YANKS CAN WIN IT ALL, BUT ONLY IF JUDGE & SOTO ARE ON

There's no question that the Yankees are rolling right now. 4 game lead in the American League east and closing in on winning the division, but I often worry about the short series in the playoffs. So often under Aaron Boone's direction they just pitter out and don't do a thing right.  Boone doesn't lead well under pressure.

My opinion and the opinion of many is that without Judge and Soto at this point, the Yankees cannot win it all. It's sad to think about it this way, but let's be clear, night after night the only reason why the Yanks win is because of some heroic run scoring double from Soto or a dinger from Judge.  We're not hearing about Giancarlo Stanton... Anthony Volpe doesn't know how to hit... you see what I mean?

I believe that the Yankees need to get left field set with Dominguez not Verdugo, I believe that the Yanks have to reinvent how Volpe comes to the plate, and I believe that we can't keep getting automatic outs with Giancarlo Stanton at the plate.  Waiting and wishing is not an approach.

The biggest fix for me however is left field, it's obvious. The ‘Martian’ should be getting the majority of starts, based on his potential alone. Verdugo has missed many opportunities to establish himself as a reliable starter, the case for prioritizing Dominguez becomes even clearer.

In 2024, Verdugo has racked up 542 at-bats and his OPS is .650. That is the worst among MLB regulars for a considerable stretch.

While one would argue that Dominguez "just got here", there's something special about this young man and I would offer him that spot to see him shine.  I believe that those three in the outfield is a much stronger lineup, I really do.

Whatever the case, I do worry that the Yankees can't get through the playoffs with a World Championship.  Statistically they are just bad.  And you know me, I blame Boone for a lot of it. His decisions have been awful for years when it comes to the playoffs.  It just goes to show that he's not a big game manager.  

DOMINGUEZ IS MORE THAN READY

The Yankee universe is already happy with the Yankees and all they are doing this season. Behind Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the team has been quite remarkable.  In essence... we don't need anyone else.  And so having a few other good guys to come up could potentially be a problem. A good problem, but a problem none the less.

Jasson Dominguez is in his rehab games right now in the minor leagues and he is tearing it up. Empire Sports Media writes:

"At 21 years old, Dominguez is demonstrating that youth can be a significant advantage when recovering from severe injuries. Displaying his inherent power, Dominguez has already hit three home runs in just eight games for Double-A Somerset this season, a feat particularly notable as power usually takes the longest to return post-surgery.

Dominguez began his rehabilitation with Single-A Tampa, where he played four games and boasted a batting average of .385 and an on-base percentage of .529 over 17 plate appearances. His performance continued to impress at Somerset with a .333/.358/.606 slash line, including three home runs, seven RBIs, and a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 167 over 34 plate appearances. "

And so, the big question is what are the Yankees going to do when the kid's ready? He doesn't and shouldn't be in the minors too long, and the Yankees would be fools to get rid of him in a trade and so, does he ride the bench, and potentially rotate with Alex Verdugo in the outfield and Giancarlo Stanton at DH?  Again, a good problem to have, we just have to see what happens.

The bottom line? I'm looking forward to seeing the Martian back in the Bronx! So exciting to watch.

MEET JASSON DOMINGUEZ: "THE NEXT MIKE TROUT"

Wow, no pressure or anything with that comparison and yes, there are two "S" in his name. The Yankees just used more than 90% of their International Pool money to sign one guy named Jasson Dominguez out of the Dominican Republic. Just one guy! That is unheard of. That's one hell of an investment.

Who on earth would compare a 16-year old kid to Mike Trout? That's crazy. Well scouts and other baseball officials are singing this kid's praises. Did the Yankees just strike liquid gold with this signing? Or did they put spend too much money on one guy? Time will tell, but a lot of people seem to think that this is money well spent, no matter how risky this move is.

Jeff Passan of ESPN has a great write-up on this HERE. Here are just a few things people are saying:

"I know this sounds crazy, but....he's like Mike Trout. And Trout wasn't close to this good when he was 16," said one general manager.

"Jasson has a game that's very much like Mike Trout -- except he's a switch hitter.I know it's a little unfair to put them next to each other. I've been doing this for a long time, he's the greatest talent I've seen," said Ivan Noboa, Dominguez's trainer.

"He's the best July 2 player I've ever seen," said another international scouting director.

"He's the kind of player that kind of makes the hair on your arm stand up." High praise from Yankees own International scouting Donny Rowland, HERE.

So you get it by now. He may only be a prospect now but people seem to think this kid is the next big thing. That's a lot of weight to carry around for a young kid. It's clear that the Yankees have gone all-in on this kid. The Yankees believe he could be a shortstop, or even a catcher but they believe his future is an outfielder, specifically center field. Dominguez is described as a five-tool player which includes speed, power, hitting for average, fielding and arm strength. His nickname is "The Martian" because of his out-of-this world talent, and even named after former Yankees slugger Jason Giambi. His name and his talent both scream future Yankee icon.

I was surprised to hear the Yankees spend so much money on one prospect, but I dig everyone's enthusiasm about this kid. The Yankees haven't been shy about spending a lot of money in the Dominican Republic and it has paid off so far: Gary Sanchez and Luis Severino were both signed from here as teenagers.I think the Yankees know what they are doing.

Welcome to the Yankees, kid. We are all anxious to see what you've got!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj