Yanks ho-hum on the Martian's woes: "What happened here today, I think, is a really good teaching moment."

A teaching moment. That's what they're calling the fly ball that dropped into left-center the other day, while a discombobulated Jasson Dominguez watched. It didn't look good. Shades of Inning 5. In fact, the moment has spawned several theories regarding the young left-fielder known as "The Martian."  

1) He lost the ball in the Florida sun, which anyone can do.

2) He took a bad route, which inexperienced players can do.

3) He shied away from the onrushing CF Cody Bellinger, which smart players in spring games should do.

4. He - aww, screw it - anybody got Verdugo's number? 

Actually, there's no calling Alex Verdugo, or Tim Locastro, or Slade Heathcott, or any of the Lost Legion of Ledee, (as in Rickie) which has haunted the Yankee left field killing grounds since the days of - well - Cody Bellinger's dad, Clay. 

Over the years, great Yankee lineups were earmarked by a) a star in CF, b) a big hitter in RF, c) a bedrock catcher, d) a big bat at 1B, and e) a jersey-filler in LF. It could be Chad Curtis. It could be Arturo Lopez. This spring, it's Dominguez, now in his 6th year as the future of the Yankees.

Since 2019, when he received the then-highest signing bonus in history - eclipsing Gary Sanchez - Dominguez has been viewed, unfairly, as our savior. Immediately,  he was compared - and this is criminal malpractice for a publicist - to Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout. You can look it up. The Yankees actually churned out such bullshit, basically consigning Dominguez to a career of disappointments. 

To make matters worse, in his upper teens, Dominguez bulked up. The brain trust started comparing his physique to an NFL running back (which guaranteed nothing, in terms of his ability to hit.) At one point, it was suggested that he'd play 1B - a death sentence for a kid who stands  5'9." At every step, they heaped pressure on him. You'd almost think they held that big bonus against him. (In the name of Kei Igawa, they wouldn't do such a thing, would they?)

So, here we are.  At age 22, Dominguez is being handed the keys to LF, no competition. He faces a sink-or-swim spring that, frankly, could tank his and our  seasons. If The Martian gets off to a bad start, a lotta shit's gonna start flowing downhill. Remember how, two years ago, we thought Anthony Volpe would thrive, and how difficult it's been for him to assume Derek Jeter's legacy? 

I think Yankee fans have been subliminally programmed to expect Dominguez to replace Juan Soto. That's ridiculous. And it's dangerous.

Thus far, on the spring, he is 0-4 with a walk and a run - and a fly ball that coulda/shoulda been caught. 

Listen: If Dominguez plays 10 years, and maybe makes an all-star roster, and maybe hits 200 HRs, and maybe wins a ring, that would be a fine career... for anybody else. 

Insert sigh here. 

Whatever happens, I probably won't live long enough to see Dominguez get called out for an ovation on Old Timers Day. He's probably the last Great Yankee Hype in my lifetime - and in the traditions of Steve Whitaker, Jackson Melian and Ruben Rivera, there have been some doozies. Still, in the lore of baseball, he is already entrenched: 

There is one Babe. One Iron Horse. And now, one Martian. 

That's really cool. Or really sad.

Let's hope he's a good learner. It's getting late for teaching moments.