TAMPA — The Yankees spent their first few weeks on George Lombard Jr.'s makeup, work ethic and defense.
The top infield prospect then came out on Saturday to peek at his offensive potential.
Lombard continued his fantastic camp in the 2023 first round pick, 9-3, beating the Astros at Stein Brenner Field on Saturday, 9-3, and praised the 414-foot home run from the left field scoreboard.
“He was great,” said manager Aaron Boone. “He's really very good defensively, special. He's got a lot of good at-bats recently. In his last two at-bats, he's hit the ball very well into the gap where the center fielder runs through. This was where he hits the grass doesn't grow. So I said, 'Stop hitting them, you need to hit them.' That was not a suspicion.
“You see a young physical child who continues to grow into his body. An incredible makeup and work ethic, and a truly talented athlete. He is an exciting player with an exciting future.”
The Yankees drafted Lombard as a short stop from high school, but this spring he bouncing off on the infield, adding 2 bases and 3 bases.
He split his second time with last year's short stop in his first full season with the organization. That's why he was a teammate of Roderick Arias, another shortstop prospect.
Of course, the Yankees hope Anthony Volpe will settle on the shortstop for a foreseeable future, but Lombard has time to join him in the Bronx.
“When I get to the big leagues, I play for the New York Yankees and when I'm in the championship, I go out where I can help my team win and play everywhere,” Lombard said.
Last year, Lombard recorded .672 OPS and 39 steel with 81 games in Singles A Tampa and 29 games in High A Hudson Valley.
He is likely to start this season with High-A, but he will take along with the lessons he learned from his first Big League camp.
19-year-old Lombard is not a man who doesn't know that his father, George Lombard Sr., was a former Tigers player and current bench coach (after spending time on the Dodgers staff), and is in the big league clubhouse.
However, this spring he was even more immersed in the experience, enjoying consultations with the likes of Paul Goldschmidt and Cody Bellinger, earning “some notes to save later.”
“Wow, I was really impressed,” Aaron Judge said. “He quickly stepped in and owned it all. He's as hardworking as his dad. I know his dad is hardworking and probably planted it in him. But I'm excited about his future.”
