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Year		Comment
2017		Matt Dominguez can still play third base with the best of them, but his struggles to make consistent contact have left him looking for an opening on a big-league bench.
2016		Getting released by the Brewers in 2015 seems like a pretty good way to sum up a lot of things for Matt Dominguez, but his glove and first-round pedigree will earn him more chances, and more Lineouts, in the future.
2015		The Astros enjoyed a year of promising youth. Unfortunately for Dominguez, he wasn't part of that resurgence. While his name was scribbled into the lineup nearly every day, all that held up from 2013 breakout were his power numbers; everything else took a nasty turn, especially in the summer, with a .472 second-half OPS that was 100 points worse than any teammate's. His reputation as a reliable defender with a bit of power will be on the line this year. A team can stay a bit more patient with a 25-year-old, but if he starts struggling again early, the Astros might waste little time yanking him for someone who can get on base.
2014		The 2013 campaign was Dominguez’s first full season in the majors, and he emerged as a legitimate big leaguer. He was a defense-first (defense-only?) prospect, and he can still pick it at third, but the not-too-horrible offense was a nice surprise. Dominguez hit right-handed pitching at about a league-average rate because of very good power production. He favors the inside pitch, and can turn on pitches off the plate, but lefties seem to give him trouble when they work him away. He did fare well against southpaws in the minors and true reverse-split hitters are exceedingly rare, so we can expect him to make an adjustment to the superior control and off-speed stuff he’s seeing in the Show. Dominguez is one of the few 2013 Astros likely to be a part of the next winning Houston team.
2013		For the second year in a row, the Astros finished the season with a surprisingly adequate performance at third base from a young, prospect-y player. Last year's edition was Dominguez, the bounty from the Carlos Lee trade. That the team was able to get a slick-fielding prospect who was believed to have good power potential was a testament both to some creative negotiating (the Astros paid all but a tiny portion of Lee's salary) and to Dominguez's awful struggles in Triple-A in the Marlins' system. As with Jimmy Paredes in 2011, the good numbers Dominguez posted in the big leagues are fluky. But it's possible that his defense is good enough to make him an average all-around third baseman, and he's young enough that there's still a chance for significant growth.
2012		There was some talk last winter that the slick-fielding Dominguez could win the Marlins third base job with an impressive showing in spring training, but a .190/.292/.357 performance punched his ticket to New Orleans for more seasoning. Days before the opening of the minor league season, Dominguez's left elbow was fractured when he was hit by a pitch in an exhibition game, delaying his start until mid-May. He remained in Triple-A until the Marlins called him up for the final three weeks of the season, where he started at third base in 13 of the team's final 21 games. It's hard to see where Dominguez made progress with the bat last year, but, as has been the case throughout his pro career, he was significantly younger than the majority of players in his league. The acquisition of Reyes, and subsequent shifting of Hanley Ramirez from shortstop to third base, all but guarantees that Dominguez's future is with another organization.
2011		Maybe coaching will be the critical factor in tightening up the infield defense, but if Dominguez wins the job at third, Perry Hill's task will be that much easier. An electric defender gifted with ample range and a shoulder-mounted rocket-launcher at the hot corner, Dominguez started 30 double plays last year. At the plate, he's a work in progress without superior patience or power, but he's been so much younger than his leagues that we will have to wait to see if he consolidates lessons about laying off breaking stuff out of the zone. He did finish hot at the plate, capping a final flurry with three bombs in the Southern League playoffs. While Dominguez could conceivably win the Opening Day assignment at third with a good camp, if he's sent back down for a multi-month tuneup, the short-term danger for his future is that Coghlan could flop as a center fielder and need to move to third, or that non-roster invitee Ruben Gotay could catch on and hit early.
2010		Dominguez was the Marlins' first-round pick (12th overall) in their strong 2007 draft (Mike Stanton was their second-rounder). He made it up to Double-A as a teenager, but didn't hit well there, and he carried his struggles over to the Arizona Fall League this winter. Dominguez might be the best defensive third baseman in the minors, but his bat remains unproven. The power he showed in 2008 might have been a product of his home park, and the lack of follow-up in 2009 can only partially be attributed to the pitcher-friendly environment of the Florida State League. Dominguez is quite young, so there's no reason to rush to judgment. Much will be revealed when he returns to Double-A, so don't get on the Marlins for selecting Dominguez over Jason Heyward (taken by the Braves at 14th overall) too much—not yet.
2009		A first-round selection in 2007, last season Dominguez flexed some of the muscle that got him drafted twelfth overall, although he had to fend off mono early and elbow woes late. His instincts and a strong arm at the hot corner are already signs of a future Gold Glove candidate, but there is some concern that his bat is not on par with his glove—look no further than his road line of .246/.296/.392—but at least he crushed lefties, slugging .587. Given his age, he has plenty of time to sort his bat out.
2008		The Marlins took one of the five best high school hitters available in last year's draft with the 12th overall pick, snagging this third baseman out of Chatsworth, California. Dominguez's professional debut was a write-off; what you want to note is that he didn't turn 18 until the season was almost over, making him an incredibly young prospect. His glove is considered above-average, and his bat is expected to provide more power than average.

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