The Jasson Dominguez Hype Train: A Retrospective
A Blog by Greg
On Wednesday, May 22nd, 2025, the Yankees faced the Texas Rangers at home. It was a wire-to-wire close game that was tied three times and featured three lead changes. The Rangers, backed by ace Jacob DeGrom, took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 7th inning thanks to a pair of home runs from Jake Burger and Sam Haggerty. The Yanks were able to chip away at the lead in the following two innings, eventually tying the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 8th inning. In the bottom of the 9th, with one out, Jasson Dominguez came to the plate against reliever Luke Jackson and hit a 398-foot home run to right field to win the game for the New York Yankees. A walk-off home run in a seemingly meaningless May regular season game is typically not noteworthy; however, this particular home run meant a lot to the Yankee faithful and is a moment that may live in Yankees fans’ minds for years to come.
Jasson Dominguez was one of the most hyped prospects in Yankees franchise history. He was signed by the organization in July of 2019, and the Yanks used practically their entire International Free Agent budget ($5.1 million) to secure the 16-year-old Dominican phenom. To say scouts and general managers were “excited” about Dominguez would be a complete understatement. Jeff Passon quoted one general manager in his article about Dominguez from 2019 who said,
"He's like Trout. And Trout wasn't close to this good when he was 16."
At the time of that quote, Mike Trout was an 8-time All-Star en route to his 3rd MVP in 8 full seasons and was considered by many to be the best player in the MLB. In that same article, an international scouting director upped the ante in terms of comparisons, saying:
"It's like Mickey Mantle. He's not 6-foot. He's a switch-hitter. He's got crazy power. He's fast as s---. He loves playing."
The praise that veteran scouts gave Jasson Dominguez was unprecedented. Labeling a young player as a “5-tool prospect” is not uncommon, but comparing a 16-year-old player (whose only readily available highlights are low-resolution YouTube videos from the DR) to all-time greats like Trout and Mantle is anything but common.
Dominguez playing in pinstripes was more than just a goal for the young slugger; it was meant to be. After all, Dominguez’s first name, Jasson, was inspired by former Yankee great Jason Giambi. Dominguez had offers from practically every MLB team in the league, but when the Yankees came calling, there was no question where he would taking his talents. When Jasson signed with the Yankees, he was overjoyed. In a call with MLB.com’s Chad Thornburg in 2019, Dominguez said the following:
“I’ve always wanted to be a Yankee”
“It’s a dream come true. I’m very happy to be taking this first step of my professional career. My goal is to be the best I can be and be an example for generations in the future.”
Dominguez was touted as the future “face of the franchise” of one of, if not the, most illustrious organizations in the history of American professional sports. Now, he had to prove why he deserved that title.
In June of 2021, Dominguez made his professional debut in single-A baseball as a part of the FCL Yankees. He bounced between A and RK ball for 2021, only playing 57 games. 2022 would be Dominguez’s first full minor league season. He moved between 3 different teams in the Yankees’ minor league organization (A, A+, AA) but spent most of his time in A ball. Despite being on average 3.5 years younger than the weighted average of his opponents and teammates throughout 2022, Jasson put up impressive stats. He slashed .273/.375/.461 and hit 16 home runs in 120 games. Dominguez’s MLB debut was imminent. Jasson once again started in the minor leagues for 2023. He played for both the Yankees’ AA and AAA teams and had comparable statistics to his 2022 season. However, 2023 was special for Dominguez as it would be the beginning of his MLB career.
On September 1st, 2023, Jasson Dominguez was promoted to the Yankees’ Major League roster to face the Houston Astros. In his first MLB start, he faced future Hall of Famer and reigning Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander. In his very first MLB plate appearance, on the very first pitch he saw, Jasson Dominguez crushed a two-run home run. Dominguez, at the ripe age of 20 years old, became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a home run in their first career MLB at-bat. It was poetic. The most hyped prospect in Yankees’ history had “[announced his] presence with authority,” according to manager Aaron Boone.
Unfortunately, Dominguez suffered an elbow injury not even two weeks after his electric debut against the Astros. The injury required Tommy John surgery, causing Dominguez to miss significant time.
In late 2024, Dominguez returned to the Yankees but played a majority of his games in the minor leagues as he recovered from his surgery. Dominguez excelled in his 58 minor league games as he slashed .314/.376/.504. The 21-year-old Dominguez was once again ready for Major League Baseball, but his ball club wasn’t ready for him. After trading for Juan Soto in the prior offseason, the Yanks' outfield was far too crowded for a young player recovering from a serious injury. Dominguez played sparingly in 2024 for the Yankees, only appearing in 18 games.
Entering the 2025 season, Jasson Dominguez was set to be a regular starter for the Bronx Bombers. With the loss of Juan Soto in free agency, fans looked to the young Dominguez to be the pseudo replacement for Soto. The high expectations had returned for Dominguez, and he has yet to disappoint.
Even before his walk-off home run on Wednesday, Domínguez had an implausible game against the Athletics in which he hit 3 home runs. He became the youngest player (at 22 years and 90 days old) in Yankees history to accomplish this feat, once again etching his name into the Yankees’ eminent history books.
He hasn’t been elite throughout the young 2025 season, and he certainly has not performed at the level of prime Juan Soto, but he has had a few incredible moments that give Yankees fans hope that he will be the star they were promised 6 years ago.