Andrew Lambo Stats & Scouting Report

AB	95
AVG	.189
OBP	.23
SLG	.295
HR	1

Full name Andrew Francis Lambo
Born 08/11/1988 in Newbury Park, CA
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 220 / Bats: L / Throws: L
School Newbury Park
Debut 08/13/2013
Drafted in the 4th round (146th overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007 (signed for $164,250).

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Last summer, Lambo proved his ability to rise to the occasion last fall, when he pitched his Reds scout team to the World Wood Bat Association championship in Jupiter, Fla. Lambo was on the team for his hitting prowess, and he's a prospect for his bat, but his pitching career has been impressive as well, including nine complete games this spring. Offensively, Lambo has been one of SoCal's best hitters for several years thanks to a smooth lefthanded swing and solid-average power performance. Scouts doubt his power down the road due to a level swing path. Defensively, Lambo's athletic enough for an outfield corner and plays a solid first base. Most scouts grade his tools average across the board, with his hit tool being above-average. Talent isn't Lambo's problem; makeup is. He's at his second high school after being kicked out of the first school, and he turned off scouts with his immaturity in numerous interviews this spring. His bat still might be enough to get him picked in the first three rounds.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

If such an award existed, Lambo might have been the minor league comeback player of the year. Traded by the Dodgers, for whom he ranked as No. 1 prospect in 2009, to the Pirates for veteran reliever Octavio Dotel in July 2010, Lambo's stock had fallen so far that Pittsburgh left him unprotected in the 2012 Rule 5 draft. All 29 other teams passed and him, on the heels of an injury-wracked campaign, and he went on to lead all Pirates minor leaguers with 32 home runs and 99 RBIs in 2013, while receiving his first callup to the big leagues. Power is Lambo's only plus tool, though he does have an average arm. He's a fringe-average runner and defender in either outfield corner. Like many power hitters, he's prone to strikeouts, which will cut into his ability to hit for average. Lambo did not get much playing time in Pittsburgh, but he opened plenty of eyes and will get a chance to make the club, perhaps as the starting right fielder, in 2014.
It was another head-scratcher of a year for Lambo, who only two years ago was regarded as the Dodgers' top prospect. He continued to show promise at the plate, but he also was suspended for 50 games on May 1 for a second positive test of a "drug of abuse" under the minor league drug treatment and prevention program. As a high school sophomore he was caught smoking marijuana, and this instance also involved a recreational drug. The Pirates acquired Lambo and James McDonald at last year's trade deadline in the deal that sent Octavio Dotel to the Dodgers, adamant they had done due diligence on Lambo's makeup. Some scouts are put off by what they see as a cocky attitude, but the Pirates' view is that it is a simple case of immaturity and that Lambo has shown progress in growing out of it. Lambo is a pure hitter, and the ball jumps off his bat. He squares the ball and can hit to all fields. He remains a gap-to-gap hitter at this point, but more power is there. A reduced leg lift implemented by the Pirates has led to better swings and selectivity, and he's already got a good eye for pitches and the strike zone. Good fastballs can beat him over the inner half. He is a below-average athlete and runner but shows good anticipation in the outfield, so he should be fine in left field. His arm is slightly below-average. Lambo's season was disrupted by a sprained right shoulder in mid-August, but he came back strong in the Arizona Fall League, so he could move up to Triple-A in 2011.
Lambo lasted until the fourth round of the 2007 draft because clubs questioned his makeup after he got caught smoking marijuana as a high school sophomore. He's had no problems since turning pro and ranked No. 1 on this list a year ago, when he reached Double-A shortly after turning 20. He had a lackluster 2009 season in Chattanooga but did bounce back to hit .330/.365/.484 in the Arizona Fall League. A pure hitter, Lambo has a short swing and uses the whole field. He's more of a gap hitter at this point, but his doubles should translate into more homers as he learns to turn on pitches. He played first base in high school and sporadically in his first two years as a pro, and he's a plus defender at that position. He has average arm strength and makes accurate throws from left field. Lambo is a below-average athlete whose lack of speed and range make him a substandard outfielder. Though he gets good jumps on balls, he may not be quick enough to avoid a return to first base. He has a tendency to get easily frustrated, which leads him to chase pitches out of the zone. Lambo could return for a third stint in Double-A to begin 2010, but he's still ahead of many 22-year-olds. He could be Manny Ramirez's successor in Los Angeles when the slugger's contract expires after next season.
A preseason high school All-American in 2007, Lambo fell from a possible supplemental first-round pick to the fourth round because of makeup concerns. At Cleveland High in Reseda, Calif., he got suspended as a freshman for missing classes, then got caught smoking marijuana under the bleachers as a sophomore. Though there were no further incidents in his final two years after he transferred 35 miles north to Newbury Park (Calif.) High, scouts still thought he was immature. But Dodgers area scout Chuck Crim pushed for Lambo, and Los Angeles took him in the fourth round. He had grown up a Dodgers fan, and they signed him away from an Arizona State commitment for a slot bonus of $164,250. Lambo won the Guy Wellman Award as the Dodgers' best first-year player in 2007, when he ranked second in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in on-base percentage (.440) and third in hitting (.343). He played in the low Class A Midwest League all-star game in his first full season last year. As one of the few bright spots on a bad Great Lakes club, Lambo ranked among the MWL leaders in several categories when he was promoted to Double-A Jacksonville in late August, just two weeks after turning 20. Los Angeles made the move so he'd be eligible to play in the Arizona Fall League, but he handled the jump well, hitting safely in all eight games he played. Lambo capped his year by hitting .313 in the AFL, where he was the youngest player. Lambo has plus raw power and bat speed, with an ideal swing path and mechanics. For a big player, he has a short and direct path to the ball, and he's very consistent with his stroke. He shows mainly gap power now, but he has the big frame to provide leverage for more homers in the future. He hangs in well against left-handers, hitting .323 against them in 2008. Though he hasn't been a pro for long, Lambo has the confidence that makes him feel he can hit any pitcher. After playing right field and first base in his pro debut, he played a solid left field last season, about on par with Andre Ethier. If he returned to first base, his main position in high school, he'd be an above-average defender. Lambo has put his off-field problems behind him and has started to grow up. Lambo's stroke is very level, and he may need to make some adjustments to add loft and produce more power in the future. Despite his textbook swing, he fanned 119 times in 2008 and will need to tighten up his strike zone. While he was a successful high school pitcher, his arm is just adequate, which prompted his move from right field to left. He's a well below-average runner, though he compensates on defense by reading balls well off the bat. Lambo projects as a middle-of-the-order bat, someone who can hit .285-.300 with 25 or more homers in the big leagues. His AFL performance reinforced that he has advanced hitting ability and gives the Dodgers confidence that he can handle a full-time assignment to their new Double-A Chattanooga affiliate in 2009. He could make his big league debut toward the end of 2010.
Based on ability alone, Lambo would have been long gone by the time the Dodgers drafted him in the fourth round last year. The part-Greek, part-Italian three-sport standout found himself in off-field trouble as an underclassman at Cleveland High in Reseda, Calif., where he was caught smoking marijuana in a classroom. He turned up at Newbury Park High for his final two seasons and continued to show the hitting prowess that makes him a prospect. He signed for $164,250 and raked in his debut, ranking second in the Gulf Coast League in on-base percentage (.440) and third in batting (.343). He drew rave reviews from Los Angeles for his showing during instructional league, earning comparisons to James Loney. For a hitter straight out of high school, Lambo has an advanced feel for hitting. He has leverage and the early signs of lift in his smooth lefthanded stroke. He laces line drives from foul pole to foul pole, keeping his hands inside the ball well. He projects to hit for at least average power. He has a plus arm and good hands that would make him an above-average defensive first baseman, but the Dodgers believe he has a chance to handle a corner outfield position. He's a well below-average runner, but reads balls well off the bat and takes proper routes in the outfield. He probably could handle a full-season assignment following spring training.

Minor League Top Prospects

The Dodgers' No. 1 prospect entering the season, Lambo played briefly in Double-A last year shortly after turning 20. He returned to the SL in 2009 for the full season and might end up repeating the level in 2010, as he posted mediocre numbers even in one of the league's more hitter-friendly parks. Scouts who have followed Lambo the last two years said he didn't show the same power and liveliness in his bat that was present a year ago and worry that he might be a future fourth outfielder. Some scouts still liked his swing, as he has an advanced ability to drive the ball to the opposite field for a player his age. He has some raw power, though it showed up more as doubles (he finished third in the league with 39) than homers (11). A well below-average runner, Lambo already is confined to left field. He does gets decent reads in the outfield and has an average, accurate arm.
With a smooth swing and advanced approach, Lambo was born to hit. He batted .343 in his pro debut last year, and provided the lone threat in a woeful Great Lakes lineup this summer and posted a .389 average in a short August stint as the Double-A Southern League's youngest player (20). He made consistent hard contact, hung in well against lefthanders and continued to develop his power, which should produce at least 20 homers per year in the majors. "If you pitched him tough, he'd still find a way to get his one knock," Lansing manager Clayton McCullough said. "On the days when you made mistakes, he'd get two or three." More of a first baseman in high school, Lambo has made a fine transition to left field. His speed is below average, but he has good instincts, goes back on balls well and owns a solid arm.
Lambo would have gone earlier in the 2007 draft is clubs hadn't worried about his makeup. He got kicked out of his first high school and he turned scouts off with his immaturity in predraft interviews. Los Angeles decided it couldn't pass up his bat in the fourth round, and it continued to speak loudly in his first season as a pro as he finished third in the GCL in batting (.343) and second in on-base percentage (.440). The Dodgers compare Lambo's hitting style to that of James Loney because he has a sweet lefthanded swing that produces consistent hard contact and should allow him to hit for a high average. As a bonus, Lambo has more power than Loney had at the same stage of his development. "He plays much older than he is, and you forget how old he is," a scout from an American League club said. "He's confident, and he knows it's only a matter of time before he gets his hits every day." A natural first baseman with plus defensive tools, Lambo played the majority of the season out of position in right field. He has a fringe-average arm and below-average speed.