Star Tulane Baseball Pitcher Makes Sleeper List Ahead of 2025 MLB Draft
The 2025 MLB draft is set to begin on Sunday, and it will be held July 13-14 over the All-Star weekend in Atlanta.
The Tulane Green Wave baseball team has had 135 players who played college baseball for the program become MLB draft picks, as the social media account posted on X.
One Green Wave player in particular has caught a lot of attention ahead of the upcoming draft.
Baseball America released its latest sleeper MLB draft prospects list (subscription required) that featured eight underrated players to watch in the later rounds.
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The author, Peter Flaherty, named Tulane baseball right-handed pitcher Michael Lombardi to that list.
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound righty has caught scouts’ attention with his athleticism and plus fastball-curve combo.
Flaherty reports Lombardi's fastball sits around 92-95 mph with a high of 97 mph, with it consistently getting over the barrel of hitters.
His curveball sits in the high 70s range, and Flaherty notes its effectiveness against both lefty and right hitters with a 46% miss rate this last spring.
“While Lombardi lacks a viable third pitch and shows scattered command, his high-level athleticism, pure stuff, and lack of mileage are all appealing. If he lands within the right organization, Lombardi has a chance to take off,” Flaherty wrote.
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Lombardi went 4-1 in 2025 with a 2.14 ERA and a career-high 73 strikeouts to a career-low 21 walks in 42 innings pitched this past season.
He spent his entire three-year collegiate career with the Green Wave. He has a career 3.82 ERA with 154 strikeouts to 82 walks in 113 innings pitched.
What’s a bit rare is Lombardi’s prowess at the plate, with a .258/.381/.374 slash line, six home runs, 59 RBI and seven stolen bases across 326 career at-bats.
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A lot of players’ success at the Major League level comes down to the right fit, and hopefully Lombardi lands with the right organization to be developed into a productive prospect.
For more Tulane news, head over to Tulane Green Wave On SI.
Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com