Is Jasson Dominguez ready to progress to the top in 2023?

Jasson Dominguez ranks among the Yankees’ top three prospects on Baseball America, ESPN, and MLB Pipeline. When the franchise signed him for record in July 2019, the Martian was hailed as the next Mickey Mantle. It remains to see how his 2023 is going to be.

“I don’t really think [the expectations are] fair,” told Yankees scout Kevin Reese. “It’s hard to help him manage those expectations because he’s not going to show up tomorrow and perform like Mike Trout or Aaron Judge.”

Four years ago, Jasson Dominguez was one of the most talked-about international prospects in MLB history and the Bombers signed him to a contract with a $5.1 million signing bonus. Talent scouts from all over baseball were impressed by the Dominican player’s impressive skills. According to MLB Pipeline, he was ranked as high as the No. 32 prospect in the game after an impressive pro debut.

The 19-year-old is ranked as the No. 47 baseball prospect by MLB Pipeline for the 2023 season. Even though the centerfield prospect isn’t as exciting as he once was, there are still plenty of reasons to dream about the tools Jasson Dominguez still has.

Jasson Dominguez played at three different levels of the minor leagues in 2022, which was his first full year in the minor leagues. As he moved up the levels, he seemed to get better. In 120 games between Low-A, High-A, and Double-A, he hit .273/.376/.461. He hit 16 home runs and drove in 59 runs.

Once the outfielder got to Double-A Somerset, Jasson Dominguez only played five games during the regular season before he set the world on fire in the playoffs. In five games, “The Martian” hit .450/.560/.950 with three home runs and 10 RBI. In the championship game, he went 3-4 and hit home runs from both sides of the plate, which almost made sure he would start 2023 in Double-A.

Jasson Dominguez got the chance to show off his skills to the whole country when he was named to the MLB Futures Game in 2022. Anthony Volpe, another Yankee farmhand, batted fourth for the American League team. The game was held in Los Angeles during All-Star weekend, and Dominguez gave the crowd something to watch by hitting a 415-foot home run at 107 mph from the right side.

Even though Jasson Dominguez has a lot of flash, there are still many parts of his game that need to be worked on. For example, the Bombers are still waiting for his power to show up more consistently. The switch-exit hitter’s velocities are usually over 100 mph and have reached as high as 117 mph in a sim game when he was 18 years old in 2021. This gives him high raw power.

People talk a lot about how much weight the young outfielder has gained and what that means for his speed and ability to stay in center field in the long run. But Jasson Dominguez stole 37 bases out of 44 tries last season, showing that the young outfielder’s legs are still very strong. However, it is important to note that the Yankees organization as a whole has been trying to steal more bases and putting more emphasis on baserunning.

On the defensive side, opinions are split on whether Jasson Dominguez will even be a center fielder when all is said and done. His build may be better suited for the corner outfield spots.

From MLB pipeline: “His play in center field draws mixed reviews, with some evaluators believing he’ll remain up the middle and others thinking his defensive inconsistencies will drive him to a corner. With his solid-to-plus arm strength and offensive promise, he’d have no problem profiling well in right field.”

As always, only time will tell, and it’s important to think about the time frame when making predictions about a prospect. Jasson Dominguez was almost two years younger than any other player on Double-A Somerset’s roster. He has only played professional baseball for one full season, where he finished just two steps away from the Bronx.

Jasson Dominguez has a lot of chances to do well in the major leagues. While the Yankees lack a long-term plan to cover their left field, they need a backup to Harrison Bader on the center. If the switch-hitter moves through the minors as quickly as he did last year, the Martian could be in the Bronx as early as 2024.

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