George Lombard Jr. Cards Continue to Rise with Judge Approval
The hype machine is buzzing around 19-year old New York Yankees phenom Geroge Lombard Jr. and his card market is showing the impact. The latest sign off on Lombard Jr.'s potential is none other than New York Yankees and Hobby superstar Aaron Judge. In a recent interview, Judge said of Lombard, “He’s a great kid,” He’s a hard worker who goes and does his thing. He doesn’t say much. He shows up and does what he needs to do. And the power he’s already showing, he’s gonna be something special.”
"Something special" - that's just the type of praise that gets hobby prospectors salivating. Throw in that Lombard Jr. will eventually be playing with one of MLB and The Hobby's flagship franchises, and you've got a perfect storm.
Scouting grades (per MLB.com): Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 60 | Overall: 50
The #2 prospect in the Yankees system, behind Jasson Dominguez, Lombard Jr. is not currently listed on MLB Pipeline's overall Top 100 prospects list. Per MLB.com's current scouting report: "Not only does Lombard feature the potential for solid or better tools across the board, he has the high baseball IQ to make the most of them. He possesses a sound right-handed stroke, recognizes pitches well and uses the entire field, so he's equipped to hit for average." Lombard Jr., the son of former major leaguer George Lombard, has had a great Spring so far. At writing, in 15 at-bats, the Yankee prospect is hitting .333/.412/1.145 with two home runs and four RBI.
As praise for Lombard has built throughout the early days of Spring Training, the market has responded. Per Card ladder, since March 2 alone, there have been three four-digit card sales of Lombard's 1st Bowman, led by $1,500 for a /50 Gold Refractor Auto 1st Bowman Sapphire. As recently as December 25, 2024, a PSA 9 of Lombard's 2024 Bowman Chrome Gold Refractor Auto /50 sold for $300. The most recent sale of a PSA 9 of this card? March 4, for $999.
Across all brands, a Card Ladder search for the last two weeks brings up 1,950 Lombard Jr. sales across all price points. Over 200 Lombard Jr. Bowman's have sold for $100 or more in that time frame. That's compared to just over 100 such sales from the beginning of the year to February 19.
To be sure, there's a ceiling on George Lombard Jr.'s cards, but it's unclear if we've reached it yet. On March 6, a /99 PSA 10 went for $545. A /25 for $750. Ebay listings are trying to test the limits of Lombard Jr Mania. A 2024 Bowman Chrome Auto /5 sits atop the list at writing, available for $8,999.
Michael Terry is a writer based in Brooklyn. He specializes in sports, culture, and collecting. His work has appeared at Topps RIPPED, ESPN, Grantland, Vice Sports, and more.
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