Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez wrapped secretly dominant season with a bang

New York Yankees wunderkind teenager Jasson Dominguez did plenty of developing in relative silence in 2022. And maybe that’s OK.

It’s difficult to say someone who homered in the Futures Game at Dodger Stadium (his second straight appearance in the midsummer showcase) flew under the radar, but that’s exactly what happened to Dominguez this year. Once a certain sect of prospect hunters who expected him to be Wander Franco from the jump realized his development wasn’t going to be totally linear, they seemed to jump ship.

Dominguez plummeted down prospect rankings this season, sometimes to the meaty middle of the Top 100, and sometimes out of it entirely. Analysts raced to publish their hipster hot takes, desperately looking for prospects you’ve never heard of who were “actually further along” than Dominguez. The beefy slugger even got the anonymous scout treatment, his flaws distilled by a faceless voice.

Sometimes, the doubters were even seated in the stands on the road. Dominguez managed to silence them a little more directly.

And yet, as the High-A Hudson Valley season concluded unceremoniously with a rainout this weekend, it was clear to everyone actually watching that Dominguez had taken major leaps forward after being sent out of his comfort zone in Tampa to a higher level.

After a late push, Dominguez ended up hitting over .300 at High-A (.306), and may have saved his best game of all for last. Add in some remarkably impressive power and patience numbers, and it turns out the outfielder just might be a mature teenaged superstar in the making after all.

Yankees’ Jasson Dominguez actually deserves more hype after dominance

Split between two levels, Dominguez finished with a remarkable .382 OBP alongside a .280 average, showing special patience, as well as the ability to fight being pitched around while still posting impressive numbers. He also struck out only 123 times in 115 games while being challenged, following 73 Ks in 56 semi-disappointing games last year.

Progress anywhere you look. He also stole 36 bases.

But while the raw power didn’t always translate into game pop (though 15 home runs is nothing to sneeze at for a minor-leaguer these days), Dominguez saved his best for last, impressing even Yankees Prospect Scrooge Keith Law.

During his final regular-season game, Dominguez homered from both sides of the plate, tattooing the second dinger into the stratosphere. That’s how you leave a reminder.

While Dominguez hasn’t risen to the bigs like Juan Soto or impacted a pennant race like Wander Franco, he established his bonafides impressively, especially during 2022’s second half.

And it doesn’t much matter if Baseball America noticed or cared, or if the fan base wants to continue to bank on disappointment over hope.

As The Martian displayed this season, he’ll just adjust and keep on mashing, hoping the anonymous scouts eventually change their tune.

3 Yankees trade regrets that will sting even more in 2023

These 3 Yankees trade regrets will wreck the 2023 season before it even begins. The ramifications of Brian Cashman's nonsense...