PHILADELPHIA, PA — Draft day always has its surprises.
On Saturday afternoon in the first round of the 2026 MLB Draft, the Marlins lucked into selecting hometown star Jacob Lombard with the 14th overall pick. A Cuban-American shortstop and fifth-ranked draft prospect on MLB’s Pipeline, Lombard was projected to go in the top-10 of the draft but kept falling until it was Miami’s turn on the clock.
Out of Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, Florida, the 18-year-old is the younger brother of George Lombard Jr., a top prospect of the New York Yankees who was also drafted out of Gulliver Prep in 2023 at No. 26 overall.
Jacob and George come from a rich baseball family with their father George Lombard being a former MLB infielder and now coach with the Detroit Tigers.
The Lombard Family lives and breathes baseball with George Lombard, a coach with the Tigers and former MLB infielder, paving the way for George (21, Yankees) and Jacob (18, Marlins) – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
From the outside looking in, the Marlins, currently holding an NL Wild Card spot at 52-44, seem to be building something special in Miami. They are now hoping that Lombard can help contribute to that momentum sooner rather than later like we have seen many players from the 2024 MLB Draft already making an impact for their respective big league clubs.
A soccer standout in high school, Lombard talked to MLB Network host and analyst Greg Amsinger about staying home in Miami shortly after he was selected Saturday, saying: “It was hard to put into words honestly. It was pretty surreal to have the family and the support of all of the friends here and react the way they did as you guys can see it was something I couldn’t have even dreamed of.”
Rangers take Stoneman Douglas High School standout Gio Rojas at No. 16
Two picks later, the Texas Rangers selected Stoneman Douglas High School Mexican-American left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas with the 16th overall pick. Rojas, 18, rated as the eight prospect in MLB Pipeline’s Draft Rankings, comes from a highly respected high school in Parkland, Florida that has produced MLB stars Jesus Luzardo, Anthony Rizzo, Roman Anthony, and Coby Mayo.
The Rangers selected Gio Rojas out of Stoneman Douglas High School with the 16th overall pick of the 2026 MLB Draft Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia – Image Credit: Miguel Maldonado/Latino Sports
Like the Marlins, the Rangers are having a solid season leading the AL West at 48-47. They have taken this route before—stacking up on pitching—with Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker in recent years, who were both drafted as highly touted pitchers.
Additionally Rojas, a big kid at six-foot-four, topping out to 98-MPH, was lights out in high school last season with 124 strikeouts in 72 innings and an ERA of 0.59. He contains a strong slider in his arsenal, but the development of his changeup and other secondary pitches needs work.
Reds draft Alabama SS Justin Lebron with 18th overall pick
The Cincinnati Reds made their presence known in Saturday’s first round of the MLB Draft, selecting Puerto Rican American shortstop Justin Lebron out of Alabama University with the 18th pick. The 21-year-old, born and raised in the Bronx, NY, had an impressive season with the Crimson Tide that was highlighted by helping them reach the College World Series.
Justin Lebron is headed to Cincinnati after getting selected by the Reds in the first round with the 18th overall pick – Image Credit: Miguel Maldonado/Latino Sports
The biggest thing that stood out in 2026 was him stealing 42 out of 43 bases. He also hit 16 home runs and had an OPS of .922 in 238 at-bats with a .277 batting average. The Reds may have a hard time paying their Dominican star Elly De La Cruz, and this could be viewed as the perfect replacement down the line.
The right-handed hitting Lebron has an OPS of .984 and a batting average of .309 in 685 at-bats across his three-year career.
The Reds sit last in the NL Central at 43-51 and could use him as a pillar in a rebuild.
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