Matt Dominguez - 3B - Marlins

 

Marlins prospect third baseman Matt Dominguez will miss Saturday's Rising Stars Game in the Arizona Fall League due to a bruised right thumb.

Dominguez suffered the injury during infield drills Friday, but the good news is that X-rays came back negative and he should return to game action within the next few days. The 22-year-old is still considered the Marlins' third baseman of the future, but remains a work in progress at the plate.

 

Just a minor injury, but does anyone find this a little ironic?

Oh come on, silly title. I thought you were about to propose some argument.

It's a jagged little pill, for sure.

Wasn't he batting .203 before he go injured. I would say that's just as big as a problem as staying healthy for him.

So you're saying you're not head over feet for him?

Just to clarify, I'm not claiming that he's gonna be a problem because he's injury prone. I just find it funny that he was supposed to be a rising star and now....

 

It's kind of symbolic.

Well, you know what they say about the draft. You live, you learn.

All I really want, is a good third basemen.

 

 

 

 

Ps I meant third the first time. We have a good first basemen.

All I really want, is a good first basemen.

 

 

Thank you.

Hey no problem, you know I'm just standing here looking cool with my Hand in my Pocket.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

 

This year only, which is really just a statistical aberration caused by several of the league's above average third basemen missing time while others like the Marlins decided to just not care. Taking one year that did not mesh with many previous years and basing your conclusion on that alone is placing too much emphasis on a small sample size.

He may still be a good batter but at the moment he's still not showing enough with the bat consistently and frankly I didnt see any of that outstanding defense when he was called up. Maybe big show nerves. He deserves a shot at ST, but he doesn't look ready to start anytime soon, especially next year.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

 

This year only, which is really just a statistical aberration caused by several of the league's above average third basemen missing time while others like the Marlins decided to just not care. Taking one year that did not mesh with many previous years and basing your conclusion on that alone is placing too much emphasis on a small sample size.

 

Or maybe offense at the position is just not the same as it once was. Pretty sure certain teams aren't just ignoring 3B because it's the fun thing to do.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

 

This year only, which is really just a statistical aberration caused by several of the league's above average third basemen missing time while others like the Marlins decided to just not care. Taking one year that did not mesh with many previous years and basing your conclusion on that alone is placing too much emphasis on a small sample size.

 

Or maybe offense at the position is just not the same as it once was. Pretty sure certain teams aren't just ignoring 3B because it's the fun thing to do.

No, in the Marlins cased they are just both naive enough and cheap enough to not care.

The guys announcing the AFL game for MLB Network were comparing Dominguez to a young [very young] Mike Schmidt in that he had a great glove but inconsistent bat. I don't see Dominguez becoming anything like Schmidt, but shoot, that's not a horrific comparison. At age 23, Schmidt hit .196 in 443 PAs [367 ABs] with 18 homers. Dominguez is, how old, 22? He can still improve offensively. Dwight Evans wasn't that good of an offensive player til his 30s.

Mike Schmidt put up a .960 OPS in AAA as a 22 year old, walked a ton, and showed great power. Biggest thing for Schmidt is, while he always had K and BA problems, he walked a ton and hit for power. Always.

 

Now, Matt Dominguez is very young, and I think people are giving up on him way too easily. He's not going to be a star, but if his glove is what it's cracked up to be, I think he'll hit enough to stick. But I do think keeping him in the minors at least another year is a good thing. We're getting to a point where prospects can be something of a luxury, so let's try to keep them down as much as possible. Until they make it clear they have nothing at all left to learn.

 

We're still talking about a guy who has shown league average walking ability and above average strikeout avoidance with league average pop. He's a station to station runner at best, which is going to drag down his XBHs and BA a bit, but I think there's still enough there to say he's got a decent future. He's probably never going to be a star, but I think way too many people are giving up on him.

 

A comparison I like a little bit is Mike Lowell. He might not ever peak as high as Lowell did, but Lowell was a guy who put up low BABIP numbers, low K rates, and roughly average walk rates. I think the biggest difference is Lowell probably had more power and struck out less than Dominguez will, but I don't think it's terrible. Dominguez is still very much a baby by major league standards. A .743 OPS in AAA isn't that bad for a 21 year old.

Mike Schmidt put up a .960 OPS in AAA as a 22 year old, walked a ton, and showed great power. Biggest thing for Schmidt is, while he always had K and BA problems, he walked a ton and hit for power. Always.

 

Now, Matt Dominguez is very young, and I think people are giving up on him way too easily. He's not going to be a star, but if his glove is what it's cracked up to be, I think he'll hit enough to stick. But I do think keeping him in the minors at least another year is a good thing. We're getting to a point where prospects can be something of a luxury, so let's try to keep them down as much as possible. Until they make it clear they have nothing at all left to learn.

 

We're still talking about a guy who has shown league average walking ability and above average strikeout avoidance with league average pop. He's a station to station runner at best, which is going to drag down his XBHs and BA a bit, but I think there's still enough there to say he's got a decent future. He's probably never going to be a star, but I think way too many people are giving up on him.

 

 

I think it's the hype of free agency, honestly. We're looking for the quick fix solution rather than waiting for Dominguez.

Which is totally fine.

 

I've always loved the Phillies' way of doing things, where they leave guys like Utley and Howard down longer than most teams would because they have options at the major league level and don't have to rush them. This delays the start of their FA, gives them more prime years on the cheap, and presumably helps the players avoid growing pains at the major league level.

 

I would have no problem with Dominguez spending the next two years in AAA, totally figuring it out, and forcing us to bring him up. That's a luxury, and I would be happy to have it. I don't think it's an indictment on him.

That would be an ideal scenario. I think our top target for that stop gap is Aramis Ramirez.

Well, you know what they say about the draft. You live, you learn.

 

 

Seems like most of Beinfest's drafts are mostly misses - I'm glad they see that and have started to share that responsibility, but I don't like that its Samson & Loria taking a bigger role (from what I understand). I wish they had gotten real baseball people in to do that.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

 

But this guy looks like a Mendoza guy.

Apparantly he is! He was a late inning sub, going 0-1. As for his ability he really is a great fielder and projects to be a decent hitter(.250-.275), but will lack the pop most expect from a thirdbaseman.

 

 

A position that's no longer really a position of power.

 

But this guy looks like a Mendoza guy.

But throughout his minor league career he's hit right around .250, so maybe .275 is a reach. The Marlins were willing to deal with Alex Gonzalez's steady defense and a .250 BA, so thats not out of the question. As for 3b, its still a power position, just the post steriod era will prove 25-35 HR's to be high watermark, I doubt seriously that Dominguez will reach those heights without losing range in the field.

Mike Schmidt put up a .960 OPS in AAA as a 22 year old, walked a ton, and showed great power. Biggest thing for Schmidt is, while he always had K and BA problems, he walked a ton and hit for power. Always.

 

Now, Matt Dominguez is very young, and I think people are giving up on him way too easily. He's not going to be a star, but if his glove is what it's cracked up to be, I think he'll hit enough to stick. But I do think keeping him in the minors at least another year is a good thing. We're getting to a point where prospects can be something of a luxury, so let's try to keep them down as much as possible. Until they make it clear they have nothing at all left to learn.

 

We're still talking about a guy who has shown league average walking ability and above average strikeout avoidance with league average pop. He's a station to station runner at best, which is going to drag down his XBHs and BA a bit, but I think there's still enough there to say he's got a decent future. He's probably never going to be a star, but I think way too many people are giving up on him.

 

 

I think it's the hype of free agency, honestly. We're looking for the quick fix solution rather than waiting for Dominguez.

 

Dominguez isn't good enough to wait for. The Marlins would be foolish to hold a spot indefinitely for a guy who doesn't even put up very good numbers in the minors. If Dominguez emerges and you've got a legitimate option already playing there, then that is a nice problem to have.