BALTIMORE – These are the New York Yankees, and George Lombard Jr. is just 14 games into his major league career, and concepts like awe and impact and the notion of the 21-year-old shortstop already being a “bad (redacted)” shouldn’t be in play.
It is so early, yet the Yankees are simply observing and reporting what they see and the vibes they feel about their shortstop of the future who gets more entrenched as a linchpin of their present every day.
Most of this is not a surprise.
Lombard was a steal as the 26th overall pick in the 2023 draft, the son of a major leaguer, soon to land on top prospect lists as he climbed the minor league ladder, reaching No. 13 on Baseball America’s by the time he was summoned Aug. 4 and told he was now the Yankees shortstop.
Still, with every passing game, a little more gets revealed about Lombard the player and person, and what it all means for the Yankees.
“It’s one thing to love the game,” says Aaron Boone, now in his ninth season as the Yankees manager. “It’s another thing to love all the things you gotta do to be good at it.
“He has that.”
The Yankees, befallen by injuries to superstar outfielder Aaron Judge (who has missed 68 games), All-Star Game MVP Cody Bellinger and various members of their rotation, are likely through the worst of it. At 72-55, they’ve survived offensive stagnation and their bullpen has held strong despite heavy usage.
There’s also this: They’ve won nine of 15 games since Lombard’s arrival, and while the record and the debut may not be correlated, several other metrics provide support for his instant impact.
Lombard has already accrued 1.3 WAR in just 14 games, exceeding his predecessor Anthony Volpe’s 1.0 over 56 games. Startlingly, Lombard needed just 13 games to rank third among major league shortstops with eight defensive runs saved.
He’s acquitted himself well with the bat, hitting .292 with a .352 OBP and .790 OPS. The defense, though, makes you take notice. His arm has remarkable carry, allowing him to fling the ball at any angle and from deep in the hole to cut down runners at first.
Tuesday night, Lombard ranged several steps to his right and, while still moving away from the infield on the grass, easily threw out Baltimore’s Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
Yankees starter Carlos Rodón could not help himself.
“You’re a bad (expletive), man,” Rodón said, his NSFW reaction caught by cameras.
Probably an apt summation in just five words, even if teammates have plenty more.
“Twenty-one years old in the big leagues,” says second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr., “looking like a veteran at shortstop, making good plays and doing it the right way. We’re all gonna have slip-ups every now and then but he’s been really good out there.”
In a sense, it’s the first step toward a destiny foretold.
Blue heaven
The inherent advantages for second-generation ballplayers are many. Lombard’s father played parts of six seasons in the major leagues, and 16 pro seasons overall. The kind of track record that builds coaching or managerial stock, if a player was inclined.
The elder Lombard was.
He worked his way through minor league jobs with Boston and Atlanta before he was hired as Dave Roberts’ first bench coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And what a group for the younger Lombard to spend his tween and early teen years around.
The burgeoning infielder and coach’s kid was welcomed with open arms by, he says, “the whole team, basically.” Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Kiké Hernández, Chris Taylor, eventually Mookie Betts – all took a shine to the younger Lombard.
“They were all great,” Lombard tells USA TODAY Sports. “Just kind of made me feel like I was part of the team sometimes. Taught me a bunch.
“I would learn just by watching them, too.”
New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. (96) warms up prior to a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Lombard attended Gulliver Prep near his Miami home, and his younger brother Jacob soon followed in his footsteps; he was picked 14th overall by the hometown Marlins and famously homered in his pro debut the same night his older brother went deep in his Yankees debut.
Yet their grander baseball education came in summertime trips to Dodger Stadium or spring jaunts to Arizona or Lakeland – George Sr. is now the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach – that proved a key fusion of their physical talent and the mental edge required to thrive.
“I feel like overall, the lifestyle, the day to day, the work and the preparation it takes every single day – to be prepared and be ready to go and post every single day. Understanding what you need to do, being prepared for what you need to do, allows you to be more comfortable,” says Lombard.
“Obviously, you learn a lot of things when you get here and start doing it yourself. You start to get a good understanding of, ‘This is what I’m in for.'”
And it’s the little things that quietly floor his Yankee teammates.
‘You have to turn it off’
As Lombard reached Class AA Somerset (N.J.) and AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the rumblings got louder. Yankees players on rehab assignments would get a brief look at Lombard and realize what was coming.
More advanced prospects crossed paths with him and realized their long-term answer at shortstop was just a year away, maybe less. He punched his ticket this year with a .909 OPS, 24 doubles, 12 homers and 14 steals between the two levels.
All while providing previews of coming attractions.
For rookie outfielder Spencer Jones, it was the split seconds afield, not the big bat, that set Lombard apart.
“It’s a lot of the little things,” says Jones. “There’s certain plays – the ones I’m always thinking about are relay throws – the outfielder throws the ball in to him. And then, a quick exchange and an absolute rocket of an arm throwing a guy out.
“And I’m like, ‘Man, that really has a lot of impact.’ Something as trivial as cutting off a relay, but him taking it with authority and being able to put the ball exactly where he wants it, those things matter.
“The way he runs the bases. All those things.”
Jones also saw the influence of George Sr. and wife Judy Prado Lombard on their son.
“I think you can sense it,'” says Jones, a 25-year-old Vanderbilt product. “His parents did a great job making sure he’s not a one-dimensional person. He’s a kid who obviously loves baseball but that’s not his identity. That’s not who he is as a person. Very smart, lots of interests outside the game.
“Those are the things that matter as much as a baseball player as they do all the things on the field. Give him a lot of credit for being who he is at 21 years old. Because I wasn’t even close to being like that when I was his age.”
Naturally, many of Lombard’s interests intersect with his athletic background. He was an accomplished soccer player as a youth, and as a center back aimed to model his game after Liverpool and Netherlands legend Virgil van Dijk. He’ll occasionally mess around with the soccer ball, still, and caught Lionel Messi – “the GOAT,” he says unhesitatingly – play a match for Inter Miami CF this past offseason.
When the conditions are right, he’ll partake in spearfishing in the reefs and waters around Miami and, as one might imagine, remains grounded in family.
“There’s definitely a balance part of it. Obviously, I love baseball,” says Lombard. “I’m thinking about it all the time. It’s definitely my biggest passion.
“But there’s definitely times you have to turn it off, and enjoy time with friends and family and do hobbies and things off the field. Because if not, it’s a tough game and you’ll drive yourself crazy.”
‘Almost in awe of how well he plays defense’
Lombard and younger brother Jacob talk or FaceTime almost every day, the 18-year-old already with three homers and a .362 OBP in 12 games for the Marlins’ Florida State League affiliate. It is a time in their lives filled with immeasurable promise.
While it’s still so early for Lombard, he has a grander sense of his place in the world. He realizes impacting baseball will allow him to impact the world around him – improving and producing and moving forward in the game making everything fall into place.
“The focus right now is winning games, winning championships. I’ll do whatever I can for this organization,” he says. “As time goes on and you establish yourself a little more, you always want to help people off the field. It’s obviously very important in me, something instilled in me in life – helping people less fortunate in life.
“Inspiring young kids to dream big. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to do that.”
The chances are very good. At 21, Lombard still has plenty of time to grow into more power at the plate and impact the baseball with greater authority. But good health willing, the glove will never leave him.
“I think he’s excellent. I think he’s a great defender. And he continues to show that every day he’s up here,” says Boone. “Very impressed and almost in awe of how well he plays defense. Very good athlete, very physical and has gotten better and better all the time.
“Which is a testament to him and his work ethic and how much pride he takes on that side of the ball.”
Just wait until he gets a whole month under his belt.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: George Lombard Jr. has been with Yankees for 2 weeks. They’re already ‘in awe’ at his skills.
Read the full article here
