Collective bargaining agreement negotiations to end Major League Baseball’s owner-imposed lockout remain ongoing, but that doesn’t mean spring training complexes in Florida and Arizona are sitting unused. Rather, minor-league players who aren’t on their teams’ 40-player roster — and who, therefore, are not part of the union or governed by the CBA — are still expected to proceed like normal, regardless of if and when their big-league counterparts are allowed to show up.
One notable player who got his swings in on Wednesday was New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez.
Dominguez has been the subject of much hype dating back to 2019, when he received a signing bonus worth more than $5 million to join the Yankees. He’s perhaps best known for his nickname, “The Martian,” which was bestowed upon him because of his dynamic skill set. Dominguez spent last season with the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees’ A-ball affiliate, but that hasn’t stopped him from eyeing the Bronx. He told MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, among other reporters, that he’d like to be in the majors when he’s “20 or 21” years old.
Dominguez just celebrated his 19th birthday on Feb. 7, meaning he would need to reach The Show before the end of the 2024 season to make good on that declaration. His odds of doing just that are uncertain.
Dominguez hit .258/.346/.398 in 214 plate appearances with the Tarpons last season, resulting in a .744 OPS that was 90 points below the team average. To be fair, the context surrounding those numbers suggest he performed better than it might otherwise appear he did. Dominguez was three years the junior of the league’s average player; additionally, this was his first real exposure to professional baseball.
Still, Dominguez will, at minimum, need to improve upon his strikeout rate (31.3 percent) if he’s going to reach the majors as quickly as he desires.
Leave a Reply