The Yankees hit the jackpot in the international free agency signing period this year when they landed their top prospect in the Dominican Republic's Jasson Dominguez.
The 16-year-old, standing at 5-foot-10, 190 pounds is switch-hitter with uber amounts of talent and upside. But Baseball America, which does extensive research on the many prospects roaming around baseball, just released their grades for him.
They're outrageous.
Here's how it stacks up, courtesy of Max Wildstein.
- Hit: 60
- Power: 70
- Run: 70
- Fielding: 60
- Arm: 60
Those numbers could be attributed to some Double-A and even Triple-A prospects if you didn't see a name next to it. But this is a 16-year-old that is still growing into his body.
When Dominguez was officially signed to the Yankees for roughly $5 million, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez, many believed the Yankees had found their centerfielder of the future. "The Martian," as he is nicknamed, was called "a teenage Mike Trout" by Sanchez.
ESPN's Jeff Passan added Dominguez relating to Yankees legend Mickey Mantle in that "he's not 6-foot. He's a switch hitter. He's got crazy power. He's fast as s---. He loves playing."
On both sides of the plate, Dominguez has reportedly hit exit velocities over 110 mph. And speaking of speed, he ran a 6.3 60-yard dash. Putting that into perspective: Billy Hamilton, the fastest man in baseball, runs a 6.2 60-yard dash.
Dominguez is an extremely intriguing and special prospect, one the Yankees will hope projects to his true potential in pinstripes. He still needs grooming, but looking at those grades, it doesn't look like too much.