Former Tulane pitcher Michael Lombardi tossed five hitless innings with nine strikeouts as he's emerging in the Royals farm system.
The Tulane Green Wave baseball team has struggled on the diamond this season, and some of that has to do with a pitching staff that isn’t up to what it was in recent seasons. Notably, departures of strong former pitchers like Michael Lombardi and Tayler Montiel among others have left a clear void the current team hasn’t found a fix for.
However, the Green Wave baseball alumni that are in the major leagues are definitely leaving an impression as of late. Recently, former pitcher Chase Soleksy was called up by the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time in his career, making him the 31st Tulane alum to reach the MLB. There are a few who are hot on his tail that are developing strongly in the minors, Lombardi being one of them.
The righty was sensational in a May 7 outing for Single-A Columbia, in which he had zero hits, zero runs, and nine strikeouts in five innings pitched, rightfully catching some eyes as he performs well through the minors as one of the standout pitchers in the farm system for the Kansas City Royals, where he’s shining as a reliever for the Fireflies.
Lombardi was drafted No. 61 overall in the second round by the Royals in the 2025 MLB draft and is in his first professional season. He is 1-1 on the season for Single-A Columbia through six games with a 3.32 ERA and 39 strikeouts to 13 walks in 21.2 innings pitched this campaign.
The 22-year old’s first month has been strong, and while he doesn’t have the lowest ERA, it’s certainly serviceable with a considerable strikeout rate. The prospect has strong upside, beginning the year as the No. 18 prospect in Kansas City’s farm system. The Fireflies are still ramping him up, as he previously hadn’t pitched more than four innings in a single outing until that May 7 performance through five.
Lombardi was primarily used as a reliever at Tulane, though he’s been tried as a starter twice this season. Lombardi pitched for three seasons from 2023-2025 with his best year to date in 2025. He went 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA with 73 strikeouts to 21 walks in 42 innings pitched. In his career with the Green Wave, he ended with a career 3.82 ERA with 154 strikeouts to 82 walks in 113 innings pitched.
He still needs to work on his walk rate, but it’s clear that Lombardi has sticking power in the league, something perhaps the program needs a reminder of in the midst of a rough campaign that hasn’t had many silver linings.