'The Martian' rips Futures Game HR, gets call to High-A

LOS ANGELES -- For Jasson Domínguez, Saturday was a day to remember, with ups and downs and eventually a very happy ending.

Just hours after finding out he’d been promoted by the Yankees from Single-A Tampa to High-A Hudson Valley, the 19-year-old switch-hitting center fielder erased a potential letdown -- a two-run error on a fly ball in the second inning of the Sirius XM All-Star Futures Game -- with a towering, game-tying, two-run home run the very next frame. The homer was a key blow in what would eventually be a 6-4 victory for the American League over the National League.

“I’ll remember this day,” Domínguez said postgame.

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A year ago, Domínguez -- one of the most hyped international prospects in recent memory after he signed with the Yankees for $5.1 million in 2019 at age 16 -- played in his first Futures Game after just a handful of professional games in the Florida Complex League.

Now with more than a year of professional ball under his belt, he made his presence felt at Dodger Stadium on Saturday. His ability to quickly put the error behind him and connect on a 94.3 mph sinker from left-hander Kyle Harrison -- the Giants’ No. 2 prospect and No. 25 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 -- for a home run clearly impressed those around him. The ball left his bat at 107.5 mph and traveled an estimated 415 feet.

“That boy’s got some sock,” American League manager Jimmy Rollins said after the game. “He made up for a little mistake out there. That’s what we talked about, 'We’ll get your back.' And then what he did, that shows some fortitude. He had an opportunity to make up for it and did it. To do it on a stage like this … the Yankees have got something to look forward to in the future.”

Domínguez’s Dominican countryman and former Major Leaguer Adrián Beltré, who was on Rollins’ coaching staff, noted the poise shown by the Yankees’ No. 3 prospect and MLB's No. 39 overall.

“That showed a lot of maturity,” Beltré said. “That’s an error that anyone can make. To put that behind him and do what he did at the plate shows the talent he has and his chance to be a great player in the big leagues.

“He’s got an incredible future. He’s young, but he’s got all the tools to be one of the best in the big leagues.”

The Yankees’ decision to promote Domínguez to Hudson Valley speaks to that future.

Domínguez played among hitters -- on average -- more than two years his senior in the Florida State League, a difference which should be more marked in the South Atlantic League starting next week. After a slow start this season, he improved to .265/.373/.440 in 75 games at Tampa, with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 324 plate appearances. He also stole 19 bases in 25 attempts.

“Last year, in my bad stretches, one of the things that didn’t help is that I tried to make excuses, just to feel better with myself,” said Domínguez, who has made his mark with the hard contact which, among other attributes, made him one of the most sought-after prospects of the 2019-20 international signing period. “This year, instead of making excuses, I tried to find a way to work out of it and improve. Then, thank God, I was able to find a way to improve things a lot. [It’s] the work I’ve put in on my part and also the organization’s part.”

At 19, Domínguez is still a work in progress. The good news? That progress earned him his second straight Futures Game call, as well as his promotion to High-A. On Saturday, he made it count, making his missed fly ball a blip on the screen for the day.

“It feels really good,” Domínguez said. “That error could happen to anyone. I put it behind me and moved on.”

Now Domínguez moves on to the next level on his journey towards the big leagues.

“[The Yankees] have their plan and they know what they’re doing,” Domínguez said. “One of my main goals is to stay healthy, to keep working and to keep giving forth my best focus so that the results keep coming."