It’s been a difficult stretch for hard-throwing Panamanian righty Justin Lawrence. A highly-touted pitching prospect who threw straight gas via a sidearm delivery, Lawrence entered 2019 with high expectations. He made 38 appearances across Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque while getting roughed up to the tune of an 8.76 ERA.
“This last year was a tough year for him,” Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black told the Denver Post after the season. “He was coming off a great deal of momentum in 2018 with the second half of that season, the Arizona Fall League, being in big league camp for the first time, being on the radar with a lot of talk around the industry about his arm and about his stuff.