They really did it.
All this time, I thought it was a bluff. They were trying to scare him, to light a fire in him, to push his buttons. Somehow, around now, they'd find a way to keep him.
It might be an outfield injury, or they'd simply punt on Randal Grichuk. Somehow, Jasson Dominguez would return, as he'd do in almost any other organization in baseball.
Nope. They did it. They farmed him out.
So... what next? Dunno. But he's 22, people. He's ready. And don't let them wave the shiny object, Dax Kilby, in our eyes: Dominguez remains the most important prospect in the Yankee organization. He has speed, he has power, and he hit .257 last year, 45 points higher than the perennial returnee, Anthony Volpe.
And they have sent him to Scranton.
I know what they say: Dominguez needs to play every day. I get it. I agree... sorta. But the guy needs to play in the Majors, not Scranton. And by discarding him, I fear they are playing with fire.
Mark these words: He won't do well there. We'll watch every at-bat, mull every line-score, and lament every strikeout. No matter how you slice it, a guy who should be playing MLB will be toiling in Triple A, disillusioned and depressed, all because he didn't fit into some front office algorithm based on platoons and contracts. It happens commonly with the Yankees. If this front office was running the 1951 Yankees, they would have dispensed with the young outfielder who hit .267, because the kid - Mantle - was no Randal Grichuk.
Hopefully, sometime, around July, Dominguez will return. But I think there is a very real chance that he disappears, permanently, in a deadline trade package. For six years, Yank fans will have watched him rise, only to see the Yankee brain trust exile him to Nowhere.
He's gone, folks. Damn. I didn't think it would really happen.
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Just as regular citizens are not humans to the oligarchs, prospects are not humans to the ownership class. They are pawns. We are talking about a complete lack of empathy. No, "I wonder how he'll feel if we do this?" or "How will affect his mental health?" Just another pawn in a lockout year. Fuck Hal. Eat the rich.
They have done this before, most recently with Clint Frazer among others. Surprisingly (not really), the demotion never quite seems to work out and another budding MLB ready player bites the dust while the NYY are left holding their puds while other teams create opportunities for the kids to grow. Maybe they never quite get there, but at least they are given a chance. Sometimes these dudes are just to damn “smart”.
Nice piece, Duque. And very well put, Bitty. Among other things, this illustrates—once again—how little idea Hal & Pal have of what actual baseball fans like to see. Young players coming up out of the minors and making it is an indispensable part of the rooting process. It's what binds us to the team.
They just don't get this—or they don't care. Either way, it diminishes the fan experience more every year.
I believed Dumbass Cashman when he said there was no place for Dominguez on the major league roster. Because this is exactly the kind of thing Cashman likes to do. I don't know how Dominguez will play in AAA, if he'll be great, if he'll be a mediocrity, or just fizzle out. But I do think that, even if he plays great down there, he's not going to come up. He'll be in AAA the entire year. Cashman hates developing young players. Randal Grichuk and Trent Grisham are infinitely better players to Cashman's eyes. Even if Grichuk and Grisham hit under .100 this year, you won't see The Martian come up.
I've said it before - as much as it pains me - the only way Dominguez gets everyday playing time in the majors is to get traded. So that's what I'm hoping will happen.
And with the lockout next year, you know there's a chance that Dominguez will never develop, never get that chance. Jasson may just have been born under an unlucky star. First the coronavirus epidemic, now the lockout. It may be that it was just never meant to be.
Contrast that with Aaron Judge's opportunity in 2016-2017. I think the difference with Judge was that he got outside hitting instruction in winter of 2016 and turned in a monster 2017 season. They simply couldn't send him back down. Judge also walked into a rebuilding situation in 2016. He was in the right place at the right time. After the 84 at bats in 2016, Cashman must've liked what he saw: a guy who strikes out and hits home runs. It's a certainty that Cashman never foresaw that Judge would turn into the best player in baseball. If Cashman had known how Judge would explode in 2017, I think Cashman stashes Judge in AAA until age 29. That way, HAL would never have had to pay for a huge contract.
After all HoG, maybe none of this was never meant to be.
And personally - I would never eat the rich. They'd probably taste god awful regardless of how well they're marinated, rested and roasted.
Yucko !
There are plenty of ways that you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him, you can cheat him, you can treat him bad
And leave him when he's down, yeah
But I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway, the bullets rip
Repeating to the sound of the beat, oh yeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust, yeah
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Love that song, AA! I think the coolest part is the break in the middle, Freddie Mercury with the a cappella bit. Just awesome!
I have to salute Cashman for his money making genius. In what other business can you make a billion bucks without paying any taxes, generate zero profit on paper, and cry poverty? That's why HAL pays him the big bucks. That's why Cashman still has a job. HAL likes the financial side of Cashman's talent.
Hell, I couldn't do that consistently for 16 years. Maybe I could hold the fort for a year or two, but after awhile, the Ponzi scheme would fall apart. Cashman is like Bernie Madoff, generating great returns, but unlike Madoff, Cashman is for real. The return on investment is no joke.
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