Who is Jasson Domínguez?

One of the most hyped international amateurs in recent memory, Jasson Domínguez signed with the Yankees as a 16-year-old in 2019, and expectations have continued to grow ever since. Now Domínguez has been called up to make his Major League debut this weekend.

Here’s what you need to know about the Yankees' No. 2 prospect, who turned 20 in February.

FAST FACTS
MLB organization: Yankees
Birthdate: Feb. 7, 2003 (Age 20 in 2023)
Primary position: OF
Height/weight: 5-foot-9, 190 lbs.
Bats/throws: Both/right
Hometown: Esperanza, Dominican Republic
Signed: July 2, 2019 (by NYY)

His tools have drawn rave reviews

Domínguez is a true five-tool player with the potential for above-average skills in all phases of the game -- a possible 30-30 player who hits for average, can handle center field and has an arm that makes runners think twice. And, oh yeah, he's also a switch-hitter.

He shined during Spring Training this year before recording 15 homers and 37 steals at Double-A Somerset. He was moved up to Triple-A on Aug. 22 and has a .419/.514/.581 slash line through nine games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

From an athleticism standpoint, the comparisons for Domínguez are as lofty as they get. He’s been likened to Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Bo Jackson.

The youngster is the Yankees’ center fielder of the future, but he has the quickness and arm strength to fit anywhere. In fact, some teams even worked him out as a catcher.

He already has a nickname and it’s straight from the cosmos

Domínguez has been dubbed “El Marciano” (The Martian), and it’s easy to understand why.

With his impressive physique and otherworldly tools at such a young age, it often seems like the phenom is from another planet.

The ball EXPLODES off his bat

If the glowing scouting reports aren't convincing enough, watch some footage of Domínguez at the plate and you'll see -- and hear -- what he can do to a baseball when he makes contact.

This dude is an absolute unit at 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, with massive shoulders, bulging biceps and tree-trunk legs, and the ball jumps off his bat. According to an article from ESPN's Jeff Passan in 2019, Domínguez routinely produces exit velocities over 110 mph from both sides of the plate.

Domínguez has been lauded for his work ethic, and his workout routine is the stuff of legend. The prospect flips oversized tires with ease and swings a bat loaded with cement. The youngster actually got too bulky for the Yankees' taste, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, and they requested that he drop some of the muscle, so he did.

His first big purchase was … a used car?

A few months after signing with the Yankees, Domínguez wanted his agent, Gio Rodriguez, to see what he had purchased now that he was a newly minted millionaire. The two walked over to the only car in an otherwise empty parking lot.

“This is my Bugatti,” Domínguez said proudly. The two then burst out laughing, because it wasn't a Bugatti, or a Lamborghini, or any other expensive sports car.

“He bought himself a Honda Accord, and I’m not even sure it was new,” Rodriguez said. “That’s just the kind of person he is. There’s no flash. He just needed something safe and reliable to get back and forth from the field each day. This guy is not buying into the hype. His goal is to prove to the Yankees that they signed the right kid and earn everything he gets.”

Domínguez subsequently (and reluctantly) purchased a preowned mid-sized SUV to make his daily two-hour commute from his home in Santiago to the Charlie Nova Baseball Academy on the outskirts of San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic, but only after being convinced that the rough terrain on the drive was going to ruin his sedan.

He quickly made MLB Pipeline history

Domínguez was MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 international prospect before he signed with the Yankees in 2019.

He debuted on Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects list the same year at No. 72 -- the highest ever given to an international amateur immediately after signing the previous July.

The Yankees paid a hefty price to get him

The Bronx Bombers had a bonus pool of $5.4 million during the 2019-20 international signing period. They spent nearly 95% of it to reel in Domínguez.

Domínguez’s $5.1 million signing bonus shattered the Yankees’ previous record. Prior to Domínguez, the Yankees had only signed two international amateurs for $3 million or more: shortstop Dermis Garcia ($3.2 million) in 2014 and catcher Gary Sánchez ($3 million) in '09.

“He is an elite-level athlete, and he has elite baseball tools,” Yankees director of international scouting Donny Rowland said after the team signed Domínguez. “He’s the kind of player who makes the hair on your arm stand up.”