Yankees emerging top prospect's rise reflected in new MLB Pipeline Top 30 list

Several of the prospect names the New York Yankees expected to take prodigious leaps last year came up short, felled by injuries and regression. It was such a chaotic season, in fact, that most barely noticed the toolsy, wise-beyond-his-years debut of 2023 first-rounder George Lombard Jr. at Low-A Tampa.

After all, who has time to pay attention to a kid getting his feet wet when there are so many mysterious injuries and whiffs going on at the upper levels? Lombard Jr.'s numbers didn't do much to distinguish him, either; he hit .232 with a .692 OPS with the Tarpons, then .226 in 29 games with the Renegades at season's end. The caveat of "teenager adjusting to pro ball" was very much an accurate asterisk. He didn't do anything to remove himself from Top 100 prospect lists, but didn't exactly cover himself in glory, either.

One look at Lombard Jr.'s poise and panache this spring, though, and it's instantly obvious why he was a first-round talent (and why the Yankees weren't afraid to add him to their fleet of shortstops). His silky smooth wallop against the Houston Astros last Saturday captured everyone's attention, and after a bizarre year across the board, he's the one all eyes will be on when camp breaks to see if he can keep trending upward (and, again, he's still 19).

The eye test was vindicated in MLB Pipeline's new Top 30 Yankees prospect list for 2025, where Lombard Jr. rose to the No. 2 spot ahead of Spencer Jones (who, in fairness, also looks dangerous this spring).

Yankees' George Lombard Jr. rises to No. 2 spot above Spencer Jones on MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Prospects List for 2025

Hopefully, Jasson Dominguez will graduate the prospect ranks soon, and Lombard Jr. will be elevated to the top spot. Ideally, he'll deserve it, and it'll be more than just an elevation of convenience.

The Yankees' typically pitching-heavy farm was decimated by injury last year, but replenished by the draft; notable names include 2024 first-round pick Ben Hess (No. 4) and second-rounder Bryce Cunningham (No. 6), sandwiching Will Warren in the five spot. Despite recent Tommy John surgery, Chase Hampton still ranks ninth in the system, while the Yankees are hoping that the breakout they foresaw for No. 11 Henry Lalane last season actually comes in 2025.

Don't discount Cam Schlittler, either, who rose from obscurity to the No. 12 spot and has starred this spring, earning that Astros start last Saturday until he lost command in the third inning.

Jones and Lombard Jr. will be asked to carry the day this summer on the position player side of things, though, and while Jones' ceiling might be higher, the 19-year-old is somehow far less of a project. That confidence (both within the organization, and embodied by Lombard Jr.'s swagger) is accurately reflected in these new rankings.