TAMPA — Aaron Boone’s focus remains on 2021, and the Yankees’ top prospect, Jasson Dominguez, is still years away from getting to The Bronx.
Still, the manager is well aware of the outfielder, who just turned 18 earlier this month.
“I do look forward to him now starting to build some game-playing experience and creating his own path and at some point down the road, [hope he] really impacts us,” Boone said Friday.
The hype surrounding Dominguez has been immense since the Yankees signed him out of the Dominican Republic for $5.1 million in July 2019.
He has been likened to everyone from Mike Trout to Bo Jackson to Mickey Mantle, and Boone tried to quiet some of those comparisons.
“Probably, in a lot of cases, it’s not really fair,’’ Boone said.
Deivi Garcia is still just 21, with only seven major league starts under his belt, but the right-hander is practically a grizzled veteran compared to Dominguez.
The two have met, and Garcia said Dominguez has “a presence.”
While Garcia emerged as one of the organization’s best young arms in recent years, that came after he was signed for just $200,000 in 2015.
The spotlight, then, didn’t really shine on Garcia until he began blossoming in the minors.
Dominuguez, on the other hand, had his first pro season wiped out last year due to COVID-19.
But Garcia has an idea of what Dominguez is in store for in the coming seasons.
“Talking about the process, when you’re young, it can be a fast process of going through many different levels,’’ Garcia said through an interpreter. “You’re faced with the challenge of having to mature quickly, especially if you’re moving fast. … You encounter people and players much older than you. You want to behave in a respectful way and at the same time take the opportunity to do it quickly and mature as quick as you can.”
And perhaps get to Yankee Stadium.
Boone, who saw Dominguez take batting practice in the Dominican Republic over a year ago with Gary Sanchez and Miguel Andujar, came away impressed by how Dominguez held his own.
Since then, he has mostly followed along with videos.
“The talent is certainly immense,’’ Boone said. “Where it leads, we’ll see.”