The most memorable moment for many professional baseball players is the Major League Baseball (MLB) draft. The phone rings, a name gets called and a childhood dream for countless baseball players becomes a reality.
Remarkably, this year’s draft, held July 11th and 12th in Philadelphia, featured many players with MLB family ties. The Chicago White Sox drafted Roch Cholowsky – a shortstop coming out of UCLA – with the No. 1 overall pick. Cholowsky is also the son of Dan Cholowsky, a scout for the Cincinnati Reds who played in the minor leagues for many seasons.
Several other players picked this year had fathers or other relatives who spent significant time in the minors. Now, these drafted players have the chance to surpass their predecessors and make it to the big leagues.
With the 14th pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, the Miami Marlins selected Jacob Lombard, the son of current Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard and the brother of Yankees top prospect George Lombard Jr. Coincidentally, the Lombard brothers made their debut on the same day – at two different professional levels – leaving their parents with a difficult choice to make. Which game would they attend?
The Marlins draftee did not hesitate to tell his parents to support his brother, who was making his major league debut, mentioning that in a few years he would do the same and they could come then. His parents followed his wishes and watched Lombard Jr. ‘s Yankees debut in New York, where he made great defensive plays and hit a home run. At the same time in Jupiter, Florida, Jacob played his first professional game, where he hit a home run at the exact same launch angle as his brother.
Although playing a key role in winning consecutive World Series is impressive, having two sons drafted in the first round in back-to-back years might be even more outstanding. For Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel, this is a reality.
In the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, the Milwaukee Brewers selected Brady Ebel. The following year, they drafted Dino Ebel’s second son, Trey. After hearing the news, Brady became emotional and immediately FaceTimed his brother. He congratulated Trey and said, “We did it, bro.”
Additionally, the brothers were promoted across different levels in the minor leagues. Brady moved up in his journey to the major leagues, and Trey stepped into Brady’s former position. Both brothers will continue to work hard to pursue their dreams of being major leaguers under the guidance of their father.
Several other players with family ties in the MLB were drafted, including Landon Thome, son of Hall of Fame slugger Jim Thome; Peyton Bonds, nephew of Barry Bonds, who holds the MLB record with seven Most Valuable Player awards; Luke Pettitte, son of five-time World Series champion Andy Pettitte; and Carsten Sabathia III, son of Yankees legend and Hall of Fame pitcher CC Sabathia.
For these players, baseball runs deep in their blood, which means they are no strangers to the determination needed for their journey to the big leagues.
