George Lombard Jr., a top prospect for the New York Yankees, hit a home run against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler on April 20 during a Double-A game at TD Bank Ballpark. The matchup marked the second time in five days that Lombard faced Wheeler, who is currently rehabbing.
Lombard’s performance highlights his progress as one of Major League Baseball’s most promising young players. His continued development is seen as significant for both his career and the Yankees organization.
In their previous meeting on Aug. 14, Lombard went 1-for-3 with an RBI double against Wheeler. This time, he hit his third home run of the season with an exit velocity of 104.8 mph in his first at-bat and later struck out in their next encounter during Somerset’s eventual 7-6 loss to Reading.
Through 13 games this season, Lombard has posted a .1,087 OPS and a wRC+ of 172, ranking him among the top batters in the Eastern League with at least 30 at-bats. His improved power numbers are attributed to hitting more fly balls; after not exceeding a flyball rate of 30 percent in 2024, he increased it to over 38 percent last year and maintains a rate above 30 percent this season.
Lombard has also demonstrated discipline at the plate with an above-average walk percentage (10.9%) and strikeout percentage (18.2%), along with strong defensive skills—he has yet to record an error in shortstop through eighty innings this year—and success on the basepaths with three stolen bases so far.
Observers will continue to monitor Lombard’s progress as he adapts to higher-level pitching and develops additional tools that could benefit him if promoted further within the Yankees’ system.
