Ryan Garcia
Yesterday was a loud one for George Lombard Jr. as the Yankees led him off against Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, who was immediately greeted with a towering shot out of the ballpark.
The 20-year-old shortstop cannot legally purchase alcohol in the United States and yet he delivered two hits against one of the best pitchers in the sport that registered an exit velocity above 104 MPH.
He’s scorching the baseball so far in the Grapefruit League, a departure from the weak batted ball data that he displayed during the 2025 MiLB season.
A talented defender who still has work to do before he can be a big-leaguer, there’s a change in his swing which could finally unlock the power potential to become a quality MLB bat.
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George Lombard Jr. finished with a 127 wRC+, as his overall slashline looks worse than it actually was due to the horrendous run environments that he played in.
That being said, there were clear warts exposed in his offensive game that would leave any scout or prospect writer skeptical about how his bat would translate to the Major Leagues.
High whiff rates and poor quality of contact are a bad combination for a prospect, as Lance Brozdowski noted in his Substack, Lombard had a below-average xwOBACON (aka Damage Rate) while having a higher Whiff% than average.
A big reason for this is that Lombard struggles to handle velocity especially at the top of the zone, and when you have an easy-to-exploit hole in the swing pitchers are going to abuse it.
Based on his tendency to push flyballs to right field and the massive gap in raw power and game power, my theory is that he’s late to the ball and can’t get in launch position consistently, which is why this change could be game-changing.
By lowering his hands, George Lombard Jr. might have a more consistent and efficient swing path, allowing him to drive the ball with authority and get to the right spot to turn-and-burn.
He’s seen four pitches at or above 95 MPH, he’s whiffed at one and hit the other three above 103 MPH, including the towering blast against Garrett Crochet.
With an Average Exit Velocity of 97.5 MPH, Lombard is doing tons of damage on contact so far in Spring Training, and the tight groupings of high-end exit velocities is an encouraging sign for his upcoming season.
As a 20-year-old it wouldn’t be shocking to see him make some serious gains in the power department, his frame and swing would suggest there’s tons of untapped potential when it comes to his SLG%.
It’s important to preach patience here; some shortstops can take time to develop their power and find a consistent offensive profile, with some of the game’s top defenders at the position not clicking until their mid-20s.
Jeremy Pena slugged just .399 through his first three MLB seasons, Dansby Swanson slugged .379 through his age-24 season, and Geraldo Perdomo slugged .330 through his age-24 season.
Not all of these players are good comparisons for George Lombard Jr.’s overall profile, but they all possess similar frames and body types, which is why I think the Yankees will be patient with his development.
I love what I’m seeing in Spring Training, but we need a larger sample size to start letting the idea of a 2026 debut creep into our minds.
The loud contact definitely makes you wonder if instead of the Yankees forcing George Lombard Jr. up out of necessity, he ends up forcing them to unexpectedly bring him up in 2026.
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