As Gerrit Cole fired dwell batting observe within the early days of spring coaching, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” soundtracked George Lombard Jr.’s plate look in opposition to the 34-year-old ace.
The grunge anthem made for an apropos tune alternative as Lombard Jr. – who smoked a line drive to left – is the youngest participant in Yankees camp. And but, those that have hung out with the shortstop describe a 19-year-old who is sensible past his years.
“You can tell he’s been in a major league clubhouse before,” Aaron Boone stated. “He’s an 80-makeup kid.”
Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ second-best farmhand based on Baseball America, is within the midst of his first huge league spring coaching. However as Boone alluded to, the top-100 prospect is not any stranger to the majors regardless of by no means taking part in above Excessive-A.
His father, George Lombard Sr., performed for the Braves, Tigers, Satan Rays and Nationals from 1998-2006. Lombard Jr., born in 2005, wasn’t alive for many of his dad’s taking part in profession, however he tagged alongside when Lombard Sr. took minor league teaching jobs with the Pink Sox and Braves, after which a giant league gig with the Dodgers.
Lombard Sr. served as Los Angeles’ first base coach from 2015-2020, a span that noticed the Dodgers play in three World Sequence. They gained all of it in 2020.
“It’s helped me so much, both just being around my dad and listening to my dad talk about baseball, and then just being around the game and seeing how big leaguers go about their business and how they work,” Lombard Jr. stated. “Watching that amount of baseball, just picking up little cues in the game, it’s helped me a ton.”
The older Lombard, in the meantime, relished the possibility to look at his son be taught from All-Stars like Justin Turner and Corey Seager.
“Anytime you can get a young kid to be around big league guys, it’s really cool,” stated Lombard Sr., now the Tigers’ bench coach. “Anyone that’s been on the pro side of things realizes how much we’re gone, so it is really cool to have them around as much as possible.”
As of late, Lombard Jr. is paying shut consideration to veterans akin to Aaron Decide, DJ LeMahieu and Paul Goldschmidt. Nonetheless a number of ranges away from the majors, he sees his invitation to huge league camp for what it’s: an opportunity to be a “sponge” who absorbs as a lot as potential from the MVPs, batting champs and Gold Glovers who encompass him.
He’s additionally fashioned a bond with one other younger shortstop: Anthony Volpe.
The 2 have been taking groundballs collectively usually since Lombard Jr. reported to camp on the finish of January. Lombard Jr. has additionally made it some extent to select Volpe’s mind.
“Great attitude. Really hard worker, really athletic,” Volpe stated. “The way he approaches every day, he’s very curious. I think he wants to get better and is very eager.”
When the 2 aren’t discussing defensive methods or the ins and outs of a giant league routine, additionally they chat about what it’s prefer to be baby-faced at Steinbrenner Subject this time of yr.
Volpe’s first huge league camp expertise wasn’t fairly the identical, as he gained the Yankees’ shortstop job as a 21-year-old on the finish of his first spring coaching in 2023. Nonetheless, he feels he can relate to Lombard Jr.
“I just want to be a familiar face that he can go to for anything,” Volpe stated, including that others helped him alongside the way in which. “My first camp was the year I made the team, so I never really had that experience of coming off my first pro season and then being able to just be involved in everything. But from a homegrown, drafted Yankee standpoint, I feel like I could share experiences with him and the rest of the guys in the system.”
As Volpe talked about, 2024 was Lombard Jr.’s first full skilled season. A soccer star and standout ballplayer at Gulliver Prep (Pinecrest, Florida), he performed in 13 video games as an 18-year-old after being drafted twenty sixth total in 2023.
Lombard Jr. performed in 110 video games final season between Single-A and Excessive-A, slashing .231/.338/.334 with 25 doubles, 5 homers, 45 RBI and 39 stolen bases. His numbers weren’t outstanding, however the Yankees had been inspired by the changes he made alongside the way in which.
Lombard Jr. has appeared like an influence menace currently, because the right-handed swinger drilled a 414-foot solo homer at 108.4 mph off Steinbrenner Subject’s left discipline scoreboard over the weekend. He added one other blast of the two-run selection on Monday evening.
George Lombard Jr. is nineteen years previous and simply despatched a ball out 414 toes and 108.4 MPH off the bat. Future Yankees celebrity. pic.twitter.com/NXXqFkA8NH
Whereas these cuts turned some heads, the Yankees have been routinely infatuated with Lombard Jr.’s protection, which has made cameos at second and third base. That a part of his recreation has benefitted from his soccer abilities, as he believes his time on the pitch boosted his velocity, footwork and agility.
“I see great feet,” infield coach Travis Chapman stated. “His ability to read hops, move and create hops with his feet is pretty impressive.”
In the meantime, Lombard Sr. talked about his son’s ears when requested concerning the teen’s strengths. He deemed Lombard Jr. a powerful listener who processes the sport nicely, an evaluation shared by members of the Yankees’ group who’ve seen the teen’s consideration to element.
As for areas to work on, Chapman stated that Decide and Volpe challenged Lombard Jr. to tackle extra of an lively management function within the minors this season.
Lombard Sr. would additionally prefer to see extra consistency from his namesake. The daddy famous there’s a giant distinction between taking part in a couple of video games per week in highschool and the on a regular basis grind of knowledgeable season, which Lombard Jr. had not skilled till final yr.
Now Lombard Jr. is trying ahead to his second full marketing campaign, as are the Yankees. He’s undecided the place it should start, however he can’t wait to use the teachings he’s being taught this spring.
“I just want to go out there, relax and play my game,” Lombard Jr. stated. “It’s just really a learning experience, going out there and having fun, playing my game and showing everybody what I can do.”
