Given the largest international bonus in Yankees history, the super-prospect nicknamed “The Martian” was ticketed for stardom before he played a game as a pro. While his first year in the minors showed why he’s one of the most-hyped talents in the game, it also revealed he isn’t ready just yet.
When you arrive with comparisons to Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle, there really is only one direction to go.
There was no way for Jasson Dominguez, whose legend spread before he played a game in the minor leagues, to immediately fulfill the potential that the Yankees saw and see in him. He was signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 to a reported $5.1 million signing bonus — representing nearly 95 percent of the Yankees’ $5,398,300 international bonus pool. Even in a system that is designed to keep juggernauts like the Yankees from leveraging their power, they successfully went all-in on the player they wanted.
Dominguez, nicknamed “The Martian” because he clearly is not from this world, was signed in July and worked out away from the public eye the rest of that year and in 2020, when the pandemic canceled the minor league season. He began this year at extended spring training and did not debut professionally until late June, playing in seven games in the Florida Coast League before spending 49 games with Low-A Tampa.
Among Low-A Southeast hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, no one was younger than Dominguez, who won’t turn 19 until February. In his first season of professional ball, Dominguez — named after Jason Giambi — flashed all kinds of tools, but also his age. Superhuman glimpses were accompanied by human numbers. The Martian landed, and while the immediate projections may have returned to Earth, his long-term ceiling is still intact.
