“We’re gonna do what’s best for him in his development so that he can help us for many years to come.” Read more: Jasson Dominguez. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The reports on super-prospect Jasson Dominguez are off the charts. 7 is Yiddi Cappe, who will be eligible to sign July 2 and is the only player from Cuba on the 2019-2020 list. The Angels, Brewers, Indians, Blue Jays and Rockies are also expected to be very active. He has to stay the course. There’s kind of a mythic element to Jasson Dominguez.Signed by the Yankees a year ago, he has yet to play an official professional inning for an affiliated minor league club — adding to the mystery.He's already got a nickname — "The Martian'' — for his otherworldly skills.And he’s overwhelmingly considered to be the organization’s top prospect, a five-tool, switch-hitting center fielder with a solid makeup, too.“He’s the kind of player that makes the hair on your arm stand up,’’ said Donny Rowland, the Yankees international scouting director, right after signing Dominguez.Could there really be a 21st century Mickey Mantle making his first steps in the Yankees’ system?Already, you’ll hear comparisons to Mike Trout, an astonishing thing considering that Dominguez is of high school junior age.“Jasson has the best package of pure baseball skills and tools that I’ve ever had the chance to see at this young age,’’ said scout Steve Wilson, the Yankees international crosschecker, in a Yankees On Demand segment produced earlier this year.Dominguez has power from both sides of the plate, and the ability to hit for average.He’s considered a plus defender in center field with tracking speed and above-average arm strength.“Everybody I trust, they all say he’s a switch-hitting Trout,’’ PinstripePlus.com’s Patrick Teale said about the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Dominguez’s assortment of power, speed and defense.During last year’s international signing period, the Yankees spent a franchise record $5.1 million to sign Dominguez, from the Dominican Republic.That figure blew away the Yankees' previous international spending on one player, which was $3.2 million.Instantly, at age 16, Dominguez became the Yankees’ top position player prospect.Following the 2019 season, Baseball America rated Dominguez as the Yankees’ No. Jasson Dominguez turned 17 Friday, just over seven months after becoming one of the organization’s biggest amateur signings with a $5.1 million bonus last July. He’s a baseball rat.’’Rowland said he scouted Dominguez about 50 times before the Yankees signed him, more than any other Latin player he’s seen. “When he goes 0-for-20, like everyone does, the world is gonna panic because the expectations are so great. But it’s worth noting that Cuban infielders Roberto Campos, 15, who is expected to sign with the Tigers, and Michel Treina, 18, who is expected to sign with the Reds, narrowly missed the cut for players eligible to sign in July. Already Subscribed?
Maybe the slider or changeup will. Everyone expects him to be Superman. For those who prefer swatches with their autographs, 2019 Elite Extra Edition has that, too, for Jasson Dominguez. Same with catching,'’ Rowland said after Dominguez signed.The Yankees view Dominguez as "a lockdown, well-above average defensive center fielder. 46.Before the COVID-19 crisis, Dominguez was supposed to make his pro affiliate debut this summer.Owing to his talent and versatility, Dominguez has worked as a catcher and at shortstop, but the Yankees project him as a center fielder, maxing out his offensive gifts and putting him on a faster track to the Bronx.“Over time, he could have been a shortstop if we had chosen to develop him that way, but defense would probably lag behind the bat by a couple of years. “With what I saw as an amateur, there’s no reason his makeup should stop him from reaching his potential.
An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between July 2 and June 15 of the next year. ''In this year's Yankees On Demand segment, a smiling Dominguez - his first name is pronounced JAY-son - says in Spanish that his father named him after Jason Giambi.Giambi was coming off his first season with the Yankees, having batted .314 with 41 home runs and 122 RBI when Dominguez was born in 2003.Rowland praised Dominguez's upbringing and described the rising star as a humble kid who loves to play.