It's up to Jasson Dominguez to reach potential and prove his value to Yankees
Jasson Dominguez talks to a Yankees fan before signing autographs at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday. Credit: Noah K. Murray
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
You can’t put a price on what it would mean for Jasson Dominguez to reach his full potential with the Yankees this season.
One thing you can put a price on: How much it cost Northport resident Jake Geres to get a special baseball card signed by Dominguez at Saturday’s Pinstripe Pride autograph event at American Dream mall.
That was $280.
“I’m a Yankees fan-slash-collector,” said Geres, 24, after slipping the signed card into a protective sleeve. “I actually opened this card up on Christmas. I got it in the holiday box and I was already planning to go to this event, so it really worked out.”
The Yankees and their fans are hoping Dominguez works out as the everyday leftfielder. With less than two weeks to go before spring training, hopes are high that “The Martian” will take off in 2025 and ease some of the sting of losing Juan Soto to the Mets.
It’s a lot to ask of a player who will turn 22 on Friday and who has 87 career at-bats in the majors.
Expectations have been high for Dominguez since 2019, when the Yankees signed him for a then-record $5.1 million bonus as a 16-year-old. Fans got excited when Dominguez hit four homers in eight games in his 2023 debut before an elbow injury led to Tommy John surgery and a mostly wasted 2024.
Dominguez’s promise also is why the asking price for his autograph was the highest of any of the three current Yankees players at Saturday’s event. The base price for a ball autographed by Devin Williams was $100. It was $80 for Oswaldo Cabrera. Prices varied based on what item the fan was seeking to get signed.
Dominguez’s fees were up there in the stratosphere with new Hall of Famer CC Sabathia and were higher than those of Yankees luminaries such as Bernie Williams and Don Mattingly, all three of whom drew large crowds.
Dominguez has about 99% of his career ahead of him. But fans love homegrown players who turn into stars, as Mattingly and Williams did, and collectors love hot prospects.
On Saturday on eBay, signed Dominguez baseball cards were going for as much as $1,999. That is not a misprint, and it’s why fans who lined up for Dominguez and paid top dollar for his John Hancock someday might make a tidy profit.
But there’s no guarantee — just as there is no guarantee that Dominguez will be as productive as Yankees fans hope.
“I’m not going to sell it immediately,” Geres said of his treasure. “I’m holding on to it. It all depends on how he plays.”
How will Dominguez play? If he plays like an All-Star, the outlook for the 2025 Yankees outfield post-Soto will be a lot brighter.
Cody Bellinger has a track record that includes the 2017 NL Rookie of the Year and 2019 NL MVP awards. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge may be even better this season without the need to play most of his games in centerfield.
What can the Yankees expect from Dominguez?
“I’m hoping at least 30 home runs,” Geres said. “I’m hoping. I think he’s going to do really good.”
Why not shoot for the moon, right? Dominguez has the kind of swing — mostly from the left side — that seems built for Yankee Stadium. The switch hitter’s righthanded swing needs some work, though, and the Yankees might be wise to invest in a platoon partner.
Manager Aaron Boone, who along with general manager Brian Cashman also signed autographs on Saturday, said this past week on WFAN that he envisions Dominguez in left with Bellinger in center.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner, in a YES Network interview, said of Dominguez: “I see him as the starting leftfielder. There’ll be a lot of meetings and discussions in spring training, obviously, and we’ll see how he performs and how he feels, but everybody’s very excited about him.”
That’s interesting because Dominguez is a natural centerfielder who absolutely bombed in a late-season tryout in left for the Yankees in 2024.
The Yankees were hoping Dominguez could seize the position from offensively challenged Alex Verdugo, but Dominguez hit just .179 in 18 September games and seemed utterly baffled by fly balls hit to left.
Dominguez was on the playoff roster for all three rounds but was limited to three pinch-running appearances.
Dominguez declined an interview request on Saturday, as did Boone.
“See you in a week,” Boone said while fist-bumping each of four baseball writers who were waiting to capture his thoughts.
But what can he say at this point? It’s up to Dominguez to prove his value, both to the Yankees and to autograph aficionados. That starts soon.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
