Matz all, folks! Steven heads to the bullpen
tional signing, Donny Rowland, described Dominguez as “well above average” and “elite,” during a conference call Tuesday.
“He’s the kind of player that makes the hairs on your arm stand up,” Rowland said of the first time he saw Dominguez play.
Since he emerged on MLB’s radar, Dominguez has been compared to the likes of Mike Trout in terms of performance and Mickey Mantle by size. But those comparisons aren’t fair for a player as young as Dominguez, said Rowland.
“I don’t want to (make comparisons)… but I also don’t want to sell Jasson’s abilities short,” Rowland said. “He has so much potential.”
Dominguez’s nickname — “El Marciano,” or “The Martian” — is befitting of his abilities, as he has been clocked at 6.2 seconds in the 60-yard dash and hits balls with a consistent exit velocity of 108 miles-perhour. It’s worth noting the Yankees have more than 50 official reports on Dominguez.
Along with his elite athletic ability, Rowland also said Dominguez is humble and “loves to play the game.”
Dominguez was signed for a reported $5.1 million, most of the approximately $5.4 million in international bonus pool money the Yankees had, per MLB.com,
Along with Dominguez, the Yankees also signed five other Dominicans: 17-year-olds Jose Bernabe and Miguel Pozo, 16year-old Yordi Pichardo, 18year-old Geralmi Santana, and 19-year-old Felixander Severino. They also signed Colombian prospects 17-year-olds Jeison Anillo and Jesus Bravo, Venezuelan prospects 16-yearold Luis Urbano and 18-yearold Angel Sanchez, and Panamanian prospect 18-year-old Gerardo Abrego.
In a bit of a surprise, the Mets have moved Steven Matz from the rotation to the bullpen until at least the All-Star break. Matz has been ineffective over six June starts, but his demotion to the bullpen is still unexpected given the lefthander’s inexperience as a reliever. The 28year-old posted a 7.36 ERA and allowed eight home runs across 29.1 innings last month. Matz walked 13 batters and held opponents to a .300 batting average in that span.
“We feel like that’s going to be a help to our bullpen,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said of Matz pitching in relief. “It’s going to allow guys in the starting rotation to not have too many days off, so they can stay effective. Coming out of the break, we can reset whatever we need to.”
The Mets are using their upcoming offdays to their advantage by foregoing the use of a fifth starter in their next five home games. The
Mets open a two-game
Subway Series behind Zack Wheeler on Tuesday and Jason Vargas on Wednesday. New York will enjoy a scheduled off-day on Thursday before opening a three-game set behind Jacob deGrom against the Phillies on Friday. Noah Syndergaard and Wheeler will close the first half of the season on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Callaway said Matz’s move to the bullpen is temporary, but the skipper added “anything can happen.” The Mets do not need a fifth starter until well after the All-Star break, when they open the second half in Miami on July 12. Callaway did not rule out Matz taking on the role of a long-reliever or a setup
man to closer Edwin Diaz. Matz has never pitched from the bullpen at any point of his five-year big-league career.
The southpaw has particularly struggled in the first inning this year. Of the 18 home runs Matz has allowed this season, 10 have come in the first inning. Callaway believes much of Matz’s ineffectiveness in the opening frame is due to the opposing team’s manager setting his lineup up the way he wants.
“If we bring in Matzy and there’s a couple lefties coming up or it’s the bottom of the order, you can’t expect that the same results are going to continue to happen, because it’s not a true first inning,” Callaway said.
Matz was one of the Mets’ most consistent starters before he hit the injured list in early May with nerve irritation in his left forearm. He was limited to 27 pitches in his last start against the Braves on Saturday, which primes Matz for a smooth transition to the bullpen. The Mets need all the help they can get for their relief corps — a staff that enters July on a 5.58 ERA ranked 28th in the big leagues.
“I don’t think this is a knock on (Matz),” Callaway said. “It’s more him coming to us and us thinking, oh, this sounds like it could help us out in the meantime, and we’ll figure out the rotation after the All-Star break.
“He’s one of our top-five starting pitchers at this point. We’ll do anything as an organization to try and win games. Maybe he comes out this week and helps us win two games out of the bullpen, I don’t know.”