Yankees Prospect Spotlight: Why Lombard Is Suddenly Dominating Scouts’ Radar

Ah, preseason rankings are out, and as expected, George Lombard Jr. leads the pack among Yankee prospects on Keith Law’s recent list published by The Athletic. Sitting comfortably at 24th overall, Law’s enthusiasm for Lombard is palpable—praising the young shortstop’s swing speed and keen strike zone awareness. The future looks bright, with Law predicting Lombard to be an everyday shortstop with even more untapped potential thanks to his hitting prowess. Joining him from the Yankees farm system is pitcher Carlos Lagrange, landing at 88th. Law’s impressed with Lagrange’s clean mechanics and raw stuff, forecasting a promising role at the top of a rotation if his command sharpens—a tantalizing prospect for any Yankees fan.

Meanwhile, offseason evaluations reflect a mix of hope and frustration. Anthony McCarron from SNY breaks down the Yankees’ moves with keen eyes, applauding the re-signing of Cody Bellinger while dinging the attempt to deepen the pitching staff with a C+. It’s a peculiar offseason—neither disaster nor spectacular—but one that leaves you hungry for more. Add to that Derek Jeter’s calm defense of Hal Steinbrenner amid criticism over the team’s title drought, pointing out that results ultimately depend on the players hitting the field come game time. And the international market brings more drama: the loss of Dominican infielder Marion De La Rosa to Seattle is a setback, marking a tough stretch for the Yankees overseas.

All told, this season’s narrative is still being written, and while the Yankees face challenges, there’s an undercurrent of optimism with young talent and strategic moves in play. I, for one, am hanging onto every twist and turn.

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The Athletic | Keith Law ($): It’s preseason prospect ranking time. Today, it’s The Athletic. To the surprise of, I assume, literally no one, George Lombard Jr. is the top-ranked Yankee farmhand on Keith Law’s list. Ranked 24th overall, Law is bullish on Lombard’s future, remarking on the young shortstop’s bat speed and knowledge of the strike zone. “He’s at least a future everyday shortstop and still has upside beyond that because of the potential for a plus hit tool.” He’s joined by one other Yankee prospect, pitcher Carlos Lagrange. Lagrange comes in 88th on Law’s list. Law is complimentary of Lagrange’s stuff and clean delivery, projecting that “He should stick as a starter, and could end up in the top two spots in a rotation depending on how far his control improves.” A homegrown, top-of-the-rotation starter? Be still, my heart.

SNY | Anthony McCarron: It’s been a weird, frustrating offseason for Yankees fans. But it hasn’t been bad, per se, I guess. McCarron takes a look at, and individually grades, each move the Yanks made since season’s end. He assigns high marks to the recent re-signing of Cody Bellinger. Meanwhile, the assorted moves to bolster rotation depth earn the lowest of his grades (C+). It still feels like an underwhelming offseason, but I think I’d feel much worse if there were Ds or, baseball gods forbid, any Fs on that scorecard.

Fox Sports | Ryan Morik: The Captain is coming to the defense of Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. Derek Jeter addressed the team’s championship drought, offering that “I’m sure Hal is frustrated as well. Hal’s been willing to go out and get players and put the Yankees in a position to win. But ultimately, you have to go out on the field and perform.” Jeets makes an interesting point elsewhere in the article, arguing that the trade deadline is likely to be the critical factor, given that teams can radically transform at the deadline.

Yahoo Sports | Billy Hayen: It’s been a rough stretch for the Yanks in the international free agent market. And the hits keep coming. Dominican infielder Marion De La Rosa, who recently de-committed (to borrow a college football phrase) from the Yankees, has apparently agreed to terms with the Seattle Mariners. De La Rosa won’t be able to sign with them until 2027 and technically teams and players can’t agree to these terms ahead of time, but… anyway, now the challenge for Seattle will be keeping him in the fold for a year until he can sign on the dotted line.