Dominguez bounced back to steal the show in LA

LOS ANGELES — For Jason Dominguez, Saturday was a day to remember, with ups and downs and a very happy ending.

Hours after learning of his promotion from Class-A Tampa to Class-A Upper Hudson Valley, the 19-year-old Dominican All-Star erased a major slump in the Futures Game—a dropped fly ball and what turned into a two-run error—with a two-run double in the next inning. The homer tied the game at three, and the American League eventually defeated the National League 6-4 at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m going to remember this day,” Dominguez said after the game.

Playing in his second straight All-Star Futures Game, Dominguez said he felt more comfortable this time around, and he did. Now, after signing for $5.1 million as a 16-year-old in 2019 and putting up solid numbers at Class-A Tampa, the Esperanza native has put that mistake behind him and wowed everyone by hitting a 415-foot shot at 107.8 mph off his bat against the Giants’ lefty. . – Kyle Harrison Chance.

“That kid has power,” former big leaguer Jimmy Rollins, the AL manager, said for the All-Star Futures Game. “He made up for that mistake. It shows great strength. He got a chance to make up for what I did. The Yankees have something great to look forward to.”

Dominguez’s compatriot and future Hall of Famer Adrien Beltre impressed as a center fielder and switch-hitter.

“It shows a lot of maturity,” said Beltre, who hit 477 homers in his 21-season major league career. “It’s a mistake that happens to anybody. To put that behind him and do what he did at the plate shows the talent he has and his chances to be a great player in the major leagues.

“He’s young, but he has an incredible future.”

The Yankees’ decision to promote him speaks to that future.

“Jason is a great kid who loves to play,” Hudson Valley manager Tyson Blazer said in a statement. “Obviously, you see raw tools on him every night. We are very happy to have him.”

Dominguez pitched among batters two years older than him in the Florida State League, something more noteworthy now in the South Atlantic League after the All-Star break at the league level. After a slow start to 2022, the Dominican improved his Class-A line to .265/.373/.440 in 75 games with the Tarpons, with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 36 RBI in 324 plate appearances. He also stole 19 bases in 24 attempts.

At Class-A level, the Yankees no. 3 opportunity And in number 39 Overall MLB Pipeline List Compared to last year, he improved his strikeout rate from 31.3% to 27.6%. Also, his 14.3% walk rate (compared to 9.8% in 2021) kept his on-base percentage from dipping too much early in the season, as well as contributing to his .813 overall OPS on the season. .

At this point in his career, Dominguez is still a work in progress. The good news is that the improvement earned him a second straight invitation to the All-Star Futures Game. The boy jumped at the chance.

“It feels really good, actually,” Dominguez said. “(The Yankees) have their plan and they know how to do it. It’s a mistake that happens to everybody. I put it behind me and was able to keep going.