Not exactly name-dropping, but Yankees' George Lombard Jr. does resemble Alex Rodriguez
The Yankees' George Lombard Jr. hits a home run in the third inning of a spring training game against the Houston Astros at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
CLEARWATER, Fla.
OK, we’ll say it. The first name that springs to mind after watching George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, is none other than Alex Rod-riguez.
No pressure, right? That may sound unfair, but it’s meant as the highest compliment. Lombard, a 19-year-old shortstop prodigy, certainly looks like A-Rod 2.0. He’s tall (6-2), hails from Miami and carries himself with the cool confidence, both on the field and in the clubhouse, of a player closer to his MLB pension than a big-league debut.
And it shouldn’t be too long before Lombard, the Yankees’ first-round pick (26th overall) in the 2023 draft, finds himself in the Bronx. At this point, it’s more a matter of where than when, as Anthony Volpe — another fast-moving first-rounder — has owned the starting shortstop job since 2023, ironically the same year Lombard passed on Vanderbilt for a chance at wearing pinstripes instead.
It seems like yesterday that Volpe, who turns 24 next month, won the job out of spring training after spending only three seasons in the minors, including a mere 22 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And that was after having a whole year of development wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Volpe’s rapid ascent further emphasized Yankees stardom is not an overnight process — his plate struggles have been balanced by a Gold Glove — the New Jersey wiz kid also has provided a blueprint for Lombard, who has the advantage of growing up the son of former major-leaguer George Sr., now a coach with the Tigers. Because of that clubhouse education, Lombard isn’t wide-eyed lockering among the Yankees. It’s like second nature to him, along with digging in Tuesday against the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez during the Yankees’ 12-3 rout at BayCare Ballpark.
“I feel good, I feel comfortable,” said Lombard, who went 2-for-4 Tuesday and is hitting .333 (5-for-15) with a pair of homers and 1.145 OPS in eight games. “I feel like my swing is in a pretty good spot right now. It’s still baseball. They’re still throwing from the same mound. Just go out there and try to stick with your plan.”
Lombard comes off as incredibly polished for his age, whether he’s in the batter’s box or surrounded by reporters, and isn’t fazed by either setting. On Tuesday, Lombard drove in the Yankees’ first run by smacking Wheeler’s first-pitch sinker (95 mph) through the right side for an RBI single. In the fifth inning, Lombard lost his four-pitch battle with Suarez, chasing a changeup for a groundout, but he later smashed a 2-and-2 slider from reliever Nick Vespi for an infield single to short.
“I feel like he has a really good competitive focus,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You watch him in the box lock in — the makeup’s real. He’s got a special little energy about him and an intensity — a quiet intensity — to him that’s present every day.”
There was nothing quiet about Lombard’s at-bats over his previous two games, when he blasted a pair of homers, flexing a powerful swing that was reminiscent of the younger, leaner A-Rod’s mashes. Saturday’s shot against the Astros traveled 414 feet (exit velo: 108.4 mph). Lombard followed that up Monday with a loud home run that cleared the left-center wall at Steinbrenner Field.
“We just see another level of physicality with him this year,” Boone said. “Really starting to grow into his body, a dynamic athlete, and we got a peek into the power.”
With only 110 professional games on his resume, and topping out at High-A Hudson Valley last season, Lombard definitely needs more seasoning at the plate. The glove, however, appears close to big-league caliber, if he’s not there already. Mindful of Volpe’s status, the Yankees are moving Lombard around the infield this spring, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up at third base, since that ultimately might be the team’s greatest need by the time his promotion comes.
The Yankees aren’t concerned about Lombard’s ability to play second or third — “wherever we put him, we feel like we’re going to get a premium defender,” Boone said. And as you might expect, Lombard is up for the challenge.
“Obviously there’s a learning curve, learning different positions, like it would be for anybody,” Lombard said. “But I enjoy being versatile, playing everywhere. So it’s just picking up stuff from the guys that have played all these other positions, the little tidbits of advice that they have, then just working on it, practicing it, and trying to get better everywhere.”
One of those guys is Oswaldo Cabrera, the most versatile player on the Yankees’ roster, and he was at third base Tuesday, right beside Lombard at short. Cabrera has seen plenty of the highly touted prospect the past few weeks, and he’s come away impressed by the maturity as well as the talent.
“He’s got all the tools, and he’s humble to be around, too,” Cabrera said. “I think he’s going to be a superstar in the not-too-distant future.”
We haven’t witnessed this much hype around a young infielder since, well, Volpe three years ago. And before that, the guy in Cooperstown, with the retired No. 2 posted in Monument Park. As for Lombard, he’s currently wearing No. 96, and is scheduled to open the season at Double-A Somerset. Beyond that, as we learned with Volpe, the Bronx could be on the horizon in a hurry. The hype is building.
“I’ve heard a little bit,” Lombard said, smiling. “But that’s really not what I’m focused on right now. I’m just trying to learn something new every day and get better here.”
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
