Friday, December 05

It has been three weeks since George Lombard Jr. zipped his bags, joining the Double-A Somerset Patriots on their road trip in Akron, Ohio. The 19-year-old had earned a new challenge at the higher levels of the Yankees’ farm system.

Rated the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline (No. 44 overall in MLB), Lombard has been riding the highs of a strong performance in big league camp, seeing his name continue to gain currency within the professional ranks. So how is he faring in his new uniform? Quite well.

“It’s been good; it’s still baseball, it’s still [hitting] pitches,” Lombard said. “At the end of the day, you’re still going out there and playing the game. You’re still competing. So that part is always going to stay the same.”

Double-A manager Raul Domínguez said Lombard’s presence has “put a lot of energy” on the Somerset roster. Lombard showcased that on Sunday, going 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored and two stolen bases in a 7-5 loss at New Hampshire.

The performance extended Lombard’s on-base streak to 14 games, tied for third-longest in the Eastern League. Overall, Lombard has reached base safely in 15 of his first 16 Double-A games.

“Everybody knows the tools that he has,” Domínguez said. “Keep getting on base, stealing bases. I’m excited to have him. I know everybody has their eyes on him. He’s got good game awareness. … It seems like he’s been playing here for a while. It looks pretty natural. It looks good.”

Lombard’s early success in Somerset -- and before that, at High-A Hudson Valley -- is due in large part to a patient approach that continues to improve. His 37 walks lead the entire organization -- even Aaron Judge (34) is looking up at him.

“It’s always been an important part of my game,” Lombard said. “I’ve always taken pride in staying in my zone and having a good eye overall. I think as I go up, and hopefully for the rest of my career, I’m going to keep working on that. That will always be a strong part of my game.”

Lombard leads all Yanks Minor Leaguers with a .457 on-base percentage and 37 runs scored. His 17 steals are tied with Brendan Jones for the organization lead, while Lombard ranks fifth among all Yanks farmhands in batting average (.287), sixth in OPS (.847) and eighth in hits (39).

Defensively, Lombard has seen most of his action at shortstop, but they’re sprinkling in starts at second and third base, too.

“It’s been cool,” he said. “Over the past year, I’ve been moving around the infield, just being comfortable playing anywhere and learning other positions. It’s usually one, two games per week at another position, but it’s not super set in stone.”

The most likely scenario is that Lombard plays the rest of his season in Double-A, where he’s significantly younger than the average age for an Eastern League player (24.9).

Before the season, MLB Pipeline pegged his big league ETA as 2027, but based on performance and organizational needs, don’t be surprised if that timeline accelerates.

“It’s been great; from Day 1, getting drafted by a franchise that’s so storied and iconic as the Yankees,” Lombard said. “Since I’ve gotten into the organization, everybody has treated me great. I’ve had a great time. The player development has been all I can ask for. It’s just been awesome, and I’m going to try to keep it going.”

With Aaron Judge and Max Fried both off to terrific starts this season, this seems like an appropriate time to ask -- who was the only previous Yankees tandem to win the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award and the Cy Young Award in the same season?

A) Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford

B) Roger Maris and Whitey Ford

C) Don Mattingly and Ron Guidry

D) Alex Rodriguez and CC Sabathia

The first 18,000 guests at the June 6 game between the Yankees and Red Sox at Yankee Stadium will receive a “Yogi Berra U.S. Navy Bobblehead,” commemorating the Hall of Famer’s service during World War II. For the full list of upcoming Yankees promotional dates, please visit: https://www.mlb.com/yankees/tickets/promotions/schedule.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman joined hosts Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette Sunday on MLB Network Radio’s “Front Office” program, touching on a variety of topics. Among the quick-hit updates:

• Jazz Chisholm Jr. (right oblique strain) is continuing to hit in the batting cages at Yankee Stadium and has reported that he is feeling great: “He’s kind of like a mustang that’s being stabled right now. He wants to bust out. We’ve got to be smart about it, because ribcages can be tricky. He looks really good.”

• Giancarlo Stanton (epicondylitis of both elbows) is nearing Minor League game action, having recently completed a base-running program: “He’s scheduled for live BPs for the next two weeks, and I think he’s getting really close to doing a rehab assignment thereafter.”

• Luis Gil (right lat strain) is expected to be pitching in big league games sometime in the second half, as he is currently in a moderate flat-ground portion of his throwing program: “He’s done a really good job on that. Down the line, we’ll get him into the bullpen sessions.”

May 26, 2006: Derek Jeter collected his 2,000th career hit, a fourth-inning infield single off the Royals’ Scott Elarton at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees fell to Kansas City, 7-6.

B) Maris and Ford.

It happened in 1961, when Maris set a new single-season AL record with 61 home runs, while Ford went 25-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 39 starts. The last team to share an MVP and Cy Young Award winner was the 2013 Tigers (Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander).

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