When the New York Yankees evaluate George Lombard Jr., they see a player whose defensive skills are already suited for Major League Baseball. The organization’s top prospect, Lombard is recognized for his arm strength, instincts, and range on the field.
The Yankees consider this year to be crucial for Lombard’s development. He will turn 21 in June and is currently ranked as baseball’s No. 32 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. “I feel like I’m blessed to be in that situation, where I have those expectations and goals to meet,” Lombard said before the Yankees’ 6-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park on Monday. “I really just try to block that out. I acknowledge the situation that I’m in, and then just focus on my work and let those things figure themselves out.”
Lombard was selected 26th overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and is participating in his second major league camp with the team. Last season began with him playing for High-A Hudson Valley, where he posted a .329 batting average, a .495 on-base percentage, and a .488 slugging percentage over 111 plate appearances, along with eight doubles and 11 stolen bases. This performance led to his promotion to Double-A Somerset.
In Double-A, Lombard recorded a .215 batting average with a .337 on-base percentage and a .358 slugging percentage across 469 plate appearances. He hit 24 doubles, eight home runs, and stole 24 bases during that time. Despite the drop in offensive numbers against more experienced competition, Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that internal evaluations were positive: “Under the hood, he was much better than the surface stuff,” Boone said. “[Our analysts] even had him hitting a bunch of home runs with a Major League ball. For whatever reason, in Double-A it’s a little different.”
Lombard acknowledged that moving up presented challenges: “That’s one of the bigger jumps in the Minor Leagues, playing in the Eastern League and facing guys that are a little bit older and know what they’re doing,” he said. “The game is a little cleaner, a little quicker.”
General manager Brian Cashman described Lombard as an “exciting, high-ceiling talent,” adding that he “could play defense in the big leagues right now, but he’s still developing on the hitting side.”
Boone praised Lombard’s dedication: “consistently great work habits,” describing him as “all about baseball.” Much of this commitment comes from his background; his father is former Major League outfielder George Lombard Sr., who now serves as bench coach for the Detroit Tigers.
“It helped me a ton,” Lombard said about his upbringing around professional baseball. “From when I was really young, being around the game and being familiar with it – and now going through the process, having someone that I can lean on, someone that knows how it works – I’m always grateful for that.”
Physically listed at 6-foot-3 and approximately 205 pounds after gaining muscle last year, Lombard continues to show increased strength this spring according to Boone: “You walk up around him and he’s really physical,” Boone said. “He runs really well. You see him move in the field; he’s made a couple of plays that are really good, but almost easy because he’s so physical.”
Lombard credits part of his athleticism to soccer; he played at an elite level while attending Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest, Florida before focusing solely on baseball. “The cross-training helped me a ton,” Lombard said. “Mentally too… In high school I had big jumps athletically and I think a factor of that was playing soccer.”
Boone observed progress at the plate: Lombard has shown “real signs of controlling the strike zone and having the ability to impact the ball.” The goal is for these improvements to result in more hits and RBIs first at Double-A Somerset before advancing further.
“I’m refining my approach with every at-bat,” Lombard said. “I think the most important part is just competing, having competitive at-bats and not giving any free ones away.”
