A former Ransom Everglades soccer standout is projected as a top-five selection when the 2026 MLB Draft opens Saturday in Philadelphia.
Jacob Lombard, a 6-foot-3 shortstop who was a soccer standout for the Raiders before playing his final two prep seasons at Gulliver Prep, is ranked the No. 5 overall prospect by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Multiple mock drafts slot him even higher: Keith Law of The Athletic and Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley both project him fourth to the San Francisco Giants.
Lombard isn't the only South Florida high schooler expected to go early. Marjory Stoneman Douglas left-hander Gio Rojas is projected between No. 8 and No. 15 across major outlets. If both land in the first round, it would mark the first time since 2012 that two South Florida prep players were selected in the first 30 picks of the same draft, according to the Miami Herald. That year, Albert Almora Jr. (No. 6, Cubs), Nick Travieso (No. 14, Reds) and Lewis Brinson (No. 29, Rangers) all came from South Florida high schools.
Lombard traded soccer for baseball's family business
Lombard preferred soccer for much of his youth before committing to baseball full time. Yahoo Sports' Jordan Shusterman wrote that "the bloodlines redirected him to the diamond." His father, George Lombard, played parts of six MLB seasons and is in his sixth year as the Detroit Tigers' bench coach. His older brother, George Jr., was the Yankees' first-round pick, No. 26 overall, in 2023 and is ranked the No. 20 prospect in baseball while playing Triple-A.
The younger Lombard's senior season backed up the hype: a .477 batting average, nine home runs, 25 RBIs and 52 runs scored, earning him the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County 4A-1A Player of the Year award. MLB Pipeline describes him as a premium athlete at a premium position with potential plus power.
If selected in the first round, he would become the third first-round pick in Gulliver Prep history, joining his brother and infielder David Espinosa, No. 23 overall to the Cincinnati Reds in 2000.
Rojas enters draft as the class's top left-hander
Rojas, who grew up in Colorado before his family relocated to South Florida, has been dominant at Stoneman Douglas. Over his junior and senior seasons combined, he posted a 24-1 record with a 0.66 ERA and 243 strikeouts against just 33 walks in 137 innings, per the Miami Herald. His fastball touches 98 mph.
Bleacher Report's big board ranks him the No. 1 left-handed pitcher in the class, and he threw 11 shutout innings for Team USA at the 2025 WBSC U-18 World Cup during its gold-medal run. He would be the earliest-drafted Eagle in Stoneman Douglas history if taken in the top 10.
Both players are committed to the University of Miami but would likely forgo college if drafted in the first round.
Draft coverage spans NBC, MLB Network and MLB.com
The draft takes place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center as part of MLB All-Star Week. Picks 1-10 air on NBC and Peacock starting at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday. Picks 11-40 move to MLB Network at 2:30 p.m., with the remainder of Day 1, picks 41-135, streaming on MLB.com. Rounds 5-20 begin at 11:30 a.m. Sunday on MLB.com.
