Comparisons between Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle and New York Yankees No. 1 prospect Jason Dominguez were inevitable for a number of reasons.
Both players were teenagers when they were touted as the next Yankees. Both played center field, were switch hitters and possessed the five traits that talent evaluators look for to predict star potential: batting average, slugging percentage, good defense, sprinting and powerful pitching.
What does Dominguez think about all this fuss? For someone who knows next to nothing about Yankees history, let alone Mantle, who made his debut in the Bronx 73 years ago, the answer is probably “no big deal.”
“I guess I’m too young,” he said with a winsome smile as his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre teammates took batting practice at Innovative Field Thursday before playing the Rochester Red Wings. “I want to be just as good.”
In fact, while the Yankees are the most famous franchise in baseball history, the team that has won the most World Series and produced the most superstar players, from Babe Ruth to Aaron Judge to Gerrit Cole, they didn’t have much of a presence in Esperanza, Dominican Republic, where Dominguez grew up.
“When I signed with the Yankees in 2019, the only thing I knew was that everyone was saying the Yankees were the best team in baseball,” he said. “That was all I knew at the time. Of course, I know a little bit about the history of the team now, but I didn’t know much about it then.”
For Yankees fans, it’s a fun thing to dream about: Could Dominguez finally claim the vast and revered grounds of center field at Yankee Stadium, where Earl Combs, Joe DiMaggio, Mantle, Bobby Murcer, Mickey Rivers, Rickey Henderson, Bernie Williams and now Judge have all had great careers?
But for Dominguez, the only thing he’s doing to prepare himself in case that happens is “staying focused on each day, each moment.”
That means this week the Rail Riders will be preparing to take on the Rochester Red Wings.
Jason Dominguez has ‘five tools’
“There’s a reason he’s the No. 1 prospect,” Wings coach Matt LeCroy said. “He’s got speed, he’s got arm strength, he’s a switch hitter, he’s quick with the bat, he knows the strike zone, he’s got power. He’s got the five tools that you need to be a really good impact player. Unfortunately, he’s on the other team, and it’s a challenge for our guys to get him out.”
Of course, Dominguez is where he is because of a bad day last September. With their playoff chances virtually over, the Yankees thought it was the right time to give him some experience and gauge his development, so they called him up for his major league debut.
Jason Dominguez’s debut with the Yankees was a memorable one.
Despite the high praise, no one expected it to go as well as it did. In the Yankees’ first game in Houston against the rival Astros and facing Justin Verlander, Dominguez smashed the second pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer. It was a truly memorable moment for a franchise with a patent for memorable MLB moments.
“Honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever forget my first home run,” Dominguez said. “It was emotional at the time. Of course I was happy, but I didn’t really realize what had happened until I woke up the next day and I was like, ‘Oh man, I hit a home run.’ It was fun.”
Dominguez had at least one hit in each of his first five games, three of which were home runs. The only player in Yankees history to hit three or more home runs in five consecutive games while under the age of 20 was Mantle in 1951.
But after his eighth game, the Yankees made a shocking announcement: Dominguez had a torn biceps and would have to undergo Tommy John surgery. This may have been the worst thing that had happened in a year of huge disappointment for the Yankees, because everyone assumed Dominguez would be on the 2024 Opening Day roster and play center field.
“I played in Houston that weekend and on my day off my arm was a little inflamed and a little sore, but nothing major,” he recalled, “and then as the week went on it got worse to the point where I couldn’t swing a bat or do anything. That’s when I realized what it was.”
His surgery and rehabilitation went well, and he returned to the field sooner than expected. He played a total of 14 games for Single-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset, where he was a big hitter, primarily as a designated hitter. He was then promoted to Scranton a few weeks ago, where he continues to play in the same way, while also playing defensively.
Entering Friday night’s game against the Red Wings, playing behind Cole in his third rehab start, Dominguez was batting .400 (12 for 30) with three doubles, two home runs, three RBI and a 1.100 OPS for the RailRiders.
“I’m feeling really good right now,” he said. “I’ve played nine innings already so I’m ready and I’m feeling good. I needed to get fit to play nine innings so I’ve played a few games in a row and so far so good. I’m not surprised actually. My recovery has been pretty good and I think it’s been pretty quick.”
With the Yankees’ outfield crowded, Jason Dominguez is getting regular playing time in the minors.
But no matter how well he performs, there’s no place for him in New York right now. The outfield is solid with Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, with Trent Grisham on the reserves. Barring an injury, Dominguez will likely remain in Triple-A as a regular.
“There’s nothing I can control,” he said. “I guess that’s the reality. Like I said before, I just like to take it day by day, focus on myself and play my game. I know that getting more at-bats is a good way to get better. The more I play, the more I learn.”
Oh, not that Dominguez knows this, but Mantle started his rookie season in 1951 with the Yankees, got off to a terrible start, and was sent to the minor leagues for a couple of months. He batted .361 in 40 games for Triple-A Kansas City, returned to the Bronx with renewed confidence, and the rest is history.
Dominguez is getting his first taste of the big leagues in 2023, and the impression is that he’ll be there for a long time when he next gets promoted.
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal’s newsletter, “Bills Blast,” which comes out every other Friday during the offseason, click this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
