The New York Yankees had the American League Rookie of the Year last season. And a notable New York MLB insider believes the team will go back-to-back for the award in 2025.
We are just hours away from the start of the Yankees’ regular season schedule. And there is a lot of hope and excitement for the 2025 edition of the team. Sure, they lost Juan Soto to the New York Mets in the offseason and ace Gerrit Cole to a season-ending injury. But they still have a very strong team and a couple of young pieces that could be core members of the roster long-term.
Last season, pitcher Luis Gil had a breakout year in his first full campaign back after missing all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery. Over the first half of 2024, he emerged as the team’s unofficial ace and was in the discussion to land a spot on the American League All-Star team. The Pinstripes don’t win the American League East without Gil’s Rookie of the Year-winning performance during the regular season.
New York will need another breakthrough performance in 2025 if they hope to make up for the loss of Soto’s bat. Yes, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt should add more offensive punch to the lineup. However, if top prospect Jasson Dominguez does not evolve into an impact player this year, the team could be in some trouble.
Well, according to SNY MLB insider John Harper, the New York Yankees will get exactly what they are hoping for and more from the player nicknamed “The Martian.”
New York Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez will win AL ROTY in 2025?
“The Yankees didn’t actually sign Dominguez when he was 12 years old, it just seems that long since the hype began,” Harper wrote. “Yet his talent is legit. And despite all the hand-wringing over his misadventures in left field, I think he proves to be the real thing in his first full season in the big leagues at age 22.
“He’ll settle in defensively, allowing him to relax and let his tools take over. He stole 40 bases in the minors two years ago, and scouts continue to marvel at how quickly the ball leaves the ballpark when Dominguez squares one up,” he added. “That could well add up to a 30/30 season and the emergence of a star.”
With reigning MVP Aaron Judge set to turn 33 next month, the New York Yankees badly need to find their next centerpiece. Former top prospects Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe have been solid to good players in the big leagues. But neither can be the heir apparent to Judge.
If Dominguez can realize his potential in 2025, the Yanks have a good chance of getting back to the World Series in October.
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