Jasson Domínguez's aggressive burst out of the batter’s box caught Aaron Boone’s attention, prompting the Yankees manager to perk up at his dugout perch. It was the ninth inning of a Grapefruit League game -- March 16 against the Pirates, to be exact -- and the super-prospect known as “The Martian” was spicing up a sleepy affair by legging out a hustle double.
“You really saw him accelerate and see him run the way he is able to when he really gets to top speed,” Boone recalled this week. “For being built the way he is, kind of stocky and thick, that jumped out at me – like, ‘Whoa, there's another gear there.’”
One of the most celebrated international prospects in recent memory, having drawn early comparisons to Bo Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout before scoring a $5.1 million signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic, Domínguez can begin forging his own big-league story on Friday. The Yankees added the switch-hitting outfielder to the active roster, with catcher Austin Wells, from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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