February 11, 2025

One of the most hyped prospects on the international market in the last 10 years, New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Domínguez, deemed "The Martian," was unfairly compared to players like Mike Trout, Bo Jackson, and Mickey Mantle. Domínguez made his MLB debut in 2023 and was dominant before a UCL injury ended his season after just 33 plate appearances. An oblique injury in addition to the UCL limited him in 2024, but when on the field, the results were good. Spending the majority of the year in Triple-A, Domínguez slashed .314/.376/.504 with 11 home runs and 20 extra-base hits in 58 games. He stole 16 bases and was caught just once. While the MLB surface numbers were not great, Domínguez still put up quite strong numbers under the hood. A few mechanical tweaks helped lead to the breakout in 2023, including limiting his leg kick and hand load. The power is legit, as Domínguez posted a 90th percentile exit velocity of 108 mph, putting the power grade firmly plus or better. The contact rates also made a massive jump throughout his career. In the minors, Domínguez posted a 78 percent overall mark and an 89 percent in-zone contact rate. Those numbers carried over to the majors. The speed has remained despite Domínguez's body fluctuating in size throughout the early parts of his career. He stole 21 bases between the majors and minors and was caught just once. There is a strong possibility that Dominguez could put up a big season and win AL Rookie of the Year. Still, the expectation might be something closer to 18 home runs and 12-15 stolen bases than getting over 20 in each category.--Chris Clegg