Steve Lombardozzi

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #10 prospect in 2012
  Lombardozzi's father of the same name was a sparkplug second baseman for the 1987 World Series champion Twins, and the son is similar--with a chance to be better. He breezed through the minors and established himself as a favorite of officials throughout the system. Lombardozzi's tools don't stand out but they all play up because of his baseball acumen and professional approach. A switch-hitter, he has a balanced, line-drive stroke from both sides. An adept situational hitter and bunter, he excels at making contact and can drive the ball into the gaps. He's a slightly above-average runner who picks his spots wisely, as evidenced by his 79 percent success rate on steal attempts in 2011. Lombardozzi committed just two errors all season in the minors, a product of his focus and savvy as much as his sure hands and textbook technique. He has solid range and a fringy arm, and he has held his own filling in at shortstop and third base. He has the tools and skills to be a quality everyday second baseman, and he's versatile enough to be a high-energy utilityman. The latter could be his role in the short term, with Danny Espinosa entrenched at second base in Washington.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #13 prospect in 2011
  Lombardozzi is a quintessential baseball rat, no surprise considering his father Steve played in the big leagues and was a member of the Twins' 1987 World Series champions. Though his tools are modest, the younger Lombardozzi has hit at each minor league stop so far in his career, including Double-A in the second half of 2010 and the Arizona Fall League. He batted .293/.385/.439 for the league-champion Scottsdale Scorpions this fall and won the AFL's Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award. Lombardozzi makes consistent contact and has excellent bat control from both sides of the plate. He has a balanced setup and an efficient swing. He's also a disciplined hitter who works counts and simply finds ways to get on base. He has well below-average power, but he's strong enough to drive some balls into the gaps. He's a solid-average runner and is aggressive on the basepaths. A shortstop in college, Lombardozzi has taken to second base in pro ball and made just nine errors in 134 games there last year. His average range plays up because he positions himself well and reads balls nicely off the bat. His arm is fringy at best, but his hands are above-average. He's still working on his pivots around the bag and his throws from the backhand side. He filled in ably at shortstop in the AFL, showing off valuable versatility. Lombardozzi figures to reach Triple-A in 2011, and he has a chance to be an everyday second baseman or a valuable, high-energy reserve.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #28 prospect in 2010
  Lombardozzi's father, also named Steve, hit .412 in the 1987 World Series to help the Twins topple the Cardinals. The younger Lombardozzi is built just like his dad and plays with the same hard-nosed style. A shortstop at St. Petersburg (Fla.) JC, he moved to second base after turning pro in 2008, and he posted a .987 fielding percentage at the new position last season. He has good infield actions, and his range and arm strength are fine for second base. Lombardozzi's excellent baseball instincts make all of his tools play up, including his solid-average speed. Offensively, he makes good contact from both sides of the plate, hitting .292 last season against lefthanders and .298 against righties. He also draws walks and is an adept bunter. Hagerstown hitting coach Tony Tarasco helped Lombardozzi increase his strength, and the addition of a leg kick helped him drive the ball into the gaps more often, though he'll always have below-average power. Lombardozzi lacks any standout tools, but he does all the little things to help teams win and could have a big league future as a sparkplug in the Nick Punto mold. He'll advance to high Class A in 2010.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Lombardozzi's father of the same name was a sparkplug second baseman for the 1987 World Series-champion Twins, and the son's game is similar. He breezed through the minors and established himself as a favorite of officials throughout the system. Scouting Report: Lombardozzi's tools don't stand out, but they all play up because of his baseball acumen and professional approach. A switch-hitter, he has a balanced, line-drive stroke from both sides. An adept situational hitter and bunter, he excels at making contact and can drive the ball into the gaps. He's a slightly above-average runner who picks his spots wisely, as evidenced by his 79 percent success rate on steal attempts in 2011. Lombardozzi committed just two errors all season in the minors, a product of his focus and savvy as much as his sure hands and textbook technique. He has solid range and a fringy arm, and he has held his own filling in at shortstop and third base. The Future: Lombardozzi has the tools and skills to be a quality everyday second baseman, and he's versatile enough to be a high-energy utilityman. The latter could be his role in the short term, with Danny Espinosa entrenched at second base in Washington.