With fewer dart throws due to the absence of the second and fifth-round picks they sacrificed in order to sign Carlos Rodón, the Yankees continued their trend of replenishing the upper echelon of their prospect pool with more polished, lower-risk players. In fact, they took just one prep player in their first 10 picks, and the one they took — George Lombard Jr., a shortstop out of Miami, with the No. 26 pick — was a more calculated risk given his skillset and pedigree.
Lombard Jr., fresh off his 18th birthday, represents the first prep player the Yankees have selected in the first round since Anthony Volpe in 2019, and the first prep player they’ve chosen period since 2021.