The Great Lambino (Part 1)

In January, Baseball America ranked Andrew Lambo the Los Angeles Dodgers’ #1 prospect.

According to Baseball America, the rankings are “based on projections of a player’s long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel.”

Among others, Lambo beat out James McDonald and Scott Elbert, each of whom has seen his fair share of major league experience since. To be sure, Lambo was selected as the team’s best prospect nearly a year ago. Much has happened since (I’ll discuss that) and that should be factored into this discussion.

First off, let’s get the biographical information out of the way. Andrew Lambo is a 21-year old in the Dodgers’ organization. Lambo has played some first base (about 1/8 of his Minor League games) during his time in the minors, but he’s primarily seen as a left fielder. He throws and bats left-handed. Built like a major leaguer, Lambo stands at 6′3, weighing in close to 200 pounds.

I went to high school with Lambo, so I can provide some anectdotal evidence of my experiences, watching the guy play. Then, I will conclude (in Part 2) with an unbiased look at his development as a player and what kind of an impact he could potentially have as a member of the Big League Dodgers.

Anecdotal Evidence: In Andrew Lambo’s freshman season at Cleveland High School, he was already the team’s starting center fielder. For a high school player, he had great range in center field. As a freshman, he was clearly ready to face high school pitching. In a home game, Lambo hit two home runs in the same game. In this third at bat, he flew out deep. His father turned to me and starting complaining about his son’s swing. I realize that his son had “upper-cut” on the fly out, but his son had already hit two balls right on the nose for home runs. Expectations were always high for the younger Lambo, and those high expectations started well before high school. I am sure of that.

During his first two seasons, Andrew Lambo was warned and suspended a number of times for conduct deemed detrimental to the team (and school) by the school administration and Manager Joe Cascione. From what I know, Lambo stole boxes of pizza and got into trouble with marijuana at school. There may have been other issues.

Although the Cleveland HS team would have loved to have the guy, there came a time, for both of their sakes, that they had to part. This came during Lambo’s sophomore season. At this point, he transferred to Newbury Park HS, where he went on to reform his behavior and salvage his dreams of playing in the Major Leagues one day. Even without Lambo, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up going to the City Championships at Dodger Stadium during Lambo’s would-be senior season with the team. That’s besides the point. Lambo was drafted in the 4th round (146th overall) by the Dodgers in the 2007 amateur draft. It’s widely believed that the left-hander would have been drafted at some point in the first 2 rounds, had there not been concerns about his attitude problems.

I personally knew Andrew Lambo. Speaking to Lambo on a number of occasions, I can honestly say that he was a really nice guy, but I could clearly notice certain qualities that bothered his coaches. Lambo was often lackadasical in practice. He knew he was better than everyone else and as a result, his effort was often lacking in practice. In his personal life, he personified the stereotypical jock (he could get any girl he wanted and was not the smartest guy).

Since his time at Cleveland High School, Lambo did not get into trouble in high school. He was largely described as a model citizen as a member of the Newbury HS team. My experiences with Lambo may not mean anything. If what I’ve heard is true, Lambo has vastly changed his personal conduct and is set on playing in the Major Leagues in the near future. Please take what I told you with a grain of salt, being that those times were years ago.

In Part 2, I will discuss Andrew Lambo’s minor league career thus far. Where has he been, where is he going, and more importantly, what kind of an impact can he have on the Big League Dodgers? I will also attempt to tackle the question of when the young lefty will make it to The Big Show.

Tags: 21 year old, Andrew Lambo, Cleveland HS, Dodgers, Joe Cascione, left fielder, Newbury Park HS