George Lombard Jr. has barely been in the major leagues for a week, but he is already taking on a leadership role in the Yankee clubhouse as the team tries to fight its way out of its collective offensive funk.
Heading into Sunday's series finale against the Braves, with New York looking for a sweep, Lombard was quizzing his teammates on Atlanta starter Grant Holmes, making sure he and the rest of the Bombers were prepared when they stepped in the box on Sunday, Spencer Jones told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
"He’s super mature for his age. He loves baseball,” Jones told Hoch. “We were eating just now and he’s talking about the pitcher for tomorrow. It just kind of shows you where his head is at.”
Jones' revelation is quite the statement for Lombard, who is just 21 years old who was just called up to the majors on Wednesday. The Yankees need a spark offensively, and Lombard provided one with a home run in his first career game (and another in Saturday's win). His glove, range, and arm at shortstop have all been miles ahead of what the Yanks had at shortstop before Lombard's promotion, and now, he seems to be bringing a veteran-like voice in the clubhouse, which could be needed while the typical clubhouse leaders in Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are still working their way back from injury.
While the early leadership is a welcomed sign by Lombard, his pop quiz to his teammates did not pay off, as Holmes tossed six shutout innings on Sunday, and the Yanks lost in extra innings.
The hyped prospect is winning over the fans in more ways than one.
The hyped prospect is winning over the fans in more ways than one.
