Lawton struggled early during the 1998 season, but started playing better through the mid-season. On May 9, Lawton hit a grand slam against the New York Yankees, which led the Twins to an 8–1 victory. Late into the season, Twins manager Tom Kelly commented that Lawton had improved well over the season, but still had more work to do before he would become a "winning player". On September 1, Lawton hit a game-winning triple against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the bottom of the tenth inning. At season's end, Lawton compiled a .278 batting average with 91 runs scored, 155 hits, 36 doubles, six triples, 21 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases in 152 games played. On defense, he played 100 games in right field, 47 in center field, and 12 in left field. He committed four errors; and made 12 assists, and 389 putouts as an outfielder. Amongst American League (AL) hitters that year, Lawton was tied for fourth in hit by pitches (15); ninth in walks (86), tenth in on-base percentage (.387), and tied for tenth in triples.