Yankees Top Prospect Living Up to the Hype

The New York Yankees knew they were getting a special talent in infielder George Lombard Jr. upon selecting him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, but even they likely didn't expect him to develop as quickly as he has thus far.

After struggling with a .231/.338/.334 slash line over 110 games between Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley last season, the soon-to-be 20-year-old has completely flipped a switch in 2025.

Lombard Jr. returned to Hudson Valley for the start of the campaign, where he made light work of the league's pitching. Across 24 contests and 111 plate appearances with the affiliate, he batted .329/.495/.488 to go alongside a home run, 11 stolen bases and 13 RBIs.

His performance earned him a promotion to Double-A Somerset on May 4, where he's the only teenage player on the roster.

Even so, manager Raul Domínguez has been thoroughly impressed by Lombard Jr's skill set and what he's brought to the table during their short time together.

“Everybody knows the tools that he has,” Domínguez said, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “Keep getting on base, stealing bases. I’m excited to have him. I know everybody has their eyes on him. He’s got good game awareness. … It seems like he’s been playing here for a while. It looks pretty natural. It looks good.”

Though Lombard's in the midst of an adjustment period in Double-A, evidenced by a .588 OPS, he's still reached base in 17 of his 19 games at the level while leading all qualified Yankees farmhands on the year with a .440 on-base percentage to go with the second-most stolen bases (17) and fifth-highest wRC+ (145).

He is currently ranked as the No. 1 prospect in New York's minor league system and No. 44 in the league by MLB Pipeline, who are quite bullish about his all-around profile and how it projects to the majors.

"Not only does Lombard feature the potential for solid or better tools across the board, he has the high baseball IQ to make the most of them," they wrote. "He possesses a sound right-handed stroke, recognizes pitches well and uses the entire field, so he's equipped to hit for average. He had surprising issues making contact against in-zone fastballs last year but tightened that hole up as he gained more experience. He has more bat speed and strength than most players his age, which already gives him plus raw power that he'll tap into more often as he learns to lift balls in the air more frequently."

"Lombard looks to make things happen on the bases with his solid speed and savvy. His instincts are even more apparent at shortstop, where he has smooth actions and covers plenty of ground to both sides. His quick hands and strong arm add to his defensive profile, and he also looked comfortable at second base last year -- though there's no doubt he'll stay at short."

The son of former MLB outfielder George Lombard, Lombard Jr. looks primed to follow in his father's footsteps and make his way to the big leagues in the not-too-distant future.

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