Stephen Anthony Paul Lombardozzi Jr. (born September 20, 1988) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

second baseman and

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

who is a free agent. He previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. As one of the American League's eight charter ...

, Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins.

Career

Washington Nationals

Lombardozzi graduated from Atholton High School in 2007. A player on the school's varsity baseball team, he was named a preseason third-team Rawlings high school All-American in 2005. Lombardozzi was playing with the

Holyoke Blue Sox The Valley Blue Sox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays its home games at Mackenzie Stadium.

in the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

(NECBL) when he was selected by the

in the 19th round (571st overall) of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

out of

St. Petersburg College St. Petersburg College (SPC) is a public college in Pinellas County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees th ...

. Lombardozzi spent 2009 with the Class A

Hagerstown Suns The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home ga ...

and recorded a .296 batting average with three home runs, 58

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs), and 16 stolen bases in 126 games. Prior to the 2010 season, Lombardozzi was ranked as the Nationals' 15th best prospect. He split the season between the Class-A Advanced

Potomac Nationals The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were located in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to F ...

and Double-A

Harrisburg Senators The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team of the Eastern League, and the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, who play their home games at FNB Field on City Island, which opened in 1987 a ...

, hitting .293 with six home runs, 49 RBIs, 35 doubles, 11 triples, and 24 stolen bases in 137 games. After reporting back to Harrisburg to start the 2011 season, Lombardozzi earned a promotion to the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

after hitting .309 in 65 games. He was called up to the majors for the first time on September 6, 2011. Lombardozzi was granted a spot on the Nationals 25-man roster for the 2012 season after a productive spring. His productivity continued into the regular season with a .333 batting average as a semi-regular through May 20. On June 4, 2013 he hit his first career walk-off, a sacrifice fly in a 3–2 victory over the Mets.

Detroit Tigers

On December 2, 2013, Lombardozzi was traded to the Detroit Tigers, along with pitchers

Ian Krol Ian A. Krol (born May 9, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Angel ...

and

Robbie Ray Robert Glenn Ray (born October 1, 1991) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Detroit Tigers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Toronto Blue Jays. Ray was an M ...

, for starting pitcher

Doug Fister Douglas Wildes Fister (born February 4, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox, and Texas ...

Baltimore Orioles

On March 24, 2014, before playing in a regular-season game with the Tigers, Lombardozzi was traded to the

in exchange for Alex Gonzalez. On March 29, 2014 it was announced that Lombardozzi had made the Opening Day roster for the Orioles. He was optioned to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

on May 1 when Manny Machado returned from the disabled list. Lombardozzi was outrighted off the Orioles roster on December 8, 2014.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Lombardozzi was acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 3, 2015.

Chicago White Sox

On October 26, 2015, the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

signed Lombardozzi to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. He was released by the White Sox on March 31, 2016.

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs

On April 17, 2016, Lombardozzi signed with the

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs are an American professional baseball team based in Waldorf, Maryland. They are members of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an independent "partner league" of Major League Baseb ...

of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

Second stint with Nationals

On June 6, 2016, the

signed Lombardozzi and optioned him to the Triple-A

Miami Marlins

On February 28, 2017, Lombardozzi signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins.

Oakland Athletics

On January 8, 2018, Lombardozzi signed a minor league deal with the Oakland Athletics. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Long Island Ducks

On March 28, 2019, Lombardozzi signed a deal with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He became a free agent following the season, but later re-signed with the Ducks for the 2020 season. Lombardozzi also re-signed with the Ducks for the 2021 season. In 2021, Lombardozzi hit .329 with 83 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, and a league-leading 90 walks. He was named the Atlantic League Player of the Year following the season. He became a free agent following the season.

Kane County Cougars

On May 17, 2022, Lombardozzi signed with the

Kane County Cougars The Kane County Cougars are an independent professional baseball team located in Geneva, Illinois and are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball (MLB). They play thei ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. Lombardozzi appeared in 38 games for the Cougars, during which he hit .301 with 2 home runs and 18 RBIs. On July 4, 2022 Lombardozzi was released by the Cougars.

Personal life

His father, Steve Lombardozzi, played in the majors from 1985 to 1990.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lombardozzi, Steve Jr. 1988 births Living people Algodoneros de Guasave players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atholton High School alumni Baseball players from Baltimore Baltimore Orioles players Gulf Coast Nationals players Hagerstown Suns players Harrisburg Senators players Indianapolis Indians players Jupiter Hammerheads players Long Island Ducks players Major League Baseball second basemen Miami Marlins players Nashville Sounds players New Orleans Baby Cakes players Norfolk Tides players People from Edina, Minnesota People from Fulton, Maryland Pittsburgh Pirates players Potomac Nationals players Scottsdale Scorpions players Southern Maryland Blue Crabs players St. Petersburg Titans baseball players Syracuse Chiefs players Washington Nationals players