Jasson Dominguez was a Yankee before he was born. But can his defense keep him on the field?
The Martian.
Every Yankees fan knows his moniker and his name: Jasson Dominguez. He was a Yankee before he was born, being named after his dad’s favorite Yankees player, Jason Giambi. He swings a mighty bat, but there are all kinds of questions about his defense.
His minor league career started slowly in 2021, and by mid-August of that year, he looked like a bust. This from Dan Kelly from Pinstripe Alley back in September of 2021: “While some early results were promising, fans quickly began to ask if they “should be worried” about Dominguez after he hit just .228/.318/.333 in his first 31 games at the Low-A level.”
Failure to Prepare is...
So Dominguez made a change, specifically to his preparation. The results were quick and decisive as Dominguez started hitting, and hitting, and hitting some more. As Mr. Kelly put in that same article, “Dominguez has seemingly adjusted to play at the higher level and is producing steady results. Entering play on Wednesday night, Dominguez has a 10-game hitting streak with a 143 wRC+ over that time. Four of his 11 extra-base hits on the season have come during the stretch, including two of his four home runs.”
Since then, not only has he produced but excelled under pressure. To start the next season, “Dominguez, 19, hit .266/.374/.440 in 75 games with Single-A Tampa to start the season. He was selected to participate in the Sirius/XM All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium on July 16.”
And he just kept going. Soon enough, “The 19-year-old was promoted to the Renegades on July 22. He slashed .306/.397/.510 with six home runs, 22 RBI, and 17 stolen bases in 40 games with the club.”
He ended the season at Double-A because they were playoff-bound, and the Yankees wanted Dominguez to see what the postseason was like. He must have liked what he saw because he hit .450/.560/.950 with an eye-pooping OPS of .1510.
Now that’s clutch.
He spent most of the following year right there at Somerset while still just 20 years old, hitting .254/.367/.414. Once again, he was awarded a late-season promotion, this time to Scranton, where he hit .419/.514/.581 with an OPS of 1.094. He picked up where he left on in 2024, slashing .309/.368/.480/.848 (OPS). An injury interrupted his season and kept him from hitting to his potential during his late-season call-up, but the skills were already evident.
Hitting Bombs and Dropping Flies
His defensive skills, however, leave much to be desired. That puts him far from Bernie, who hit like an All-Star and drove his teams during the playoffs but played stellar defense. If not for the presence of Ken Griffey Jr., Bernie would be known as the preeminent centerfielder of his time. It’s doubtful Dominguez ever reaches those heights, but he will likely be a better hitter, especially in the power department.
Judge, too, is a much better fielder than Jasson. And it’s almost impossible to think anyone could hit as well as that Rookie of the Year and two-time AL MVP (so far). But Jasson has a chance to make a bigger impact on the record book overall if for no other reason than he’s starting his pro career years earlier than Judge did. Aaron got his first full season at the age of 25, while Dominguez is still just 22.
How Jasson performs this year remains to be seen. He might be the next Miguel Cabrera, or he could be the next Miguel Andujar. My guess is his defense is just good enough to keep him in the lineup where he’ll hit for average and power. Only then will we see if he wins ROY, as Judge did, or get no votes, as Bernie did. But Bernie now wears four rings, and Judge is the best player in the game. If Dominguez can live up to his potential, then he and Judge might just share a few rings. But that’s a big if. Yankees fans learned to be wary after the last round of Baby Bombers, but they also remember the excitement of that 90s class.
Spring is the time for hope. Yankees fans are certainly filled with that, with the hope that Gil gets healthy, that Volpe and Wells continue to improve, and that Dominguez will turn into a superstar, swatting home runs in many future World Series.
Then, and only then, will this group of Baby Bombers finally get their due…or deserve it.
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