Matt Dominguez

2013

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2012

Dominguez did nothing in 2011 to indicate that his bat is ready for the majors, posting a feeble .258/.312/.431 line at Triple-A and not doing much better in the AFL. Even if the Marlins trade Hanley Ramirez in the wake of the Jose Reyes signing, Emilio Bonifacio would likely get a look at third base before Dominguez, so unless the youngster himself gets dealt expect him to spend another season in the minors trying to learn how to supply enough offense to justify plugging his slick glove into the lineup.

2011

He could challenge for a Gold Glove in the majors right now, but Dominguez's bat hasn't yet caught up to his glove. That's too bad, because the Marlins have an immediate need for a third baseman, but they may have to make do with stopgaps for a while yet until the 21-year-old is ready.

2010

The Marlins' third baseman of the future has Ryan Zimmerman-like skills but struggled to put up big numbers at High-A Jupiter before falling completely on his face at Double-A. He was still a month shy of turning 20 when he got the promotion so it looks like the Marlins simply rushed him too quickly, an odd mistake for an organization that is normally very good at developing their prospects. Assuming Dominguez's confidence recovers (he struggled badly in a short stint in the AFL) he should do much better the second time around at Double-A, which would put him on pace to compete for a major league starting job in 2011.

2009

Dominguez battled mono and bone chips in his elbow in his first full pro season, but still put up very good numbers for an 18-year-old at Low-A. He could stand to trade some strikeouts for walks before he'll look like a full-fledged Ryan Zimmerman clone, but the Marlins have no need to rush him with plenty of third-base options ahead of him on the organizational depth chart. Even so, unless the health issues become chronic, it wouldn't be a shock to see Dominguez knocking on the door in 2010.

2008

The 17-year-old first-round pick struggled at the plate in his pro debut, but that's neither surprising nor a mark against him given his age. He eventually profiles to be a Ryan Zimmerman-like third baseman, combining solid power and contact with exceptional defense, but he's a long way from replacing Miguel Cabrera.