With sky-high expectations, it was always going to be hard for Jasson Dominguez to live up to the hype, especially right from the start. But through five games, his performance has been above and beyond what anyone could have expected.
NO WAY!!! JASSON DOMINGUEZ FIRST AT BAT 2 RUN HR OFF VERLANDER..REACTION @gonjass7 pic.twitter.com/Wt1iTTYBBw
— JoezMcfly?? (@JoezMcfLy) September 2, 2023
The 20-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic — who has been one of the most anticipated prospects in recent memory since signing with the Yankees at age 16 — started things off with a bang when he homered off the legendary Justin Verlander with his first major league swing. Dominguez homered once more in that Houston series, the Yankees' first sweep of the Astros since 2013.
FIRST YANKEE STADIUM HOME RUN FOR JASSON DOMINGUEZ pic.twitter.com/dPBuFbScL7
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 7, 2023
In his second outing at home in the Bronx, Dominguez deposited a ball in the right field bleachers with a lefty swing built for Yankee Stadium, marking his third game with a home run after just five career appearances. The homer was one of three hits in Dominguez's first multi-hit game, but it also made him the first rookie to go deep in three of his first five games since at least 1901. This means that he's likely the first hitter to ever do so, as there weren't too many long balls being hit before the turn of the century.
Jasson Dominguez through five MLB games:
.333/.333/.810, 1.143 OPS, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 5 wins, 0 losses pic.twitter.com/Vwd58mbv4B
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 7, 2023
The early returns on Dominguez — nicknamed "The Martian" for his otherworldly physical profile and skill set — have been tremendous. He's on a five-game hitting streak to start his career and is batting .333 with an OPS (on-base percentage and slugging percentage) of 1.143. Perhaps most interestingly, Dominguez's impact has been felt immediately: The Yankees have won each game since he made his debut, tying their longest win streak of the season.
We have the first the Sterling home run call for Jasson Dominguez! ?????? pic.twitter.com/R78Yer5jp9
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) September 7, 2023
The playoffs may be a pipe dream for this year's Yankees — who just crept back over .500 and would finish 93-69 if they won every single remaining game — but the arrival of Dominguez has injected life into the end of this dreary campaign. Fans have a reason to come to the ballpark, tune in on television or the radio and, perhaps most importantly, believe in next year and, more broadly, the future.
Jasson Dominguez is 20 years old.
Goodnight ?pic.twitter.com/BICurQ5QsM
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) September 7, 2023
The Yankees clearly think highly of Dominguez, as he has settled into the third spot in the batting order, right between former MVPs Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. With a month of MLB experience giving him plenty of lessons learned and things to work on, it would be an understatement to say the sky's the limit for what this ultra-talent can achieve in 2024 and beyond.
