Blink-182 warned us in 1999: Aliens exist.
The thing is, it didn't take government press conferences, UFO sightings or Will Smith punching one to tell us as much. You had to look no further than the Yankees' farm system.
Top Yankees outfield prospect, the 20-year-old Jasson Dominguez, has arrived, and he's arrived with a bang — a couple bangs, actually. Dominguez mashed two home runs through his first three games, potentially signaling the arrival of the new wave of Baby Bombers.
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Dominguez is the headliner for the next crop of homegrown Yankee prospects which hope to prop open the World Series window once again. Along with Austin Wells, Everson Pereira, Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, the Yankees are hoping a youth infusion will help the chase for ring No. 28.
None of those guys, though, have as cool a nickname as cool as Dominguez.
Much like Kal-El's arrival in Smallville, Kansas, Dominguez signals hope for many. They also may share extraterrestrial origins. Here's what to know about "The Martian," and how the wunderkind got his otherworldly nickname:
Why do they call Jasson Dominguez The Martian?
Dominguez's nickname "The Martian" ("El Marciano" in Spanish) comes from an awe-struck viewer of Dominguez in his home country of the Dominican Republic. Someone — it's unclear who — said Dominguez's talent was not of this world, leading to the nickname.
The moniker stuck, and it has followed Dominguez since he signed with the Yankees as a 16-year-old.
Even Dominguez embraces it, as shown in a post by one Reddit user describing an airport encounter with the 20-year-old that went viral after the Yankees made the call-up.
He is Martian. He is out of this world pic.twitter.com/iyiCGxqJ8D
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 31, 2023
Dominguez has been hyped ever since he was a teenager. Some have compared him to Mike Trout, while others have compared him to Bo Jackson and Mickey Mantle. Now, he'll have to make good on those comps at the major league level.
His nickname isn't the only name that's got an interesting origin. His first name, Jasson (pronounced Jason), is inspired by former Yankee and AL MVP Jason Giambi. His father, Felix Dominguez, is a massive Yankee fan.
Jasson Dominguez height and weight
Dominguez isn't quite the mammoth that teammate Aaron Judge is. Instead, he's listed at 5-9 and 190 pounds, in stark contrast to Judge, who is listed at 6-7 and 282.
Simply put, Dominguez is built like a pinstriped fire hydrant with arms.
Jasson Dominguez contract
Jasson Dominguez signed with the Yankees as an international prospect in 2019, for a $5 million signing bonus. Working his way through the minors, he's currently pre-arbitration eligible and earns $720,000 per season.
He will be eligible for arbitration once he accrues three years of MLB service time, so the Yankees are getting him at something of a big discount.