“The Martian” is entering an important second professional season.
When the New York Yankees gave Dominican outfielder Jasson Dominguez a $5.1 million signing bonus a couple years ago, the comparisons started flying. Is he Mike Trout? Bo Jackson? Both?
After the pandemic eliminated what could have been his first professional season, Dominguez made his pro debut in the Yankees’ system last year.
And he did okay — he didn’t blow the world away, either. In 241 plate appearances between Rookie ball and Low-A, Dominguez slashed .252/.353/.379 with 15 of his 52 hits going for extra bases. He also stole nine bases and scored 31 runs in 56 total games.
This performance didn’t wow scouting analysts. We’ve seen his ranking before the 2022 season come back all over the place, and shortstop Anthony Volpe has emerged as the consensus top prospect in the Yankees’ system.
However, we saw a Dominguez card sell for $151,000 at auction earlier this year. So obviously collectors are still high on the prospect’s potential.
So what’s next for Dominguez?
In a recent interview with Baseball America, Yankees hitting coordinator Joe Migliaccio reminded everyone that Dominguez is still young — both in age and experience. And, with time, both will show his tools are still exceptional.
“He’ll start to apply in-game adjustments quicker to learn how to adjust to pitch-tipping,” Migliaccio told BA. “And when it all comes together, he’s not going to chase off the plate. He’s not going to chase down. He’s going to force you to throw a pitch over the plate.
“And when you do, you just won’t be getting that baseball back.”
It’s worth noting, again, that Dominguez turned 19 on Feb. 7. Still a teenager with only 241 plate appearances under his belt, it’s far too early to judge what his career path will be.
So, will he become the next Mike Trout or Bo Jackson? Or will he settle for being the first Jasson Dominguez?
This season — reminder: his second in professional ball — will show us more of what Dominguez can do on the field. And with the development staff of the Yankees watching, he’ll certainly get all the help he wants to make the adjustments Migliaccio indicated are coming.