George Lombard Jr. made his MLB debut in August for the New York Yankees. He has made a solid impact for the Yankees, as they have recently clinched a playoff spot.
As Lombard was preparing for his upcoming campaign, the top prospect met with Yankees legend Derek Jeter. The meeting shaped his season and gave Lombard plenty of valuable advice, per Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
âÂÂThe big one â and it seems pretty simple and probably one of the most important things â is to be a stand-up dude,â Lombard said Jeter told him. âÂÂWhether thatâÂÂs in the clubhouse or with the media or the fans, whatever it is. Be authentic and be a good person. It goes a long way, doing those little things. Whether thatâÂÂs always being upfront and honest or remembering peopleâÂÂs names. Just being an overall good human being. It keeps you grounded and keeps you humble and it allows you to keep doing the stuff on the field and producing on the field and helping out the team wherever you can, while keeping all the unnecessary distractions away.âÂÂ
Lombard is hitting .218 this year, with three home runs and 11 RBIs. He also came away with a massive hit against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. He hit a double when the Yankees were down 2-1. That started the top of the eighth inning, when the Yankees would score six runs on the way to clinching a playoff spot. Regardless, he has struggled overall this month, which can lead to a lot of criticism in New York, something him and Jeter spoke about.
Article Continues BelowâÂÂI think the better questions â and the ones that are more valuable â are all the non-baseball (questions),â Lombard said. âÂÂHow he approached dealing with New York. Dealing with everything that comes with it. The media. The off-the-field stuff. How, in his case, being the captain, dealing with all of those responsibilities. All of it. Just good conversation. Very insightful. Definitely someone that you can take a lot from having a short conversation.âÂÂ
Lombard and Jeter just got to meet again. This time, instead of over breakfast, it was on the field. Jeter returned to Yankee Stadium for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, allowing the two to meet on the field.
âÂÂItâÂÂs been kind of a crazy year,â Lombard said. âÂÂBut heâÂÂs happy for me, and he told me to keep doing my thing and to stay focused.âÂÂ
The next focus for Lombard will be performing in the playoffs. The Yankees are 87-63 on the year, which places them 3.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. They also control the top wild card spot in the American League. The Yankees continue their series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night.

