Today we continue our Yankees Top-30 Prospects Countdown for the 2020 season with OF Jasson Dominguez.
An outfielder from the Dominican Republic, nicknamed “The Martian”, who may just be the best all-around player that the Yankees have had in their organization since the likes of Mickey Mantle. While that’s not necessarily my take on the current 17-year-old, that has been said by professional MLB scouts in reference to the future that he holds. Some say all his 5 tools are comfortably above-average, so it isn’t any wonder that it took $5,100,000 to ink him to develop as a New York Yankee. While he has yet to play any professional baseball, Dominguez is a consensus Top-100 prospect across the MLB and one of the best in the Yankee system. Am I excited about him? Of course! This is a once-in-a-generation international talent that the Yankees have in their system. It’ll be a long road for him to make the MLB, but it’s going to be an incredible journey to watch him develop into a superstar someday.
(Screenshot From New York Yankees Video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW1yiXL_DPE)
Jasson Dominguez, OF (#1):
Age/Date of Birth: 17 Years Old (02/07/2003)
2019 Team(s): N/A
2019 MiLB Statistics: N/A
Bats/Throws: Switch/Right
Height/Weight: 5’10”/190 Pounds
Acquired: Signed by the Yankees during the 2019/20 International Signing Period
MLB ETA: 2024
Jasson Dominguez Scouting Grades (20-80 Scale):
Power/Hit: 60/55
Run: 65
Field/Arm: 55/60
Overall: 55
What to Know:
Coming out of the Dominican Republic, and nicknamed “The Martian”, there is so much to say about the outfield prospect. Going into 2019/2020 International Free Agent signing period, he was ranked as the top international talent by a pretty wide margin, even though they both signed for the same amount of money. Upon signing for a record $5,100,000, Dominguez quickly became ranked #2 in the New York Yankees system and #66 in the entire MLB. (Robert Puason, the player behind him, ranked #5 in the Oakland Athletics system and not on the Top 100.) Recently, as the 2019/2020 IFA period is still ongoing until the beginning of July, Dominguez was bumped to #2 as Yoelqui Céspedes (the brother of New York Mets Outfielder Yoenis Céspedes) was officially declared a free agent in the middle of March.
Obviously, ranking #2 for the Yankees and #66 Overall is an incredible thing to witness, especially given how this has all happened before Jasson Dominguez has even played a professional game, but it got even crazier during the offseason. Scouts are so incredibly high on his profile that he was moved up to #1 in the Yankees system for 2020, and well as #54 in the Minor Leagues! Nevermind the comparisons to some of the top athletes and baseball players in history, with some scouts placing his name next to Bo Jackson, Mickey Mantle, and Mike Trout. (Honestly, this is getting to be too much.)
Overall, it is important to look at Jasson Dominguez’s overall game. A rated ‘50’ tool is seen as average for a baseball prospect, and most of the top prospects in the game will feature one or two tools ranked at 50 (see: 2020 #1 Prospect Wander Franco who has a base 50 fielding tool). Jasson Dominguez on the other hand has none. Instead his lowest rated two tools are 55 in hitting and fielding. Combine this with a 60 rated power and arm and a 65 rated speed and its obvious to see why scouts are already impressed with his skill set. MLB even says on his prospect page
“A scout willing to be aggressive could grade each of Dominguez’s five tools as well above average” (Above average being a 60 rating per tool.)
As a switch hitter Dominguez has both great bat speed and strength which combined with a smooth swing on both sides of the plate allows him to hit for both power and average naturally. He has a tremendous feel for controlling the plate and shows a disciplined approach, which will be interesting to see how this translates as a K% in his first professional seasons. Outside of hitting, Dominguez’s speed allows his stock to comfortably envision 30-30 potential at the MLB level, as well as being able to man center field without much of a problem. Combine that with great arm strength that plays anywhere on the diamond (some teams tried him out as a catcher) and you have a player with the complete 5-tool package.
What Will the Future Hold?
Jasson Dominguez is going to start the 2020 season in the Dominican Summer League. One of our writers, Andy Singer, did write a great article a few weeks back about how the most important baseball league for the Yankees in 2020 may be the DSL, as Dominguez has seen very little true baseball in recent years, and could use all the development time he can get. Some were speculating on his ability to make it to the MLB as a rare teenager, and losing 2020 would almost certainly make sure that wouldn’t be able to happen. If the season does get started (oh, please, please let this happen) it will be interesting to see if Dominguez plays his way into a non-Rookie league by the end of the 2020 season (or if those leagues aren’t playing, if he played well enough to do so in a normal season).
As a prospect, I am incredibly high on Jasson Dominguez, and it’s almost impossible not to be. Most every big name in baseball scouting, development, etc. sees him as a future superstar and I can’t wait to see that happening in the Bronx. However, given the timeline that is going to set it to be at least 2/3 years before he could truly be at a level to crack the MLB I could see some scouts dying of the hype and getting some prospect fatigue as he nears the bigs. He’ll be a mainstay Top 3 Yankees prospect until he breaks into the MLB, but on the Top 100 leaderboards it’ll be interesting to see just how high they’ll be ranking him each year.
