The odds of Jasson Dominguez supplanting Aaron Judge as the most powerful slugger in the middle of the New York Yankees lineup this year are approximately the same as the man fans dub "The Martian" actually hailing from another planet. The good news for manager Aaron Boone is that his young outfielder is showing concrete signs of fulfilling his substantial potential as a hitter.
Dominguez captured the hearts of plenty of fans in the Bronx with his mammoth walk-off homerun against the Rangers on Wednesday night. That bomb was just a continuation of what the 22-year-old outfielder has been doing all month long. His wRC+ of 168 in May ranks him as the 23rd most productive hitter in the majors.
That is a crucial development for a Yankee batting order that is still yet to see the arrival of Giancarlo Stanton. The aforementioned Judge is having a truly historic start to his 2025 campaign. He can only continue that level of success if his teammates provide him quality protection in the middle of the order.
Dominguez has settled into the No. 5 spot in Boone's order which gives him plenty of chances to knock in runs behind the likes of Judge and the rejuvenated veteran duo of Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. Dominguez lacks the experience of the other three sluggers but he makes up for it with a compact swing that packs a ton of power into his 5-foot-9 frame.
Team officials were relatively certainly Dominguez would eventually learn to hit for power at the major league level. The more surprising aspect of his game this season is the selectivity he's shown at the plate. Drawing 20 walks in his first 40 games may not indicate a Juan Soto like understanding of the strike zone but it's a huge step forward for Dominguez. His refusal to chase pitches out of the zone has also allowed him to barrel up more balls against quality opposition in 2025.
Jasson Dominguez needs to keep building on this hot streak
The upcoming challenge for Dominguez will be to continue to improve his offensive output as opposing pitchers start to better understand his hitting tendencies. There will inevitably be ups and downs in his output as his first full season in the Bronx rolls along. Fortunately for Dominguez, he has plenty of veterans to learn from inside his own clubhouse.
The elephant in the room with Dominguez remains his erratic defensive work. He has all of the athleticism required to thrive in the outfield but he's struggled to track balls in left field. Early missteps on fly balls and liners headed his way have been problematic. Dominguez's lack of confidence has been on full display when he's failed to charge liners that could have turned into routine outs with the right jump.
The most likely path forward for Dominguez is to see his offense settle in somewhere between his outstanding May and his mediocre start to the campaign. If he can add in raising his defense to something approaching league average then a Rookie of the Year Award should be in his future. The Yankees would be more than happy to sign up for that level of output for such a young starter.
There are still real questions to be asked about what Dominguez' ceiling in as a player. His body is well developed for his age and there is not a lot of projection left in terms of size or strength. Any uptick in power will rely on refining his swing and approach. Those project more as incremental gains than anything that might turn Dominguez into an MVP candidate.
The defense should improve substantially unless Dominguez's mind gets in the way. He has the speed of a center fielder which means he doesn't need to read the game perfectly to play a solid left field. The more he relies on his natural athleticism the better off he's going to be with his glove.
In the end, Dominguez may never blossom into the general player that some scouts believed he might be during his formative years. That does not mean he won't turn into a very valuable, cost-controlled starter for a Yankees franchise that depends on that kind of system production to keep their payroll in check. If Dominguez turns into an above-average regular in the next year or two it should go down as a major win for GM Brian Cashman and his front office. If he can keep up his recent hot streak it might be the difference between a good season and another World Series berth for the Yankees.