Asked about George Lombard Jr. on Wednesday, Cody Bellinger offered what is a high compliment in the sport. 

“Just a great kid,” Bellinger said. “Just a baseball player.” 

The praise was understood but not wholly correct. Lombard was a soccer player, too. 

The new Yankees shortstop delayed specializing in one sport, playing both baseball and soccer all through high school. In his senior year — months before he became the Yankees’ first-round pick — the defender (and his brother, Jacob) helped lead Gulliver Prep to a Florida state championship.