SARASOTA, Fla. — Jackson Dominguez's first week of Grapefruitreug's game on the left field this spring produced plenty of noise.
since then?
Mainly cricket.
For Dominguez, it's a good thing as it helped him to settle in that position and answer one of the biggest questions of the spring.
With the regular season beginning, he still has to prove himself again, but five weeks later, Domínguez is already feeling much better about the left field than at the start of camp.
“That's a big difference,” Dominguez said Thursday. “It certainly makes a big difference. The more games and reps I take, the more comfortable I feel.”
The Yankees hoped Dominguez would win a left field job this spring. He only had a few days left in camp, so he wrapped it around without much trouble.
The 22-year-old ventured to the left in the first week of camp. He lost the ball in the sun, took an inefficient route and looked a bit uncomfortable with at least a few other balls.
The Yankees were asked whether Dominguez should return to the natural spot at center field and play Cordy Bellinger on the left, but the team wanted Dominguez to give him a full runway to the left before changing courses as needed at the end of camp.
If Thursday marks the week from the opening day, it's unlikely that a slow switch will be needed.
“I'm really excited about his route. [They] Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday at Ed Smith Stadium before the Yankees played the Orioles. Even the few performances he has never made, seeing them, seeing them, they are low-rate plays that most people don't even get there. He does a really good job with that.
“His work was amazing. I like him swinging the bat. I feel like he's at bat. I want him to continue playing everyday. I love the spring he had.”
The Yankees never actually pose a threat to Dominguez of anyone else who appears as the left fielder. The only realistic option was for Trent Grisham to become the center field starter and Bellinger to move full time, but the top prospects work daily with outfield coach Louis Rojas.
“It's every day – there's no holidays,” Dominguez said with a laugh. “[Rojas] Always make sure you get that work in the left field. ”
The reality is that the Yankees don't need Dominguez to become Gold Glover on the left field.
Especially if his bats are dealing with that possibility, Dominguez doesn't have to be held responsible, like last September, when he was essentially trying to learn left field during the big league call and see if it's a better option than postseason Alex Verdougo.
Dominguez struggled offensively late last season, but the switch hitter looked sharp in the second half of the division.
He played a three-hit match against Phillies Onball on Wednesday. The ball came out of the bat at 107.8 mph and 105.7 mph, batting Thursday for 12-34 (.353) on three home runs in the last 10 games.
And while Dominguez has continued to play under the bright spotlight that has continued after him since signing for $5.1 million as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Boone thinks it's all well done.
“He's comfortable on the skin,” Boone said. “Through some mistakes from last year, he owns it. He talks briefly about it and coaches it. He expects a lot of himself.
