Yankees top prospect, infielder SS/3B George Lombard Jr., hit a leadoff home run today against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers versus Red Sox left-handed ace starting pitcher, Garrett Crochet.
The home run by Lombard traveled 392 feet over the left field wall with a 104.2 mph exit velocity and a 35-degree launch angle. Lombard fell behind in a 1-2 count, swinging and missing on a Grochet 97.2 mph fastball and then a 91.1 mph cutter, but then timed up a 96.8 mph fastball from Crochet up in the zone that was a borderline strike.
Lombard Went 2-2 Against Garrett Crochet
Lombard, in his second at bat against Crochet in the third inning, then ripped a base hit up the middle past the shortstop, Trevory Story. This base hit from Lombard had an 108.5 mph exit velocity, in which Lombard was able to turn on a 95.9 mph sinker from Crochet right down the middle of the plate.
Lombard has not only impressed in this Spring Training game on March 4th against the Red Sox in Fort Myers, but has impressed all spring in Yankees camp, both with his bat and fielding. Lombard has made several amazing plays around the infield, which include appearances at third base, shortstop, and second base.
Crochet Is One Of The Best Pitchers In Baseball
Garret Crochet was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball last season, and, yes, even though this is Spring Training, it’s still impressive coming from a 20-year-old Lombard who was promoted to Double A in 2025 at just 19 years old.
Lombard struggled last year offensively after a promotion to Double A Somerset in May, in which he hit for just a .215 batting average after hitting .329 in his first 24 games to begin the season in High A Hudson Valley.
The only thing really holding Lombard back from an earlier promotion to the big leagues is his bat, which has room to improve. Yankees GM Brian Cashman stated to Yankees MLB.com beat writer/reporter Bryan Hoch that Lombard “could play defense in the big leagues right now, but he’s still developing on the hitting side”, stated Cashman to Hoch back on February 23rd.
Lombard Is Yankees Top Prospect For Second Year In A Row
The Yankees’ latest prospect rankings released by MLB Pipeline this week have George Lombard Jr as the Yankees’ No. 1-ranked prospect for the second year in a row. What should excite Yankees fans is Lombard’s athleticism on defense. He can play shortstop, second, or third base at an elite level. While there are still questions about what he can be with the bat in the future, he’s just 20 years old, and with room to possibly grow into his body more, the sky could be the limit for this young man.
If Lombard shows improvement offensively this year in Double-A, he could earn a promotion to Triple-A. If that happens, we could see him make his big league debut with the Yankees as soon as 2027, which is his projected ETA at this point on MLB.com’s minor league website.
But for the time being, Lombard will continue to show why the Yankees think so highly of him.
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