Yanks pick SS George Lombard Jr. at No. 26

The Yankees tapped into a big league bloodline with their first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, choosing high school infielder George Lombard Jr. from Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest, Fla., with the 26th overall pick.

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The son of Tigers bench coach George Lombard, the 18-year-old is a right-handed-hitting shortstop who showed off intriguing tools on the summer showcase circuit and took a solid step forward in South Florida 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.

“The makeup is a separator. He is focused on every pitch with an unquestioned work ethic. All of that from a young man with Major League bloodlines and a mom that was also a high-end collegiate athlete.”

Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 190 pounds, Lombard has been described by scouts as owning a professional body type that stands out among amateur players. He showed off raw power at times last summer, though it came with some swing-and-miss concerns and inconsistent at-bats along the way.

A commit to Vanderbilt University, Lombard was also a state champion in boys' soccer at Gulliver Prep. 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.

MLB Pipeline rated Lombard as its No. 31 overall Draft prospect. The slot value for the No. 26 pick is $3,065,000.

“We really see potential for a high-ceiling middle of the field player,” Oppenheimer said.

The senior Lombard played in 144 Major League games with the Braves (1998-2000), Tigers (2002), Devil Rays (2003) and Nationals (2006), compiling a .220 career batting average with eight homers and 21 RBIs. Lombard was a second-round Draft pick of the Braves in 1994.

Lombard Jr. is the first high school player selected by the Yankees in the first round since Anthony Volpe in 2019, and the third shortstop taken by the club in the last five years -- alongside Volpe and 2021 draftee Trey Sweeney.

Coincidentally, Volpe had also committed to Vanderbilt before signing with the Yankees.

The Yankees forfeited their second-round selection to the Giants as compensation for signing free agent left-hander Carlos Rodón. New York’s next pick will be in the third round, where the club owns the 97th overall selection.