With their first-round selection (26th overall) of the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, the New York Yankees selected INF George Lombard Jr.  from Gulliver Prep H.S. (Fla.).

Lombard Jr., a 6-foot-3, 190-pound infielder, hit .478 (43-for-90) with 34R, 14 doubles, 6HR and 22RBI in 29 games as a senior at Gulliver Prep. Additionally, Lombard Jr. was named by the Miami Herald as one of the Miami-Dade County Athletes of the Year in 2023.

“George has a number of physical attributes and is an elite athlete with all five tools and skills to play shortstop,” said Damon Oppenheimer, Yankees Vice President of Domestic Amateur Scouting. “He has ability to impact the ball and use the whole field for power, alongside good contact skills. The makeup is a separator. He is focused on every pitch with an unquestioned work ethic. All of that from a young man with Major League bloodlines and a mom that was also a high-end collegiate athlete. We really see potential for a high-ceiling middle of the field player.”

Entering the 2023 draft, the 18-year-old was ranked as the No. 31 overall draft prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.

The selection of Lombard Jr. marks the third time the Yankees have selected an infielder in the last five years, joining Trey Sweeney in 2021 and Anthony Volpe in 2019. It also marks the first time the Yankees have selected a high school player in the first round since Volpe in 2019. The Yankees have selected a high school player with four of their last eight first-round picks since 2016 and 10 of their last 19 first-round picks since 2008.

The Pinecrest, Fla., native is the son of current Tigers’ bench coach George Lombard, who played six Major League seasons with Atlanta (1998-2000), Detroit (2002), Tampa Bay (2003) and Washington (2006).

The 2023 draft resumes on Monday, with rounds three through 10, beginning at 2 p.m. ET. It will continue on Tuesday with rounds 11 through 20, starting at 2 p.m. ET.