for baseball,” Lawlar said. “You may not realize it, but subconsciously you’re definitely doing it.”
But his mother’s influence on him does not stop in the classroom. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawlar and his mother began to work out together nearly five nights a week in the living room of their Texas home. The mother-son duo used various bands and dumbbells to work out and made time for Lawlar’s glovework, trying to prepare for the next step.
Lawlar called the experience a “great time together.”
Lawlar recently graduated from Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas and is expected to be drafted early in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, set to take place July 11. Lawlar was recently mocked to the Orioles at No. 5 overall by MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo.
The Texas native understands that Baltimore is in the midst of the rebuilding process and says he’d be prepared to step in and help the organization rise to the next level.
“I think I would be able to handle it, and I think handling that just comes with knowing the player you are and sticking to your guns in a way, and just staying confident on the field,” Lawlar said. “But I feel like I could definitely handle whatever comes my way, and hopefully I’ll be able to bring a championship there if that were to happen.”
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound infielder played in 24 games during his initial varsity season in 2019. He hit .409/.534/.864 with 27 hits and 27 RBIs while leading the team with five home runs. Lawlar started all 12 games as a junior during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, hitting .485/.561/.848 while posting five doubles, two triples, one home run, 13 runs and 13 RBIs.
This past season, Lawlar hit .412 while recording 40 hits, five doubles, four triples, six home runs and 37 RBIs. The 18-year-old led Jesuit in home runs and RBIs. He was also 32-for-32 in stolen base attempts and posted 12 multi-hit games. Lawlar’s dominant play earned him District 7-6A Most Valuable Player honors.
Lawlar regards himself as a strong hitter who will always look for ways to put the ball in play.
“I really take pride in being a hitter and really valuing my at-bats at the plate and always trying to put the barrel on the ball,” Lawlar said. “I think that started from a young age, just really trying to focus on having a good at-bat and striking the ball solid, because hard-hit balls will lead to more hits more often than not.”
For now, Lawlar will continue to look for ways to improve his game, whether that may be at Vanderbilt or in pro ball. Lawlar believes there is always room to learn and improve and will continue to embrace each opportunity that presents itself.
“I think there’s always a chance, and if everything works out, then that may be a possibility,” Lawlar said, reflecting on the possibility of playing pro ball or going to Vanderbilt. “But whether professional baseball starts this year or two years from now, we’ll see.”
For more from Lawlar, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Jordan and Hope Lawlar