Royals Predicted to Draft Yankees Top Prospect's Younger Brother

Kansas City holds the 6th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft

Apr. 14, 2026 at 4:03pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a baseball player in motion, with their form fractured and overlapping into sharp, angular planes of color.The Royals' selection of the younger Lombard brother could create an intriguing family dynamic in their farm system.Kansas City Today

The Kansas City Royals are predicted to select Jacob Lombard, the younger brother of New York Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr., with the 6th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Jacob Lombard, a shortstop from Gulliver Prep in Miami, Florida, has put together a strong senior season after raising some concerns about his swing-and-miss tendencies on the showcase circuit last summer.

Why it matters

The Royals already have an All-Star shortstop in Bobby Witt Jr., so drafting Jacob Lombard would create an interesting family connection and potential positional logjam in the Royals' farm system. However, Lombard's power-speed profile and potential to stick at shortstop long-term make him an intriguing prospect worth considering, even with Witt entrenched at the position.

The details

According to the Bleacher Report's MLB Draft expert, Jonathan Reuter, the Royals are predicted to select Jacob Lombard with the 6th overall pick. Reuter notes that Lombard "raised some red flags with a considerable amount of swing-and-miss on the showcase circuit last summer, but he is putting together a strong senior season and erasing some of those concerns in the process." Reuter also highlights Lombard's "60-power, 65-speed offensive profile" and his potential to "stick at shortstop long-term."

  • The 2026 MLB Draft is scheduled for June 2026.

The players

Bobby Witt Jr.

The Kansas City Royals' All-Star shortstop who is signed through 2034.

Jacob Lombard

A shortstop prospect from Gulliver Prep in Miami, Florida, who is the younger brother of New York Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr.

George Lombard Jr.

The top prospect in the New York Yankees' farm system and the older brother of Jacob Lombard.

George Lombard Sr.

The father of Jacob and George Lombard Jr., who played parts of six seasons in the Majors as an outfielder from 1998-2006 and is currently the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers.

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What they’re saying

“Players with 60-power, 65-speed offensive profiles don't grow on trees, and that's especially true of ones capable of sticking at shortstop long-term.”

— Jonathan Reuter, MLB Draft Expert, Bleacher Report

What’s next

The Royals will have to decide whether to select Jacob Lombard with the 6th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, given their existing All-Star shortstop in Bobby Witt Jr. and the potential positional logjam this could create in their farm system.

The takeaway

The potential selection of Jacob Lombard by the Royals would create an interesting family connection, as he is the younger brother of the Yankees' top prospect George Lombard Jr. While the Royals already have an established shortstop in Witt, Lombard's power-speed profile and potential to stick at the position long-term make him an intriguing prospect worth considering, even with the positional overlap.