Latest news with #GeorgeLombardJr
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Teenage Phenom Takes Biggest Leap of Any MLB Prospect
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The New York Yankees have given away a lot of young talent to land a slew of All-Star veterans in recent seasons. The team traded away a catcher and four pitchers, including Michael King, to land Juan Soto and Trent Grisham ahead of the 2024 campaign. And then it traded away Caleb Durbin and Cody Poteet in a pair of moves that added Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams this past winter. But the team has managed to hold onto some of its promising youngsters, including 19-year-old infielder George Lombard Jr. The Yankees picked Lombard in the first round of the 2023 Major League Baseball draft as he showed some intriguing tools playing for a Florida prep school. It surely helped that he's the son of long-time major league outfielder George Lombard Sr., who now serves as a bench coach for the Detroit Tigers. TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 20: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees looks on during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 20, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New York... TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 20: George Lombard Jr. #96 of the New York Yankees looks on during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 20, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by New) More Yankees/Getty But even the Yankees have to be pleasantly surprised by the younger Lombard's recent progress. The 19-year-old was slashing a stellar .311/.466/.356 in High-A earlier this season before the Yankees opted to promote him to Double-A, where he's already slugged a pair of homers in his first 21 at-bats. And now he's taken the largest leap of any baseball prospect in the MLB Pipeline rankings, jumping up 49 spots to become the No. 44 ranked player in the sport. "Lombard was our first in-season addition to the Top 100 after a good showing in Major League camp this spring as the result of a simplified swing and added strength," Sam Dykstra wrote for "Already considered a potential plus defender at shortstop, he has moved to Double-A Somerset at just 19 years old because High-A proved to be no challenge for him." The Yankees seem all set at shortstop with Anthony Volpe, but the rest of the infield is a question mark, particularly after a significant oblique injury to Jazz Chisholm Jr. While the organization almost certainly wouldn't add their teenage phenom to the big-league roster this year, no matter how well he performs in the minors, he could be knocking at the door for next season. And a promotion up to Triple-A might be imminent. More MLB: Dodgers' Freddie Freeman Gets Injury Update After Early-Season Setback
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Minor league scouting notes on Ben Hess, Seaver King, Adrian Santana and more
I recently caught a handful of minor-league games featuring prospects at the High-A level from the Yankees, Rays, Orioles and Nationals organizations. Below are scouting reports on the most notable prospects I saw. The Yankees promoted George Lombard Jr., their top prospect still in the minors, from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset right before he was scheduled to come play a series 10 minutes from my house in Wilmington, Del. And I took that personally. I still went to a few of the games this past week, though, as Hudson Valley has a trio of the Yankees' top pitching prospects. Advertisement Ben Hess was the Yankees' first-round pick in 2024 out of the University of Alabama, and he had his best and longest start of his pro career to date on Thursday night pitching for Hudson Valley at Wilmington, going 6 2/3 shutout innings and striking out nine. The first Wilmington batter reached via catcher's interference, and then Hess retired the next 17 batters, walking one in the sixth and allowing his first and only hit in the seventh. It was an unusual outing, as Hess was 89-92 mph with the fastball in the first inning, then dialed it up to 93-96 for the next four innings before tapering back to 90-93 in the sixth and seventh. He dominated the Blue Rocks primarily with the fastball, using a 73-78 mph curveball as his primary secondary pitch, throwing a handful of sliders and maybe three or four changeups. He filled the zone with strikes, especially with the fastball, consistent with what he's been doing most of the year to date. The curveball is at least an average pitch and the slider could be as well, but I'd like to see him use them more, and he's going to have to develop the changeup to get lefties out at higher levels. Right-hander Bryce Cunningham was the Yankees' second-round pick last year out of Vanderbilt, and so far this year he's been Hudson Valley's best starter, with 38 strikeouts and eight walks in 36 1/3 innings through Sunday's start. I caught the beginning of his Mother's Day outing, just to get a first glimpse, and through two innings he was 91-96 with a changeup that flashed plus, also showing a slider and a big-breaking 11/5 curveball. The fastball/changeup combo alone looked like it'd be enough to keep him as a starter; I just didn't see enough of the slider to say if it was an adequate third pitch. He raised his arm slot on the curveball, so while it had a huge break, hitters might pick that up out of his hand. The Red Sox drafted right-hander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round in 2021, and then traded the native of Puerto Rico to the Yankees in December for catcher Carlos Narváez. Rodriguez-Cruz has taken a step forward, boosting his strikeout rate to 32 percent in High A this year from 24 percent in his brief time there in 2024. He showed a five-pitch mix in a four-inning outing for Hudson Valley on Saturday night, working 93-96 with big arm-side run, along with a curve, slider, and sweeper, with clear ability to spin the ball. He also showed an above-average split-change with good arm speed and some arm-side fade. The slider was plus at times, just inconsistent, and nothing was worse than average in the arsenal. Advertisement He had 40 command, though, and the delivery is very reliever-ish, with a high elbow in back and late pronation. That arm action doesn't usually lend itself to good breaking stuff, so perhaps Rodriguez-Cruz can buck the odds because he may end up with one or more plus breaking pitches. It's most likely he ends up in the bullpen, but the Yankees should give him every opportunity to start. Nationals left-handed pitching prospect Jake Bennett started for Wilmington in the Mother's Day game as part of his rehab from September 2023 Tommy John surgery, his first outing in High A after a pair of starts for Low-A Fredericksburg. Bennett was 92-95 in his outing with four pitches, including a changeup, a big two-plane curveball at 77-80, and a sweeper at 81-85. His command and control weren't great; he walked two in three innings and threw just 36 of 64 pitches for strikes (56 percent), similar to his previous outing (58 percent). It's not uncommon for guys on their way back from elbow surgery to need more time to get their command and control back, but the good news is at least his stuff is intact. I've seen a lot of Nationals 2024 first-round pick Seaver King's at-bats so far this year, and it hasn't been great, certainly not what I expected coming off a tremendous 2024 season that saw him go with the No. 10 pick in the draft and then hit well for Fredericksburg after he signed. He went 2-for-24 in the just-completed series against Hudson Valley, with six strikeouts, bringing his total on the season to 34 strikeouts in 119 PA (28.6 percent). His swing was off earlier in the year, and while it looks better now, I don't think he's gotten his timing back at all. He's always expanded the zone too much but made it work for him because he could hit pitches a little beyond the zone hard enough to make it count. Now he's expanding the zone and not seeing results there, or even in the zone, where I've seen him mistime a lot of fastballs he should wallop. I'm not giving up, not after just a month, but this isn't what I expected or wanted to see. Catcher Caleb Lomavita, whom the Nats took with the comp-round pick (No. 39) they got from Kansas City right before last year's draft in the Hunter Harvey trade, has been better, hitting .277/.371/.376 so far this year, although the high OBP is a function of eight HBPs so far — he has been hit by pitches more times than he's walked (seven). He's not catching as well as I expected based on his reputation as a plus receiver in college. His arm is good, and he's definitely a great athlete for a catcher. It's something to monitor, though. And he could stand to take a pitch every now and then. I saw Orioles right-hander Trey Gibson pitch for High-A Aberdeen a little over a week ago, and it was his best outing of 2025 to date, with 10 strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings. Gibson was 94-97 with a hammer slider up to 86, a cutter, and a handful of changeups. He's been much more effective this year against left-handed batters, even though he's still mostly fastball/slider against them; the slider breaks more vertically, and it's so sharp that at least for now it misses bats regardless of who's at the plate. Outside of that one outing, his line for the rest of the season so far is 19 1/3 innings, 23 hits, nine walks, and 23 strikeouts, allowing 21 runs in that span, so I'm not going to just overrate what I saw in that one outing. It was pretty darn good, though, and at the very least I could see him becoming a very good two-pitch reliever. Advertisement Aidan Smith was the guy I most wanted to see for High-A Bowling Green, but he was a late scratch that day — between when I left the house and the first pitch. Rays 2023 comp. round pick (No. 31) Adrian Santana led off and had a terrible night, bouncing multiple throws from shortstop and striking out three times along with two weak groundouts. Émmanuel Pitre, Tampa's second-rounder in 2024, also struck out three times for Bowling Green, fanning twice on cutters from Gibson. Outfielder Mac Horvath, acquired from the Orioles last August for Zach Eflin, got to Gibson for a long home run on a 96-mph heater, walking twice and striking out looking on three straight sliders (yes, all looking). Horvath's been on a tear of late, with seven homers in his last 11 games, and probably should move up to Double A since he's 23 and is repeating High A. The power is real, and he's got ball/strike recognition, but if pitchers can land off-speed stuff in the zone he has real trouble. I'd challenge him at the next level to see if pitchers there can force him to make the adjustment. (Top photo of Hess: Tony Farlow / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees Could Swing Big for Ace Signed Through 2027
With the New York Yankees rotation struggling with the worst ERA in the majors right now, it is clear that general manager Brian Cashman needs to go out and get some help if this team is going to compete in October. The local media suggest that Pablo Lopez is a possible solution. Advertisement The 29-year-old Twins right-hander is currently sidelined with a minor hamstring issue, but he's expected to return well before the trade deadline. And if Minnesota doesn't get out of its slow start to the season, Lopez could instantly become one of the top starters on the market. He was an All-Star in 2023 and has posted 12.1 rWAR since the start of 2021. He's also on a very reasonable $73.5 million deal through 2027, giving any buyer 2½ years of team control. Aug 24, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Target Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media suggested Lopez as a top potential target for the Yankees. Though he also named infield prospect George Lombard Jr. as the centerpiece in a deal to get Lopez, which the Yankees' front office is very unlikely to do. "George Lombard Jr., one of the Yankees' most promising infielders, could be the name that gets the conversation started... It would be a tough pill to swallow," Wilson wrote. "But prospects are never guarantees — and if the Yankees want to push deep into October and stabilize their rotation for years to come, Pablo Lopez might be worth the gamble." Advertisement Fans think that way, front offices do not give up young controllable top prospects for anything less than a talent who can change an organization. Spencer Jones is much more likely to be part of a trade deadline package right now. If Lopez returns from injury and regains his form, the Twins may ask for a top-100-type talent to headline a deal. With Gerrit Cole out for the year and the rest of the rotation showing serious cracks, New York might be unable to afford not to make a deal including Jones or Lombard. Related: Yankees Rotation Crisis Sparks Radical Shake-Up Proposal From Former MLB GM Related: Aaron Judge Didn't Ask the Yankees Before Accepting WBC Role and Risk
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' top prospect hits injured list in Double-A
The New York Yankees' farm system has been buzzing lately, and one of its brightest lights, outfielder Spencer Jones, has been turning heads down in Double-A with the Somerset Patriots. Ranked as the organization's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline—trailing only George Lombard Jr.—Jones was making a strong case for a ticket to Triple-A Scranton. But that train has hit a temporary stop. Unexpected Detour Just as whispers of a promotion were growing louder, the Yankees announced Jones had been placed on Somerset's 7-day injured list. The news came via a team post on X, which also mentioned the return of Christopher Familia from the development list. Beyond that, the curtain hasn't been pulled back—there's no word yet on the nature of Jones' injury or how long he might be out. Think of it like a novel where the next chapter was just getting good—then suddenly, the page is torn out. For now, fans and scouts alike are left guessing what comes next. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Powering Through Struggles Jones' 2025 season, up to this point, was shaping up to be a breakout. Sure, his strikeout rate—north of 36 percent—hasn't shown much improvement over last year. But when he connects, the results are loud. He's already launched nine home runs and backed them with a disciplined eye at the plate, earning a walk rate that keeps pitchers on edge. All of it adds up to a 165 wRC+, a metric that puts his offensive performance far above league average. Advertisement It's like watching a high-strikeout artist in a heavyweight bout: he might miss a few swings, but when he lands a punch, it's a knockout. Wait and See For now, the spotlight on Jones dims slightly as the Yankees keep their cards close. Whether it's a minor tweak or something more serious remains to be seen. One thing's for sure—his early season surge had momentum, and the Yankees will be eager to see him back in the box as soon as possible. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Until then, Scranton will have to wait. Related Headlines
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees' 19-year-old top prospect George Lombard Jr. has sights set on the Bronx
WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. — It wasn't too long ago that the Hudson Valley Renegades featured a bright, young, and immensely talented shortstop ticketed for stardom with the squad's parent club: the New York Yankees. That was in 2021, and that player is now a mainstay in the Yanks lineup. Advertisement The High-A affiliate for the Bronx Bombers is currently led by a player with a very similar profile, 19-year-old George Lombard Jr. Lombard Jr. was a first-round pick in 2023 and has soared up prospect ranking boards, including which currently has the son of a former major league player and current Detroit Tigers bench coach, as the Yankees' top prospect. The slick-fielding, bilingual (his mother is of Cuban descent) Lombard Jr. may soon be on a collision course with Anthony Volpe, that ex-Renegade shortstop who popped 15 home runs in 213 at bats in '21, for the coveted shortstop position in New York. It may be premature to envision a competition there, but that enviable 'problem' may also become moot thanks to Lombard Jr.'s versatility. Advertisement 'I've played shortstop my whole life; I love playing shortstop, but I pride myself on being a good baseball player,' Lombard Jr. told USA TODAY Sports. 'I've never played outfield before, but I am confident that if I had to go play outfield tomorrow, I could figure it out.' George Lombard Jr. hit two homers as a 19-year-old in 2025 spring training. Lombard Jr. can also play other infield positions – having already seen time at second and third this year. 'We drafted him as a shortstop. I think that is probably where he stays, (but) you never know with this game,' said Renegades manager James Cooper. 'George is a baseball player. If he had to be a catcher, he could be a catcher. If he had to be a center-fielder, he'd be a center-fielder.' Advertisement While there may be some discussion regarding his future position, the South Florida native, who according to Cooper, 'got after it in the weight room,' is eliminating all questioning regarding his performance at the plate. 'He's a lot stronger,' said Tom DeAngelis, the Renegades' hitting coach. 'He's hitting the ball really well; he's making great decisions.' The strength and know-how have translated into strong numbers early on. Lombard Jr.'s exit velocity has clocked in at over 110 mph, and he's batting .306 with nine steals, 20 walks to 18 strikeouts and a .956 OPS entering Monday. Advertisement It amounts to a great deal of optimism from both Yankees fans, and those who witness his prowess each day. 'In terms of his potential at the plate – it's really staggering,' said Joe Vasile, Hudson Valley's play-by-play broadcaster. 'What I have been so impressed with is his natural power to right field and to right-centerfield. And, I think in Yankee Stadium that's the kind of thing that could make him(a) 25-30 home run per year guy.' While the youngster continues to garner accolades, including receiving a huge compliment from Aaron Judge during spring training, Lombard Jr. is similar to most teenagers. He loves sushi, pizza, and the tacos at Hudson Taco, listens to hip hop, reggae, Spanish music, and Salsa, and especially enjoys performers including J. Cole, old school New York rappers, and Celia Cruz. Advertisement But it's his maturity that makes Lombard Jr., who turns 20 on June 2, so unique. During a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports, Lombard Jr. mentioned multiple times that he is 'staying where my feet are and staying present.' Not an easy task for someone so young and talented, and for a player with such lofty expectations. 'He never looks like he's out of control on the field,' said Vasile. 'He never looks like he's overly emotional; just kind of cool, calm, and collected all of the time. And he's very much the same off the field too.' According to Lombard Jr., that ability to be laser focused on the task at hand is a direct reflection on the tutelage he was provided by his parents. Advertisement 'I give a lot of that credit to my dad and my mom too,' said Lombard Jr. 'She probably doesn't get as much credit as she deserves – probably never will. She has just been such a staple in my life.' His father George Lombard Sr. played 144 MLB games from 1998-2006 with the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Washington Nationals before beginning his coaching career, serving as the Los Angeles Dodgers' first-base coach from 2016-2020 and Detroit's bench coach since 2021. The younger Lombard's ability to excel on the field, serve as a team leader, and expertly handle the attention - all at such a young age, has impressed just about everyone he's come in contact with this season – including his teammates. 'It's unbelievable,' said Renegades infielder Jose Colmenares. 'This guy is out of this planet.' Advertisement The Renegades season began a few short weeks ago, but if Lombard Jr. continues the trajectory he's been on, there soon may be calls to promote him to Double-A Somerset. But while Lombard Jr. says a callup to Somerset this season would be 'great,' the eventual goal is to play at what legendary sports talk show host Art Rust Jr. called, 'the big ball orchard in the South Bronx.' The timetable for that is fluid, but if the opportunity does present itself, Lombard Jr. knows it will be memorable for numerous reasons, including the famous 'Roll Call' chant initiated by the 'Bleacher Creatures'. 'It's a special feeling – that energy, the passion,' said Lombard Jr. 'I can't speak from experience, but from what I've heard it's something that you feel deep down and it sticks with you. I couldn't tell you how it's going to feel, but I can tell you that I would be pumped for it and really excited to get there one day.' Advertisement The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees' top prospect George Lombard Jr., 19, has sights set on Bronx
