Who is George Lombard Jr? All you need to know about New York Yankees first round pick

792 days ago

With the 26th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees picked shortstop George Lombard Jr. out of Gulliver Prep High School in Florida. Who is this young prospect?

George Lombard Jr. is the son of the Tigers bench coach George Lombard. The 18-year-old is a right-handed-hitting shortstop. The player showed off interesting tools on the summer showcase circuit. With that, he took a solid step forward in South America this spring.

“George has a number of physical attributes and is an elite athlete with all five tools and skills to play shortstop,” said Damon Oppenheimer, the Yankees’ vice president of domestic amateur scouting. “He has the ability to impact the ball and use the whole field for power, alongside good contact skills.”

Round 1 | Pick 26: The New York Yankees select George Lombard Jr. out of Gulliver Prep (FL).#MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/EPqUCm0SI7

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) July 10, 2023

Lombard, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 190 pounds, has been described by scouts as owning a professional body type that stands out amongst amateur players. Furthermore, he showed off power at times last summer, though it came with some swing-and-miss concerns and inconsistencies.

Lombard Jr was also a state champions in boy’s soccer at Gulliver Prep. Back in baseball, as a senior, he batted .478 (43-for-90) with 34 runs, 14 doubles, six homers and 22 RBIs in 29 games. He was named by the Miami Herald as one of the Miami-Dade County Athletes of the Year for 2023.

George Lombard Jr is the first high school player selected by the Yankees in the first round since Anthony Volpe, in 2019.