New York Yankees Select George Lombard Jr. 26th Overall

With the 26th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the New York Yankees selected shortstop George Lombard Jr.

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 Jr., the son of current Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard Sr., was drafted out of Gulliver Prep High School in Miami, Florida.

Currently 18 years old, Lombard Jr. ranked 31st on MLB’s Top 250 Draft Prospects list. In his senior year of high school, he hit .478 with 14 doubles and six home runs.

Although listed as a shortstop, it would make sense for the Yankees to move him to third base (a position of need) or second base (due to concerns about arm strength), as the team has a large surplus of shortstop prospects, including Roderick Arias, Trey Sweeney, Oswald Peraza, and of course Anthony Volpe, the current Yankee shortstop.

However, developing middle infield prospects has been a strength for the Yankee farm system as of late, and Lombard Jr. has great fundamentals with no tool considered to be below average. The strongest of those tools is his excellent raw power, which surely caught the Yankees’ attention.

Yankees select George Lombard Jr. with the 26th pick in the MLB Draft!

The 18-year-old has raw pop in his bat and a strong arm from the left side of the infield. His dad, George Sr. was the Braves' 2nd round pick in 1994 pic.twitter.com/hDJFRy5miB
— Farm To Fame (@FarmToFame_) July 10, 2023

Lombard Jr. signed a national letter of intent to play at Vanderbilt, but with the Yankees selecting him in the first round, he will likely begin his professional career instead.

Here are Lombard Jr.’s tool grades:

Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

2023 Stats:

29 GP, 115 PA, 90 ABs, 43 Hits, 34 Runs, .478 AVG, .583 OBP, 6 HRs, 22 RBI