George Lombard Jr. turned heads at Spring Training with the Yankees thanks to his bulked-up frame, looking much stronger than he did during his first pro season last year. He struggled at times to consistently impact the baseball during the 2024 season, but the Yankees still promoted him from Single-A to High-A. Those struggles continued until the postseason came around, as Lombard would catch fire to help the Hudson Valley Renegades reach the South Atlantic League Championship.
The faith the Yankees placed in George Lombard Jr. to handle the challenge of a new level has paid off, with the 19-year-old getting off to a blazing-hot start with a .500 OBP and 180 wRC+ through 21 games. His latest performance was a two-hit outing where he reached base in three of his four trips to the plate, making excellent swing decisions and showing off a quick yet compact swing that scouts have raved about since March.
Why the Yankees Might Have a Star With George Lombard Jr.
A first-round pick for the Yankees back in 2023, George Lombard Jr. was selected out of high school as one of the youngest draft-eligible players who signed that season. The organization was aware that Lombard would need multiple seasons at the very least to climb through the system and reach the Major Leagues, but the talent he possessed was worth waiting for. His first season as a pro was one full of challenges for the teenage shortstop, dealing with an injury alongside struggling to produce the eye-popping stats some of his fellow 2023 first-rounders had.
What gave the Yankees comfort in promoting Lombard Jr. was that his damage rates and swing decisions graded out as above-average, and his makeup could allow him to make the adjustments needed to turn a strong process into excellent results. Following a busy offseason full of improvements and changes, the lanky 18-year-old shortstop with a swing that had serious holes had transformed into a physical specimen that had a swing scouts immediately fell head over heels for in Spring Training.
His progress has culminated in an excellent start to his season with the Hudson Valley Renegades, one where he’s reached base in 50% of his plate appearances while hitting .309. The game power hasn’t come around yet, but his .147 ISO is much improved from last season, and the weather Hudson Valley has had to endure early in their schedule has limited the flight path of flyballs in the first month of the year.
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George Lombard Jr. has a simple swing but can generate so much force with it as a result of the added strength, allowing him to do tons of damage on contact. The Yankees are hoping that skill can materialize into more home runs, as if we see the game power truly come around, he could have quite the special career. He’s got a patient approach to go with his excellent swing, as Lombard has more walks than strikeouts through his first month of the 2025 season.
The strikeout rate and Swinging Strike% are also improved from last season, and he’s remained both an aggressive and effective runner on the basepaths despite the added muscle. He is fourth among High-A hitters in total walks (22) and has the third-highest OBP among qualified hitters, being the youngest hitter in the top 10 at that level. Lombard’s youth fuels a lot of the hype here, but not just because of what he can become, but because of what he already is as a 19-year-old who won’t turn 20 for another month.
His makeup is off-the-charts, he’s the definition of a hard worker, and has been praised internally for the maturity he’s displayed at such a young age. A quiet yet highly-respected person in any clubhouse, George Lombard Jr. has been around baseball his whole life as his father, George Lombard Sr., played at the professional level and has remained an MLB coach, even being named as the first base coach for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. The personality is eerily similar to the likes of Aaron Judge and Derek Jeter, and that combination of talent and character matters.
Shortstops are considered the captain of the infield, it’s a leadership position that comes with pressure and defensive expectations. The challenges of playing such a demanding position have caused most to move off the position or sacrifice their offensive output, but George Lombard Jr. is looking to be both a productive defender and an excellent hitter. Anthony Volpe could end up moving him to third base, which he has the arm for, but the Yankees will continue developing him as a shortstop since it gives them the most positional flexibility.
He’s not just a fun prospect that you keep an eye on; this is a prospect whose talent rivals recent standouts such as Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez. What the Yankees decide to do with George Lombard Jr. remains to be seen, but if he continues to be a threat at the plate and develop his power, the excellent speed and defense will push for a swift promotion to Double-A with the Somerset Patriots. Barring a massive slump after April, this promotion should occur in 2025, meaning he will reach that level a full year before he’s able to even legally purchase alcohol in the United States.