The teenage prospect dazzled in his first start, pairing a multi-RBI performance with blistering speed to prove he belongs in the Milwaukee Brewers' long-term plans alongside stars like Christian Yelich.
The Milwaukee Brewers opted not to have Luis Lara in the game one lineup, but he made quite an impact in the second game of their doubleheader.
Lara was tasked with batting second in the Brewers lineup, right behind veteran Christian Yelich.
Yelich was coming off a tremendous first game in the doubleheader, and he did indeed add another RBI to his season total in the second.
Right behind him though was a young, hungry prospect who collected not just his first big league hit, but his first walk, run, and pair of RBIs in his MLB debut.
Lara Goes 1-for-4 with 2 RBIs, a run, and a walk
Lara showed off his speed by going first to home on a double from Brice Turang. It felt like he sped his way across the basepaths in 10 seconds, though no official time has ever been determined.
Regardless, Brewers manager Pat Murphy was impressed, and rightfully so, "He looked great, man. His ABs were great, all of them, except for the one off the [position player]," according to MLB.com.
The Brewers had a little bit of fun in their 10-2 victory, one that saw Jackson Chourio attempt to hit lefty off the aforementioned position player in the ninth inning.
It wasn't a successful at-bat for Chourio, but the fellow Venezuelan is confident this team is in good shape with Lara in the big leagues.
"I’m very happy that he’s going to be a teammate of ours for many years to come,” Chourio said.
Murphy on bringing Lara to the big leagues
Similar to infielder Cooper Pratt, Lara signed a major extension, one that will see him around the organization for seven-years on a roughly $30 million deal. Milwaukee loves taking these high-risk, high-reward contracts, and it's something a team in a small market needs to do in order to compete at the highest level.
"I think Luis can help us, being a switch-hitter who is equally good from both sides,” Murphy added. “He’s never touched the big leagues, but we signed him to a long-term deal and that predicates that he’s going to be a Brewer. We’re excited about seeing him."
Murphy continued, "He can play center, he can play right, he can play left, he can spell guys, he can start. He can play our type of game. I think it just solidifies us a little more... We plan on him being here to stay."
Finding a spot in the lineup everyday is going to be tough, but Milwaukee is confident they have a clear path laid out to Lara's success, even if that doesn't include everyday at-bats.
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