Four Breakout Yankees Prospects to Watch Closely This Spring
Spring training is always full of promise, but for the New York Yankees in 2026, it’s more than just a tune-up for the veterans. This year, a handful of young, hungry prospects are stepping into the spotlight in Tampa, and they’re bringing serious intrigue with them. Whether it’s a comeback story, a top prospect refining his game, or a flamethrower trying to harness elite stuff, these four names are worth circling on your spring training watchlist.
Let’s dive in.
Chase Hampton: The Return of a Once-Top Arm
Not long ago, Chase Hampton looked like the next big thing in the Yankees’ pitching pipeline. After a dominant 2023 that earned him the Kevin Lawn Award as the organization’s top minor league pitcher, Hampton seemed to be on a fast track to the Bronx. But baseball doesn’t always follow the script.
Injuries derailed his 2024 campaign, and it wasn’t until much later that the real issue-a torn UCL-was diagnosed, leading to Tommy John surgery. That wiped out his entire 2025 season. In the meantime, the Yankees’ system surged with new arms, and Hampton, once the crown jewel, now finds himself ranked behind Carlos Lagrange, Elmer Rodriguez, Bryce Cunningham, and Ben Hess.
Still, don’t count him out. At 24, Hampton has the experience, the stuff, and now the motivation to remind everyone why he was so highly regarded just two years ago. Spring training might be his first step back, but if the fastball and command return, the Yankees could have another high-upside arm knocking on the door.
George Lombard Jr.: Polishing the Tools
George Lombard Jr. is already the Yankees’ top prospect, and a consensus top-100 talent across the league. So, calling him a “breakout” might feel like a stretch-but in this case, it’s about refining elite tools and proving he can adjust to higher-level pitching.
Lombard tore up High-A in a brief stint, slashing .329/.495/.488 over 24 games, showing off his smooth swing and patient approach. But the jump to Double-A wasn’t as kind. Over 108 games in Somerset, he hit just .215, though his .337 OBP and 13.6% walk rate suggest the underlying approach remained strong even as the results dipped.
Now 20 years old, Lombard enters camp with a full offseason of adjustments under his belt. He’s going to be facing pitchers with big-league experience and Triple-A polish-exactly the kind of arms he struggled against last year. This spring won’t define his season, but it could give us a glimpse of whether the next step in his development is around the corner.
Ben Hess: A Power Arm on the Fast Track
If you’re looking for a pitcher who could force his way into the big-league conversation by midseason, Ben Hess might be your guy.
The Yankees’ 2024 first-round pick out of Alabama has the frame and the mentality of a classic power pitcher. At 6-foot-5, he brings a physical presence to the mound, and his early pro results backed it up.
In High-A, Hess posted a 33.9% strikeout rate and a 3.51 ERA. Then he got even better after a promotion to Double-A Somerset, where he lowered his ERA to 2.70 and trimmed his walk rate while still missing bats at an elite clip.
What’s got the Yankees especially excited is how quickly he’s picked things up. Pitching coach Matt Blake even said Hess is ahead of where Cam Schlittler was at this time last year-a clear sign the organization sees fast-track potential. Every outing this spring will be under the microscope, and if he keeps dominating, it’s not out of the question that he sees Yankee Stadium before the season’s over.
Carlos Lagrange: Electric Stuff, Untapped Potential
Carlos Lagrange might have the most jaw-dropping raw tools of any pitcher in the Yankees’ system. At 6-foot-7 with a fastball that regularly touches 103 mph, he’s the kind of arm that makes scouts and fans alike stop what they’re doing and pay attention.
After battling injuries early in his career, Lagrange finally put together a healthy season in 2025-and the results were eye-opening. It’s not just the velocity.
He’s got two sharp breaking balls and a changeup that keeps hitters honest. The stuff is legit.
In fact, some evaluators have called it the best pure arsenal in the minors right now.
The question is command. His walk rate ballooned to 14.9% at Double-A, and that’s the hurdle he needs to clear if he wants to turn potential into production. If he can rein in the control even a little this spring, he could be a candidate to break into the Yankees’ bullpen as a high-leverage weapon sometime in 2026.
Final Thoughts
Spring training isn’t just about the veterans rounding into form-it’s about the next wave of talent making their case. For the Yankees, that wave includes a former top prospect looking to reclaim his spot, a polished young hitter ready to prove he can adjust, and two electric arms with the kind of upside that could reshape the pitching staff.
Keep an eye on these four. Their performances in Tampa could tell us a lot about the Yankees’ future-and maybe even their present.