Now 18, he is in his first spring training not only in Port St. Lucie but in the United States.
PORT ST. LUCIE — For anyone paying attention to Yankees spring training over in Tampa, you know the danger of expecting too much too soon from young prospects, regardless of how high they were drafted or, in Jasson Domínguez’s case, how much money they signed for.
Nearly seven years after getting a $5.1 million bonus from the Yankees, as well as the nickname “The Martian,” the switch-hitter is still trying to establish himself as a major leaguer. the 18-year-old infielder who signed with the Mets in January 2025 for $5 million out of his native Dominican RepublicHe spent last season in the Dominican Summer League, where he began his professional career by going 0-for-26. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Peña rebounded with a solid two-plus months in the DSL and has spent much of this spring playing minor league games on the backfields behind Clover Park — where he was at shortstop Sunday. The lefty-swinging Peña will get his first chance on a bigger stage Thursday in the Mets Spring Breakout game at Clover Park. As Andy Green, the Mets senior vice president of player development, said Sunday, “That will be the first opportunity to see him in a sanctioned game atmosphere, but we’ve seen some of the things he can do against pretty high competition already.” “He homered as soon as I saw him, left-on-left,” the manager said. “It was a good first impression.” Elian Peña is in his first spring training not only in Port St. Lucie but in the United States. But as Domínguez and the Yankees know, it takes more than a few good swings to get to the majors and stay there. And the franchise record bonus Peña received — which nearly doubled the previous high of $2.7 million that Francisco Alvarez received in 2018 — will add some challenges. Mets’ Francisco Lindor feels ‘pretty much like myself’ after first spring action since surgery Domínguez became aware of Peña last July, when Peña broke out with a three-homer game in the DSL and Domínguez saw the clips on social media. He had two pieces of advice for Peña: “I hope he has someone to tell him what to do with his money. Just leave it alone like I did.” And secondly, Domínguez added, “Don’t worry about expectations from other people and be careful with social media. It’s good when you get hits and everyone says you’re great, but if you strike out four times, it’s, ‘I hope you die and your family dies.’ You get used to it, but that can be a lot when you’re young if you pay attention to it.” That startling reality will be among the things Peña will have to contend with as he works his way up the system. “I think that’s part of being in New York and high expectations,” Mendoza said. “There are gonna be a lot of eyes on him. He’s mature and I think he’s built for it, but you’ve got to go through it and learn. Our job as an organization is to guide him and get him locked in on things he can control.” There have been promising signs, according to Green, especially with how he recovered after his rough start to his pro career. “The resilience he showed after going 0-for-26 and bouncing back is important,” Green said. “This game is going to smack every player around at some point, and you have to be tough.” But with just 55 professional games under his belt, not even the Mets can predict where Peña will wind up. He could be with the team’s Florida Complex League affiliate this season, as they try to forge a path for him to Queens. Green, though, has seen plenty of examples of young players exceeding expectations and falling short. He managed the Padres when Fernando Tatis Jr. debuted with San Diego as a 20-year-old in 2019. That was a year after he watched Juan Soto hit his second major league homer with Washington at age 19. “Those guys are extreme examples,’’ Green said. “There are a ton of really successful outcomes that show up in the big leagues at 22, 23 or 24. I have no idea what his timeline will be. Nobody does. It’ll take the amount of time it takes.”Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Madison' On Paramount+, Where Michelle Pfeiffer Is A New York Woman Who Goes To Montana To Deal With Her Grief After A Tragedy
Sports New York Mets Spring Training
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Mets' Kodai Senga showing signs of past form with strong spring outingKodai Senga’s second Grapefruit League start resembled the kind of performance common from him in the first half of last season.
Read more »
Juan Soto Reacts to Yankees Fan's Admission About Missing HimNew York Mets star Juan Soto interacted with a Yankees fan during the World Baseball Classic.
Read more »
Mets and Yankees facing similar circumstances on who could shape 2026 seasonWho is better? For this year? For the long term?
Read more »
Carson Benge keeps displaying what Mets like in spring games with 'tough decisions' aheadCarson Benge is looking to win a spot on the Opening Day roster for the Mets.
Read more »
Francisco Lindor returns to Mets lineup in massive boost ahead of Opening DayThe final piece of the Mets lineup is healthy enough to play.
Read more »
Mets Reassign Top Prospects, Veterans in Slew of CutsThe Mets reassigned 11 players to minor league camp Sunday, including a pair of standout Grapefruit League performers.
Read more »