With 'family right in the backyard,' Marlins sign first-rounder Lombard

MIAMI – Jacob Lombard is no stranger to loanDepot park.

Coming from a baseball family, the local kid attended Marlins games over the years when his big league dad, George, was away for work. On the scouting circuit, the Miami Gulliver Prep star showcased his tools on the Major League diamond. And as recently as March, Lombard fielded grounders ahead of the World Baseball Classic final because George served as USA’s first-base coach.

Lombard – wearing a home white Marlins jersey with No. 1 on the back – came full circle on Thursday morning, posing for photos and answering questions on that same field.

By signing with the Marlins five days after being selected as the No. 14 overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft, Lombard has officially begun his professional career with the hometown team.

“I love baseball, so I've been itching to just start playing again,” Lombard said. “So, I couldn't be more excited.”

That is evident by the work Lombard has put in since his high school season ended, spending time lifting and preparing his body for the daily grind of pro ball. Things will pick up next week, when the Marlins hold a camp at the ballpark for their draftees. Once that is done, they will be given their Minor League assignments.

The Marlins haven’t been shy about testing their prospects from the get-go under this front office. Last summer, top picks Aiva Arquette and Cam Cannarella went straight from collegiate ball to High-A Beloit. The 18-year-old Lombard will likely start at Single-A Jupiter.

“I think we challenge our players,” president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. “That's how we get better. We put our players in environments that are not easy, and it'll be no different with Jacob. We have all the confidence in the world about how he will handle it on the field, athletically, all of that, but even more so, you get to see the kind of person he is. He's going to respond really well to those challenges, and it's going to be hard. But I think he knows that, and that is how people get better. So, that's how we get our players better.”

Bendix, Lombard and Frankie Piliere, vice president of amateur forecasting & player evaluation initiatives, are confident Lombard will be able to handle the transition as the son of a former big leaguer and the younger brother of MLB Pipeline's No. 20 overall prospect (Yankees' No. 1) George Jr.

“We're lucky to get the opportunity to draft him,” Piliere said. “We weren't really sure until probably the night before, where it started to really look like an opportunity. But it's really a culmination of a lot of work on a really awesome young player, and we're really excited that it came together, because it's been a long time coming. A lot of games, a lot of work, a lot of time on the road from our scouts, but a lot of good work went into it, and we're so excited he's here.”

All parties involved also expect Lombard to take considerable steps forward while focusing solely on baseball. Lombard, who entered high school with the dream of becoming a Major Leaguer, was a multisport athlete until he stopped playing soccer his senior year. It was just another sacrifice needed to develop into the “best player I could be.”

“I see myself as a pretty good athlete, and now when I'm doing this every day as a job, I feel like that polishing of a baseball player and getting more consistent in all aspects will come,” Lombard said.

There’s no telling when the next time Lombard steps foot on the loanDepot Park diamond will be. The journey to the big leagues is a test of patience and hard work.

But Lombard is part of what Bendix and Co. are trying to build in Miami. The Marlins enter the second half in possession of the third and final National League Wild Card spot, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lombard.

“It seems to me, at least from an outside perspective, that everything's headed in the right direction,” Lombard said. “Obviously, they're having a pretty good year so far. Having the family right in the backyard, getting to represent my hometown, it's a pretty awesome deal.”