Yankees' George Lombard: Not overmatched at Double-A
Rotowire
Lombard is slashing .215/.336/.362 with eight home runs, 22 steals, a 13.5 percent walk rate and a 26 percent strikeout rate in 102 games for Double-A Somerset.
The third-youngest qualified hitter at Double-A (behind Sebastian Walcott and Nelson Rada), Lombard makes for a tough evaluation, as his youth can generally be used to explain away his shortcomings. He is a career .236 hitter with a career .359 OBP, and he's managed 14 home runs in 250 career games while always being one of the youngest players in his league. Getting the ball in the air isn't a problem for Lombard, and his 39 percent groundball rate and 44.9 percent pull rate are encouraging marks. The passage of time could lead to Lombard naturally accessing significantly more power in a year or two as his body matures, and he's a no-doubt shortstop with above-average speed and on-base ability. The righty-hitting Lombard could get another aggressive assignment to Triple-A next year before turning 21 in June.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Heading to Double-A
Rotowire
The Yankees promoted Lombard from High-A Hudson Valley to Double-A Somerset on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Lombard earned the bump up to Double-A after slashing .329/.495/.488 with one home run, 11 stolen bases and a 21.9 percent walk rate over 111 plate appearances for Hudson Valley. The 19-year-old shortstop is considered to be among the top prospects in the Yankees organization, with his advanced plate approach being his most appealing trait.
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Yankees' George Lombard: Finding groove at Single-A
Rotowire
Lombard is slashing .271/.364/.500 with four home runs and 11 steals over his last 25 games for Single-A Tampa.
He hit .225 with zero home runs over his first 46 games this season and was a bit too passive, but something has clicked of late for the toolsy shortstop. Lombard, the Yankees' first-round pick in 2023, is a plus runner and excellent overall athlete, so if he can continue to get to his above-average raw power in games, he should keep climbing up prospect rankings.
