With spring training underway for the New York Yankees, some of their players have gotten off to a nice start.
Coming into the spring, the Yankees have high expectations for the 2025 campaign. After making the World Series last year, anything short of that this season would be considered a failure.
The new faces on the team will be hoping to make a strong impression before the start of the year and get off to a good start.
A lot of the attention will be on how the batting order does without Juan Soto near the top of the order. Unfortunately, the lineup is already being tested with the elbow injury to Giancarlo Stanton that will already be requiring him to start the season on the injured list.
Players are going to need to step up in his absence to start the season and spring training is a great time to make a name for themselves.
One player who isn’t going to be in the picture more than likely in the Majors in 2025, but who is performing well is George Lombard Jr. The 19-year-old infielder is a top-five prospect in the organization, but at his age has a couple of years to work in the minors.
However, despite his age, he’s showing early on this spring that the moment isn’t too big for him. In seven games, he has slashed .222/.364/.556 with a home run.
The 19-year-old is more so known for his ability to run the bases with his 39 stolen bases in the minors last year. While the sample size is small this spring, he’s showing some power as well, which is encouraging to see.
What might be most impressive for the young prospect so far is his ability to avoid swings and misses. Young players frequently have a high strikeout rate, but that isn’t the case for Lombard.
In the spring, his K-rate is at a very low 18.2%, which is fairly close in line with how he performed in the minors last year.
Even though his projected arrival in the Majors isn’t until 2027, the young infielder is making a strong impression not only on how he is producing, but his overall work ethic.
As the son of a former player and now a coach, Lombard has a bright future in the organization.
The 19-year-old is making the most of the opportunity to get reps in spring training, and he will certainly be a prospect to watch this year.
