The Yankees may have lost their spring opener to the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon, but the fanbase is buzzing after the scintillating debut of prospect Jasson Dominguez.
Dominguez, the organization’s No. 2 overall prospect, started his first-ever spring training game with a ground ball but when it was time for his second at-bat, “The Martian” sent a pitch from left-hander Ben Bowden a projected 420 feet over the right-field wall.
“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and put a good swing on the ball,” Domínguez told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch through an interpreter. “[Big league camp has] been a learning experience and a lot of fun. I have been learning and having fun at the same time with all the guys around me. It’s been great.”
At just 20 years old, the Dominican Republic native is the youngest player at Yankees camp this season, but manager Aaron Boone sees a hitter who is calm, cool and collected.
“There's no panic up there,” he said. “It's good to see him really get into one... He seems like a confident kid that just likes playing the game amongst friends. There's an ease to which he goes about his business.”
While Dominguez only went 1-for-3, his two outs showed patience that is not seen in a lot of prospects that young. Boone was very impressed by Dominguez’s ability to get into good counts and control the strike zone.
Last year, Dominguez hit .273 with a .837 OPS and 37 stolen bases in 120 games. He finished his minor league season with Double-A Somerset. And while Double-A is likely where Dominguez starts the 2023 season, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he makes his way to the Bronx this year.
However, the young outfielder says that he’s not concerned with getting a call up to the big leagues.
“Honestly, that’s not a thought that has crossed my mind,” Domínguez said. “I’m the type of person that likes to focus on the task at hand and in front of me, especially the day-to-day. Things like that, I don’t have any control about that. To me, it’s just a laser-focused mentality on the task in front of me.”
The Yankees’ next game will be a split squad series on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves. And while Dominguez will likely play in one of those games, the team as a whole will look to give a lot of players looks this spring, especially in the outfield.
With center and right field locked up by Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader, left field remains a question mark. Boone has options like Oswaldo Cabrera -- who started in left on Saturday -- and veterans like Aaron Hicks, but if Dominguez impresses this spring and continues to rise up the ranks in the minors, that call up may come sooner rather than later.