Who will Yanks select to join top prospect Lombard in farm system?

NEW YORK -- The Yankees’ braintrust nodded knowingly when George Lombard Jr. displayed a complete package well beyond his two decades on the planet this spring: lightning-quick wrists in the batter’s box, slick agility in the infield, and a mature demeanor in the big league clubhouse.

Lombard has carried that forward into the Minor League season, including a nod to the All-Star Futures Game. The Yankees’ forecast for Lombard, their top selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, seems to be coming true.

“I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Two-way player, outstanding defender, runs well. The bat keeps coming, keeps getting better and better.

“You really notice the physicality of him -- you see that year-to-year development. As good a makeup as you can have; loves the game, works incredibly hard, plays hard. He’s one of those guys you want driving your culture. He’s that kind of special-makeup kid.”

Now they will be on the hunt for more talent in this year’s edition.

Once again, Damon Oppenheimer and his domestic amateur scouting staff will scour the amateur and professional ranks, seeking to select and secure the best available players that the country has to offer.

“We’re going to try to take the best available player, whether it’s pitcher, position player, college, high school,” Oppenheimer said. “It really doesn’t matter. In baseball, you’re just trying to get the best talent.”

The Yanks’ top pick dropped 10 spots as a penalty after exceeding the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax; they also forfeited their second-rounder for signing free agent Max Fried.

• Day 1 picks: 39, 103
• Bonus pool allotment: $5,383,600 (30th in MLB)
• Last year’s top pick: RHP Ben Hess (26th overall) ... A big-bodied workhorse, Hess agreed to a $2.74 million bonus. He boasts a strong fastball, slider and curveball mix, with a developing changeup. Hess is currently with High-A Hudson Valley.
• Breakout 2024 pick: LHP Griffin Herring (sixth round) ... Selected from Louisiana State, Herring dominated to a 4-1 record and 1.21 ERA in eight starts for Single-A Tampa. He struck out 58 in 44 2/3 innings, earning promotion to High-A Hudson Valley, where he’s also pitched well.

Lombard was the nation’s No. 26 overall selection in 2023, when the Yankees called his name from Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, Fla.

Big-swinging outfielder Spencer Jones was the Bombers’ first selection (No. 25 overall) in 2022; having been recently promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it’s possible Jones could make his Major League debut before the end of the season.

In fact, several prominent members of the current Yankees roster have been homegrown products of the MLB Draft: Catcher Austin Wells (1st round in 2020), catcher/first baseman Ben Rice (12th round in 2021), shortstop Anthony Volpe (first round in 2019), right-hander Cam Schlittler (seventh round in 2022) -- and of course, captain Aaron Judge (first round in 2013).

“We’ve done a lot of research on what gets to the big leagues,” Oppenheimer said. “You can develop pitching, and you can get it there. You need a lot of pitching to hold up over time, because especially nowadays, it’s so hard to hit. Obviously, we’ve used some pitching talent as currency to get other players, so that is always in the back of your mind.”

So what’s Oppenheimer’s advice to fans who will be tracking selections?

“Don’t look at just the first round; look at the entirety of what a team picks and the depth that you’re going to get,” he said. “I don’t think a Draft in baseball needs to be judged within a year or two years. I think it needs to take time for it to marinate, and to see what you get further down throughout the whole Draft.”