Yankees promoting top outfield prospect to Triple-A after outstanding second half

AZ Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox at Surprise Saguaros, yankees, jasson dominguez

Oct 26, 2022; Surprise, Arizona, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Jasson Dominguez plays for the Mesa Solar Sox during an Arizona Fall League baseball game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After the news that the Yankees are promoting Everson Pereira and Oswald Peraza to the Major Leagues, it opened up an avenue for the Yankees to move an outfielder from Double-A to Triple-A, and who else but the Martian? Jasson Dominguez is just one step away from the Bronx, as the Yankees will be sending him to their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton.

The 20-year-old outfield phenom slashed .254/.367/.414 in 109 games at Double-A this season, hitting 15 HRs and swiping 37 bases as well. He stepped things up in the second half, as he hit .354 with a 163 wRC+ in 33 games, with his most recent series against the Reading Fightin Phils where he had 13 hits, two HRs, and eight RBIs in six games, showing off better contact and power tools while maintaining his patience at the plate.

Jasson Dominguez One Step Closer to Joining the Yankees

Jasson Dominguez flashed elite-level pitch recognition skills, as he laid off pitches out of the strike zone at an exceptional rate. The Martian only chased at 21.2% of pitches out of the strike zone, which ranks in the 98th Percentile for Double-A hitters, and as for his in-zone swing rate, he ranks in the 83rd Percentile, staying aggressive on strikes and punishing pitchers who make mistakes over the plate.

Paired with excellent raw power and improving contact rates, Dominguez ranked in the 53rd Percentile in Whiff Rate despite not facing a single pitcher younger than him the entire season. His growth and maturity at the plate have made him more than a deserving candidate for this promotion, and it brings into question whether the switch-hitting phenom can make his MLB debut at some time in 2024.

It seems as if 2023 is out of the picture with Pereira coming up and the Yankees having names like Austin Wells that they still would like to promote down the road, but with a month left in the season for Dominguez to get acclimated to Triple-A pitching, he could end up earning a chance to win the job right out of camp, similar to Anthony Volpe. The key difference here is that Dominguez got to Triple-A earlier in the season than Volpe did, so he’ll have even more time to impress the Yankee brass.

It’s a clear shift in direction from previous moves (or lack thereof), with the Yankees deciding to press on with their prospect aggression and give one of the most exciting young outfielders in the sport a chance to fight for a Major League job next season.

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