George Lombard Jr., overall Miami-Dade Athlete of the Year, heads to Yankees in MLB draft

George Lombard Jr.’s path to the 2023 MLB draft was simultaneously conventional and unorthodox.

His father, George Lombard, was a second-round pick as an outfielder himself and is now the bench coach for the Tigers. He has always had the pedigree to be a baseball star.

At the same time, Lombard wasn’t just about baseball at Gulliver Prep. He was also a state champion in boys’ soccer.

Now, he’s headed to the New York Yankees with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the MLB draft Sunday.

Lombard, who could play either third base or shortstop at the next level, signed a national letter of intent with Vanderbilt, but is now likely set to embark on a professional career after getting picked on the first day of the draft at Lumen Field in Seattle.

Either way, the selection puts a bow on an incredible year for the 6-foot-3, 190-pound infielder.

It started with a Class 4A championship in soccer and he was a second-team all-county selection by the Miami Herald for his role in Gulliver’s run. He followed it up by helping the Raiders make the Class 3A semifinals in baseball and was the Herald’s Miami-Dade County Baseball Player of the Year for Classes 5A-2A. Finally, he was the Herald’s Miami-Dade County Boys’ Athlete of the Year for Classes 4A-2A just last month, only a few weeks before going on Day 1 of the draft.

As good as he was in multiple sports, Lombard is most special on the diamond. As a senior, he batted .512 with 24 RBIs, six home runs and 14 doubles to solidify himself as a first-round pick.

Lombard, 18, is the first player to be picked straight out of a South Florida high school so far in this draft and certainly won’t be the last. In total, four high school players from the region rank among the top 250 prospects in the draft, according to MLB.com.